A Guide to the Virginia Attorney General's correspondence and letter books, 1898-1920 Attorney General's correspondence and letter books, Virginia, A Guide to the, 1898-1920 44018

A Guide to the Virginia Attorney General's correspondence and letter books, 1898-1920

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 44018


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Library of Virginia

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© 2008 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.

Processed by: Jessie R. Robinson

Repository
The Library of Virginia
Accession Number
44018
Title
A Guide to the Virginia Attorney General's correspondence and letter books, 1898-1920
Extent
8.25 cu. ft. (24 boxes) and 16 volumes
Creator
Virginia. Office of the Attorney General
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Attorney General's correspondence and letter books, 1898-1920. Accession 44018, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Original transfer information is unavailable. This collection was retroactively accessioned.

Historical Information

The Office of the Attorney General originated in medieval England. While representing the king in his courts, the Attorney General gradually assumed the role of legal advisor to the government and all its agencies. In Virginia, the first Attorney General was commissioned in 1643. The Declaration of Independence in 1776 ended the Attorney General's connection with royal authority, but the state constitution adopted that year continued the office under the auspices of the General Assembly. The constitution adopted in 1851 provided for the popular election of the Attorney General, rendering him independent of all three branches of government. The Attorney General is elected to a four-year term in office and is eligible for reelection.

Scope and Content

Contains incoming correspondence files and outgoing letter books from the administrations of Attorneys General Andrew J. Montague, William A. Anderson, and Samuel W. Williams.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into two series:

Series I. Correspondence files, 1898-1920 Series II. Letter books, 1898-1910

Contents List

Series I. Correspondence files, 1898-1920.
Boxes 1-24.
Extent: 8.25 cu. ft. (24 boxes)

Contains mostly incoming letters to the Virginia Attorney General, as well as a limited number of outgoing letters. The correspondence files span the administrations of Attorneys General, Andrew J. Montague (1898-1902), William A. Anderson (1902-1910), Samuel W. Williams (1910-1914), John G. Pollard (1914-1918), and John R. Saunders (1918-1934). Very little of the correspondence dates from the Pollard and Saunders administrations. The correspondence is comprised of requests for official opinions on a variety of legal matters including voting rights, property disputes, and criminal prosecution. Some communication between the Attorney General, the Governor, Commonwealth's Attorneys, and other state agency officials can be found here. However, most of the correspondence is in the form of letters from private lawyers and citizens with specific questions about various aspects of Virginia law. Located at the end of this collection are folders of cancelled checks, miscellaneous documents and subject files. Several notable subject files relate to a state case against the Jamestown Jockey Club for illegal gambling on horse races.

Arranged chronologically by year, and then by letter of the alphabet. However, there is no particular arrangement of the correspondence within the folder or folders for each letter.

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Series II. Letter books (outgoing), 1898-1910.
Extent: 16 volumes.

Letter books contain only outgoing correspondence written by the Attorney General. The books span the administrations of Attorneys General Andrew J. Montague (1898-1902) and William A. Anderson (1902-1910). Most of the letters answer questions posed by citizens and government entities regarding topics such as the Code of Virginia, the validity of taxes and local ordinances, and constutional law. Some letters also pertain to specific court cases.

Arranged chronologically.

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