James Clark McReynolds papers
Scope and Contents
This collection includes Justice James Clark McReynolds's professional, financial, personal, and genealogical papers spanning the years 1819-1967. The professional papers contain correspondence, opinions, memoranda, and notes principally from his years in the Justice Department. From the Supreme Court years, there is a relatively small body of correspondence, as well as the printed material and miscellaneous notes regarding the "Gold Clause Cases." In addition to the private correspondence, there are records of financial transactions, newspaper clippings, genealogical records, notebooks, election broadsides, photographs, and printed material about Justice McReynolds.
Dates
- Creation: 1819 - 1977
Creator
- McReynolds, James Clark, 1862-1946 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
There are no restrictions.
Biographical / Historical
James Clark McReynolds was born on 3 February 1862, in Elkton, Todd County, Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University in 1882, where he was elected valedictorian and served as editor-in-chief of The Vanderbilt Observer. Upon graduation, he commenced the study of law at the University of Virginia, where he obtained a law degree in 1884. His formal education completed, McReynolds embarked upon a lucrative private law practice in Nashville, while teaching law at Vanderbilt University. In 1903, however, he moved to Washington, D.C., and became Assistant Attorney General, a position he held until 1912. During this period, his vigorous prosecution of the "tobacco trust" bolstered his reputation among progressive reform groups. Active in Woodrow Wilson's successful presidential campaign in 1912, he was appointed Attorney General after briefly practicing law in New York City.
In 1914, Wilson appointed McReynolds to the United States Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement in 1941. Justice McReynolds died in 1946.
Full Extent
3.5 Cubic Feet (8 archival boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
The papers were originally given to the University of Virginia Library on October 16, 1950 by the justice's nephew, James O. McReynolds of Los Angeles, California. The donor gave additional materials in 1950, 1951, 1967, and 1969.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collections was transferred, with the donor's permission, from Alderman Library to the Arthur J. Morris Law Library in 1985.
Subject
- McReynolds, James Clark, 1862-1946 (Person)
- McReynolds family (Family)
- Roosevelt, Franklin D., 1882-1945 (Person)
- Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924 (Person)
- Bonaparte, Charles J., 1851-1921 (Person)
- Stetson, France Lynde, 1846-1920 (Person)
- Harr, William R., 1872-1950 (Person)
- Lane, Franklin K., 1864-1921 (Person)
- Lurton, Horace H., 1844-1914 (Person)
- Tumulty, Joseph P., 1879-1954 (Person)
- Wickersham, George W., 1858-1936 (Person)
Topical
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Arthur J. Morris Law Library Special Collections Repository
Arthur J. Morris Law Library
580 Massie Road
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22903 United States
archives@law.virginia.edu