Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Privacy protected and other protected information is considered confidential and restricted from public access for 75 years. It may be necessary for an archivist to review any unprocessed, modern record collections (those collections less than 75 years old) that may contain confidential information before the records can be used by patrons for research purposes or before any copies of records can be made for patrons. If you are planning to use these records, please contact Archives Reference Services for more details before planning your research trip.

If a request for copies is made for material containing confidential information, it is understood that this information will be redacted from the copies, if it is possible to do so. If redaction is not possible, the records will be withheld. Researchers must also agree that no direct or indirect contact will be made with the individuals to whom any personal or confidential information relates. Improper use and/or re-disclosure of privacy protected information is a breach of confidentiality which could result in the loss of access to the archival collections housed and maintained by The Library of Virginia, and could result in legal penalties (Code of Virginia, 18.2-186.3).

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Director's Correspondence and Subject Files, 1971-1982 (bulk 1976-1981). Accession 31516, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Accession 31516 transferred by Audrey B. Burton, Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, Ninth Street Office Building, Richmond, Va., 7 October 1982.

Processing Information

This collection has been processed using minimal processing standards: the original arrangement has been maintained, the container list is brief and simple, and the records have not been refoldered and fasteners have not been removed.

Material found loose in the boxes was foldered and given a title determined by the archivist. In cases where folder titles were inaccurate, the titles have been corrected to more adequately describe the material.

Historical Information

In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governors top management team or "secretariats," as they are called now. Governor Linwood Holton's top priority for the 1972 session of the General Assembly was a proposal for a Governor's Cabinet, reorganizing state agencies into six major departments, each headed by a secretary appointed by the governor. Transportation and public safety was one of these six departments. The office of Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972, by an act passed by the General Assembly.

Governor Holton appointed Wayne A. Whitham, a member of the Winchester City Council, as the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. Secretary Whitham took office on July 1, 1972, and was responsible for State Highway Commission, Divsion of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. The Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations since. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety, effective July 1, 1976.

Wayne A. Whitham, the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, was reappointed by Governor-elect Miles E. Godwin, Jr., in December 1973. On June 10, 1976, Governor Godwin appointed H. Selwyn Smith, a former Prince William County commonwealth's attorney (1960-1968) and former state senator (1972-1975), as the first Secretary of Public Safety. Smith was reappointed by Governor-elect John N. Dalton in December 1977. Smith resigned effective July 1, 1980 after he was appointed judge of the 31st Judicial Circuit of Virginia. Governor Dalton named T. Rodman Layman, an Alcoholic Beverage and Control Board Commissioner (1970-1980), to succeed Smith as Secretary of Public Safety. Layman served until the end of Dalton's term in January 1982.

Scope and Content

Contains a variety of correspondence and subject files relating to the agencies and boards that were under the supervision of the Secretary of Public Safety. Files include those related to activities of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Department of Corrections, and the State Police. The records also include fire safety inspections, state and federal legislation files, budget and capital outlay documents, and records on a variety of other public safety-related topics. Most of the material is in the form of correspondence, memorandums, and reports.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the one series:

The original order of this material during its use is unknown. Whether the current physical order is indeed the original order, remains undetermined as well. There is no readily apparent series structure or other arrangement method. The physical arrangement of this collection has been maintained, but arrangement in the finding aid is alphabetical by folder title.