Exhibit G—Telegram - Eleanor Hoppock from Squier - 1918

[Exhibit F—Telegram]: Affidavit of Gertrude Hoppock: Telegram from Squire/Wesson, US Army, 5 June 1918, in Recognition for Purposes of VA Benefits, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-Fifth Congress, First Session on S. 247, S. 1414, S. 129, and Related Bills. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 25 May 1977. | GGA Image ID # 237787cf55. Click to View a Larger Image.

📖 Review & Summary

The 1918 Exhibit G Telegram marks Eleanor Hoppock’s promotion within the U.S. Army Signal Corps Telephone Operators Unit. Sent by Major General George Owen Squier, Chief Signal Officer, the order officially advanced her to Supervisor status for the “Signal Service at Large.” Eleanor’s appointment illustrates how the Hello Girls were not only vital to military communication networks but were also entrusted with leadership responsibilities unprecedented for women in uniform at that time.

This telegram is a key artifact in the chronology of female advancement within the Army’s communications infrastructure, underscoring Squier’s support for merit-based promotion regardless of gender. It is also one of the few known documents formally naming a woman as Supervisor under military authority during WWI.

Educational Relevance: Students can explore this telegram to understand the emerging leadership roles of women in wartime bureaucracies and the evolving structure of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

[Exhibit G—Telegram]

Washington, D.C., June 5, 1918.

Eleanor Hoppock,
c/o Mr. C. B. Allsop, Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.,
San Francisco, Calif.

You are hereby promoted supervisor, telephone unit. Signal Service at large. You will execute oath of office before leaving San Francisco and deliver same to R. F. Estabrook, New York City.

Squier,
Chief Signal Office per Wessen.

Ernest James Wessen

On November 17, 1905, just before his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted in the Army, and was assigned to the Signal Corps.

He served duty in San Francisco to repair damage to communications as the result of the earthquake, and, in Alaska, aboard the cable ship Cyrus W. Field, to establish wireless communications throughout the territory as a supplement to the telegraph system, already outmoded by the Marconi experiments.

Later he served in Washington, D.C., in the Signal Corps office, but was assigned to the transport U.S.S. McClellan to work with refrigerator engines and the wireless at the time of the affair at Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914.

He resigned from the service in 1916 to accept a position with the Cumberland Light and Power Company of Portland, Maine, but with the European war heating up the United States, he requested a return to the service and was accepted. He was commissioned a first lieutenant April 1917.

He had various administrative duties and teaching assignments, in Washington, at MIT, and he commanded a Signal Corps school at Fort Ethan Allen in Burlington, Vermont. In December 1917 he was promoted to captain. He remained in Washington at the Signal Corps office until March 3, 1919, when he was discharged with the rank of major, U.S. Army Reserve.

Exceprts from American Antiquarian Society Obituary

✨ Most Engaging Content

“You are hereby promoted Supervisor, Telephone Unit … ” — those few words encapsulated years of training and dedication. This telegram demonstrates how competence and courage were recognized even in an era when military hierarchies were largely male. Eleanor Hoppock’s promotion served as a milestone for the many women who followed her into communications leadership roles.

🖼️ Noteworthy Image(s)

• Telegram to Eleanor Hoppock (1918): The official document confirming her promotion to Supervisor under Squier’s signature and Wessen’s authorization.

📘 Mini Dictionary for Civilians

• Supervisor, Telephone Unit: A senior operator responsible for training, scheduling, and quality control of Army Signal Corps switchboards in France and the U.S.
• Signal Service at Large: A wartime designation for Signal Corps personnel deployed under general service rather than specific field commands.
• Oath of Office: A formal sworn statement confirming service obligation and compliance with Army regulations.

🎓 Essay Prompts for Students

1. Analyze how Eleanor Hoppock’s promotion to Supervisor reflects the changing status of women in the U.S. military during WWI.
2. Discuss the significance of Maj. Gen. Squier’s role in advancing female personnel within the Signal Corps.
3. How did the language of official telegrams serve to legitimize women’s military authority in 1918?
4. Compare the Hoppock sisters’ telegrams (E, F, and G). What do they reveal about the Army’s organization and communication chain during WWI?

🪶 Citation Block

Chicago: “[Exhibit G — Telegram]: Affidavit of Gertrude Hoppock: Telegram from Squier/Wessen, U.S. Army, 5 June 1918.” Hearing Before the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Senate, 95th Cong., 1st Sess., on S. 247, S. 1414, S. 129 (1977), p. 364.

APA: United States Senate. (1977, May 25). Exhibit G — Telegram from Squier/Wessen to Eleanor Hoppock (1918). Hearing Before the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (95th Cong., 1st Sess.), p. 364. U.S. Government Printing Office.

MLA: “[Exhibit G — Telegram]: Affidavit of Gertrude Hoppock: Telegram from Squier/Wessen, U.S. Army, 5 June 1918.” Hearing Before the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Senate, 95th Cong., 1st Sess., 1977, p. 364.

Student Citation: “[Exhibit G — Telegram from Maj. Gen. Squier to Eleanor Hoppock (1918)]” in Recognition for Purposes of VA Benefits, U.S. Senate Hearing, 95th Congress (1977), p. 364. Retrieved from the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives (ggarchives.com).

"[Exhibit F—Telegram]: Affidavit of Gertrude Hoppock: Telegram from Squire/Wesson, US Army, 5 June 1918," in Recognition for Purposes of VA Benefits, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-Fifth Congress, First Session on S. 247, S. 1414, S. 129, and Related Bills. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 25 May 1977. p. 364.