George H. Revercomb papers, 1942/1994

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

Summary

Extent:
27 Cubic Feet 50 archival boxes, plus some oversize materials.
Creator:
Revercomb, George Hughes, 1929-1993
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of Judge George H. Revercomb consist of the chambers files for his US district judgeship and memorabilia. They are organized in four groups, maintaining the excellent order imposed in the judge's office. The papers bear witness to Revercomb's reputation as an efficient, hard-working, and well-organized judge.

About a quarter of the collection pertains to personal/professional and administrative matters. In addition to a small amount of personal correspondence, speeches, personnel files, and similar materials, there are log books and detailed calendars of cases, and newsclippings.

The preponderance of cases represented are civil and include the judge's last case,Mergentime Corporation v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This lengthy and complicated case involving construction of the District's Metro Green Line was one that Revercomb finished from his hospital bed; he signed the 250-page findings and opinion two days before his death. The majority of the criminal cases in this collection involve drugs. The best-known of them,U.S. v. Williams-Davis, or the R Street Case, was tried in 1991 and involved twenty-two defendants accused of racketeering, drug conspiracy, and drug sales, as well as first-degree murder.

About 280 opinions for the civil cases found in this collection were published, as well as ten opinions for the criminal cases. A database search indicates that about 50 of Revercomb's published cases are not represented in these files. There are also diplomas, certificates, an oil on canvas portrait, his robe and photographs.

Acquisition information:

The initial collection was donated by Mary Collins McCall Henderson Revercomb, Revercomb's wife, and the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 23 September 1993.

Addendum a to the collection was transfered to the archives in 2017 by the estate of Mary Collins McCall Henderson Revercomb.

Addendum b was transfered by Paras N. Shah, Chair of the Committee on Archival Preservation of The Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit in 2018.

Addendum c was donated to the Law Library by Aen Walker Webster, Estate Attorney for McCall H. Revercomb on 4 June 2019

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard