Frank S. Tavenner papers, 1945/1948

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Summary

Extent:
72 Cubic Feet 113 archival boxes and 23 cartons
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Frank S. Tavenner's personal working files of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) include memoranda, reports, files of Japanese defendents, and printed materials. The collection also includes Tavenner's set of the official records of the IMTFE.

Biographical / historical:

Frank S. Tavenner Jr. was born in Woodstock, Virginia, in 1895. He took an AB degree at Roanoke College in 1916, an AM at Princeton University in 1917, and a LLB at the University of Virginia in 1927, after which he began the practice of law in his hometown. In 1933 Tavenner was appointed assistant US attorney in the Western District of Virginia, and in 1940 became US attorney. Following World War II, he was assigned by the Department of the Army to be Counsel for the International Prosecution Section of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) - a post he held from late 1945 to the end of the trial in 1948. He was also Acting Chief Counsel during 1947. From 1949 until the mid-1950s, Tavenner was chief counsel for the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He died in 1964.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated to the Law Library by Tavenner's wife, Sarah Z. Tavenner, in 1970.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard