A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas B. Stanley, 1954-1958

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Virginia. Governor (1954-1958 : Stanley). Executive Papers of Governor Thomas B. Stanley, 1954-1958. Accession 25184, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
63.89 cu. ft. (172 boxes)
Creator:
Stanley, Thomas B., Records of Virginia Governor
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Virginia. Governor (1954-1958 : Stanley). Executive Papers of Governor Thomas B. Stanley, 1954-1958. Accession 25184, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

The Executive Papers of Governor Thomas B. Stanley are housed in 172 boxes. The collection is arranged into nine(9) series. Series have been designated for: I. State Government. II. Judicial. III. General Assembly. IV. General Correspondence. V. Extraditions. VI. Federal Government. VII. Invitations. VIII. Miscellaneous. IX. Segregation Correspondence. These records include applications, appointments, correspondence, executive orders, extraditions, invitations, minutes, proclamations, recommendations, reports, and speeches. These records document the gubernatorial administration of Thomas B. Stanley from January 20, 1954 to January 11, 1958.

The State Government records are housed in 56 boxes and are arranged alphabetically by agency or subject. Subjects include: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Boards, Commissions (including Art Commission, Elizabeth River Tunnel Commission, and Hampton Roads Sanitation Commission), Department of Conservation and Development (including Virginia Conservation Commission), Virginia Corporation Commission, Education (Advisory Research Committee on School Construction, State Board of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and colleges and universities), Governor's Mansion, Grounds and Buildings, Department of Health, Department of Highways, Department of Mental Hygiene and Hospitals (includes mental hospitals), Military Affairs (Adjutant General), State Police, Taxation, Unemployment Compensation Commission, Virginia Ports Authority, Virginia Supplemental Retirement System, and Department of Welfare and Institutions (Corrections, Penitentiary, and Parole Board).

The Judicial records are housed in 4 boxes and are arranged by Court.

The General Assembly records are housed in 8 boxes and are arranged by General Assembly session with subjects interfiled by session. Records include: notes on bills, Commissions, extra sessions of 1955 and 1956 and Virginia Advisory Legislative Council.

General Correspondence is housed in 43 boxes and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Notable subjects include: Civil Rights, Constitutional Convention of 1956, Federal versus State Responsibility, Jamestown Celebration - 350th Anniversary, proclamations, requests, Southern governors, Governor's speeches, statements, States Rights, and taxes. Constituent correpondence related to segregation and Brown v. Board of Education can be found in Series IX.

The Extradition records are housed in 17 boxes and are arranged alphabetically.

The Federal Government records are housed in 6 boxes and are arranged alphabetically by agency or subject. Subjects include: Army, Defense, and Executive Departments.

The Invitations are housed in 9 boxes and are arranged chronologically.

The Miscellaneous records are housed in 3 boxes and contain personal correspondence and reprieves. Personal correspondence to Governor Stanley include: Watkins A. Abbitt, John S. Battle, Harry F. Byrd, Harry F. Byrd, Jr., A. Willis Robertson and William M. Tuck.

Series IX contains constituent correspondence sent to Gov. Thomas B. Stanley pertaining to Brown vs. Board of Education and the desegregation of Virginia's public schools. Letters advocating to maintain segregation comprise a vast majority of the series, with some letters supporting integregation spread throughout the series. Most constituents favor Massive Resistance, citing religion, taxation, states' rights, public safety, the threat of disease, eugenics, communism, and "racial purity." Correspondence includes letters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, political cartoons, postcards, and telegrams. Petitions and resolutions from Virginia localities, organizations, boards, clubs, and associations are also present. There is correspondence from notable individuals, such as Oliver W. Hill, Harry Byrd Sr., Harry Byrd Jr., Garland Gray, Edward Breeden, Benjamin Muse, George Cochran, A. Willis Robertson, and E. R. Combs. Most correspondence comes from constituents around Virginia, including but not limited to Alexandria, Bedford, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, and Wytheville. There are also incoming letters from individuals outside Virginia, including but not limited to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illionis, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, and Texas. There are also a handful of international letters. In addition to letters, there are drafts of a few of Gov. Stanley's speeches on segregation, as well as correspondence from other Southern governors and resolutions from other Southern legislatures.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas Bahnson Stanley was born in Henry County, Virginia on July 16, 1890. From 1930 to 1946, he represented Henry County and Martinsville in the Virginia House of Delegates, serving as speaker of the house from 1942 to 1946. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1946, serving until 1953, the same year he was elected Governor of Virginia. Stanley died in Martinsville, Virginia on July 10, 1970.

Acquisition information:
Accession 25184 transferred from the Office of the Governor, May 24, 1960.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I. State Government
  • Series II: Judicial
  • Series III: General Assembly
  • Series IV: General Correspondence
  • Series V: Extraditions
  • Series VI: Federal Government
  • Series VII: Invitations
  • Series VIII: Miscellaneous
  • Series IX: Segregation Correspondence

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Arranged into nine subseries: 1. General segregation correspondence, 2. Little Rock, Arkansas situation, 3. Petitions and commissions, 4. Withholding plan, 5. Governor's speeches, 6. J. Barrye Wall, 7. Integration correspondence, 8. Interposition correspondence, and 9. Resolutions.

Correspondence within each subseries is arranged chronologically. The subseries titles come from the original order of the correspondence, likely categories Gov. Stanley's staff assigned to each incoming letter.