Pro-Nazi racism of Fresno State library namesake went hidden for decades. Here’s how

Henry Madden, the namesake of Fresno State’s beloved library, wrote to a friend during the 1930s that he developed a “violent and almost uncontrollable phobia” against Jews and expressed great admiration for Adolf Hitler.

In his 2018 book, “Hitler’s American Friends,” Fresno State Professor Bradley Hart describes Madden as an “enigmatic figure” who expressed in his writings as a doctoral student at Columbia in the 1930s deeply anti-Semitic views.

Hart wrote Madden “bemoaned” New York City as a “second Jerusalem” and said Jewish men and women were “genuinely alarmed for fear that some day the Americans will follow the example of Germany and put them in their place.”

“I tremble with rage and hatred,” Madden wrote about Jews, later concluding: “They must go!”

News about Madden’s anti-Semitic views came to light earlier this month when Hart spoke to a Fresno State history class about his book. Although the book was published in 2018, it hadn’t been assigned in a Fresno State class before this semester, said Lisa Boyles, a public information officer for the university.

Madden also wasn’t the book’s central focus, and the former librarian apparently kept his views mostly private during his lifetime.

Word about Madden’s views traveled to Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, who quickly took action and announced this week a task force to rename the library.

Jiménez-Sandoval explained in an email to students and faculty that Madden’s writings were part of a “special collection” donated by the Madden estate after his death in 1982 with the stipulation they remain sealed until late 2007. Such agreements are common, he said.

Efforts to locate Madden’s family weren’t immediately successful this week.

The library was named after Madden in 1981 in honor of a new $5.2 million wing. A library staffer spearheaded the effort to rename the library after Madden shortly before the librarian retired in 1979.

Madden was a somewhat private person who is best known for being Fresno State’s librarian for 30 years and building up the library’s collection. Bee archives say he served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Europe at the tail end of World War II. He visited Germany at least once for a book he wrote, according to the archives.

Hart notes in his book the racist views of Madden and his friend, William Oswald Shanahan, never came to light while either man was alive. Madden went on to successful careers in the military and academia, leading Fresno State’s library for three decades.

“Whether both men’s anti-Semitic, pro-Hitler stances were a mere youthful indiscretion or an indicator of deeply held views remains uncertain, but both were seemingly successful in keeping them out of the public eye for the rest of their lives,” Hart wrote.

Students say Madden’s Nazi sympathies ‘disqualify’ him

Fresno State students who spoke to The Bee on Tuesday said they thought changing the name was the right thing to do. While some expressed shock over the news about Madden’s views, others weren’t surprised.

Davis Koi, a student who is Jewish, said she was surprised the news took so long to come to light, given the special collection of Madden’s writings were unsealed in 2007.

“In this day and age, is it that surprising?” she wondered.

Noah Chavez, who is studying journalism, said he was shocked.

“Ever since I’ve been here, it’s always been the Henry Madden Library,” he said. “I’ve always asked, well who is he? To hear this, that he was anti-Semitic and he was a Nazi sympathizer, it just blows your mind.”

Both students questioned why the information hadn’t come to light either after Madden’s writings were unsealed in 2007 or when Hart’s book was published in 2018.

“He may have done incredible things for the university, he may have donated a lot, but at the end of the day, he’s still a Nazi sympathizer,” Chavez said. “I think it should be changed. The fact that he’s a Nazi sympathizer — that immediately disqualifies anyone from ever getting a building named after them.”

Lori Clune, the Fresno State history professor who hosted Hart’s book discussion, said the Madden issue exemplifies why naming things after people can be problematic.

“People can disappoint you,” Clune said. “We really want to go through the archives and try to understand who this man was, but we all agree that he should not be on the name of the library.”

Other Fresno-area name changes

The Fresno State library is the latest of several renaming efforts in the Fresno region.

Fresno Unified, Central Unified, and the Fresno City Council created commissions to develop new policies for naming and renaming schools, mascots, and buildings.

Last year, Fresno Unified trustees voted to change the Fresno High School mascot, which formerly depicted a Native American caricature. The trustees chose to keep the moniker “Warriors.” Changing the racist caricature sparked outrage, and a group of alumni even attempted to mount a legal challenge over the change.

The FUSD school board also decided to change the name of Forkner Elementary to H. Roger Tatarian.

Work is underway to rename Fresno City College’s baseball stadium, too. The namesake, John Eules, was a well-known Ku Klux Klan leader.

A coalition also is urging the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to rename Squaw Valley, arguing the word “squaw” is racist and misogynistic. U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland earlier this month formally declared “squaw” a derogatory term and said she is taking steps to remove it from federal government use and to replace other derogatory place names.

Fresno isn’t alone in analyzing the names of its buildings and institutions. Last year, USC stripped the name from its prominent Center for International and Public Affairs because of the former university president’s leadership in California’s eugenics movement, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Bee’s Larry Valenzuela contributed to this report.