Clara Breed
A San Diego librarian whose steadfast letters and care packages became a lifeline for children imprisoned in American internment camps.
1906–1994 (age 88)·American librarian·Birthday: March 19·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Clara Breed was the children’s librarian at the San Diego Public Library when World War II upended the lives of her young Japanese American patrons. In the panic following Pearl Harbor, as families were forcibly removed and sent to remote incarceration camps, Breed did not say goodbye. She handed out pre-addressed postcards and began a correspondence that would span the war. She sent books, stamps, yarn, and soap to the children she knew from story hour, now behind barbed wire in places like Poston and Santa Anita. Her letters were a tether to normalcy and a declaration that they were not forgotten. After the war, Breed became the city’s head librarian, but her true legacy was that bundle of letters, later donated to the Japanese American National Museum, which stands as a profound record of quiet, personal resistance against a monumental injustice.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Clara was born in 1906, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clara Was Born
The biggest hits of 1906
Clara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1906Born
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Started school
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1919Became a teenager
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Could drive
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1924Could vote
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Turned 21
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1936Turned 30
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 40
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 50
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 60
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 70
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 80
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1994Died at 88
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
Key Achievements
- Maintained a compassionate correspondence with dozens of Japanese American children during their internment in World War II camps.
- Served as the San Diego Public Library's city librarian from 1945 to 1970, shaping its modern services.
- Her collected letters and artifacts are now a key primary source held at the Japanese American National Museum.
Did You Know?
The children she wrote to affectionately called her "Miss Breed."
She was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, a Japanese honor, for her humanitarian efforts.
Before her library career, she earned a master's degree in library science from the University of Chicago.
“Here are some postcards and stamps; please write to me from wherever they take you.”
