John Duval Gluck facts for kids

John Duval Gluck Jr. (born December 25, 1878 – died 1951) was an American who helped many children. He is best known for making it popular to send and answer letters to Santa Claus in New York City. Gluck started an organization called the Santa Claus Association. This group would get letters sent to Santa from children who needed help. They would check if the children were truly in need. If approved, they would send gifts to those children.

Early Life of John Gluck

Gluck was the oldest of five brothers. He was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Westfield, New Jersey. John Gluck was born on Christmas Day. His family had a history of playing Santa Claus. His grandfather, Johan Baptiste von Gluck, played Santa in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Santa Claus Association

The Santa Claus Association started in December 1913. It began because of a change by the United States Postal Service. Before 1911, the Post Office used to destroy letters sent to Santa Claus. In 1911, postmasters began giving these letters to charity groups. But in New York City, no groups wanted to help.

Gluck contacted Edward M. Morgan, who was the Postmaster of New York City. Gluck suggested creating a non-profit group. This group would be called the Santa Claus Association. It would get, check, and answer Christmas letters from children in New York. Since Gluck was born on Christmas Day, he seemed like a good person for this role.

How the Association Worked

The Santa Claus Association connected donors with children. Volunteers read and organized the letters. Donors, often wealthy people, gave money for gifts and supplies. Gluck was the President of the association. He named John J. Kiely as the honorary vice-president.

The organization quickly became very big. It received thousands of dollars in donations. This money paid for supplies, postage, and gifts. The Association also worked with important people. These included New York Governor Al Smith and United States President Warren G. Harding. Celebrities like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks also helped.

Big Plans and Problems

As more money came in, Gluck had bigger ideas. In 1915, he announced a plan. He wanted to build a huge Santa Claus Building. It would be on a large plot in New York City. Gluck raised money for this $300,000 project. He even hired famous architects, George and Edward Blum, to design it. But the building was never built.

The Santa Claus Association later faced problems. People questioned how money was being raised and spent. Bird S. Coler, a public welfare commissioner, investigated the group in 1927. Coler found that tens of thousands of dollars were missing. There was also no clear way to check how Gluck used the money. Coler's check showed that most of the money for the Santa Claus Building was misused by Gluck. He also misused most of the money meant for gifts and postage. The United States Post Office stopped working with the Santa Claus Association. Later, the Post Office started its own letter-answering service called Operation Santa Claus.

Later Life and Passing

John Gluck was never charged with a crime for what happened with the Santa Claus Association. After the Association closed, he and his wife moved to Miami, Florida. There, he became a real estate agent. He lived in Miami until 1951, when he passed away at age 73.