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[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], William Edwin Chilton (1858-1939) Papers, A&M 1652, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
William Edwin Chilton, Sr. (1858-1939), U.S. Senator and publisher of the Charleston Gazette , was born in St. Albans, West Virginia. Educated by private tutors, and after attending Shelton College, St. Albans, he began teaching school at the age of 16. He later studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1880, settling in Charleston shortly afterwards, and becoming associated with John E. Kenna, U.S. Senator form West Virginia, who served from 1883 to 1893. He later became a member of Chilton, MacCorkle and Chilton, involved himself with Democratic politics, and attained recognition as an able leader in public affairs. He was appointed prosecuting attorney in 1883, was admitted to the Supreme Court in 1891, was chairman of the Democratic State Executive Committee in 1892, Secretary of State from 1893 to 1897, and United States Senator from 1911 to 1917. He was recognized as an orator and writer of unusual power and force. After a defeated nomination to the United State Senate in 1924, he retired from his law practice and concerned himself with the editorship of the Charleston Gazette . He married Mary Louise Tarr in 1892, and had four children: William Edwin Chilton, Jr., J. Eustace Chilton, Eleanor Chilton, and Elizabeth Chilton Lowery. Eleanor achieved recognition as a writer, authoring Shadows Waiting and Follow the Furies .
William Edwin Chilton, Jr. (1893-1950), president of the Daily Gazette Company and managing editor of the Charleston Gazette , was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He graduated from Yale in 1917, and then served during the World War, primarily in convoy flying based in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. He became managing editor of the Charleston Gazette in 1924. He married Louise Schoonmaker in 1920, and had two children: William Edwin (Ned) Chilton, III, and Mary Carroll Chilton Abbott.
Source: West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia , ed. Jim Comstock, (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1976), Vol. 5.
Papers of William Edwin Chilton (1858-1939), a lawyer, Democratic politician, publisher of the Charleston Gazette , and U.S. Senator (1911-1917); also includes correspondence of his son William E. Chilton, Jr., editor of the Gazette . The Chiltons were a prominent Charleston family who were long-time owners of the Gazette . There are series of correspondence, legal papers, speeches and writings, and other material. Topics include state and national Democratic politics during the 1930s; family affairs; and the senator's business interests in West Virginia and Kentucky coal lands, including the Kanawha Coal Operators Association.
The majority of the collection consists of correspondence from the 1930s; it's located in series 1. This correspondence can be accessed via a topical or name index.
The General Correspondence series contains mostly letters to and from William Edwin Chilton, Sr. documenting personal matters and business affairs of the family, business of the Charleston Gazette , business of the U.S. Senate, and West Virginia politics, among other topics. Substantive family correspondents include: Chilton, Jr.; Chilton, III; and Elizabeth Chilton Lowery. The majority of the letters date from the 1930s; they are arranged chronologically by year, and alphabetically within. The following indexes facilitate access by topics and personal names, though they are by no means comprehensive.
Topical Index:
American Protective League; 1930
Anti-Kump Sentiment; 1933
Association Against Prohibition Amendment; 1933
Association Against the Prohibition Amendment; 1931
Banking Crisis; 1933
Chafin-Hatfield Feud; 1930
Charleston Art Association; 1930
Charleston Open Forum; 1933
Coal Industry; 1930
Coal Lands, Business Interests; 1930
Editorial Work; 1930
FDR Court Plan; 1937
Gazette Stockholders Minutes; 1933
George W. Norris Election; 1933
Gubernatorial Politics; 1933
Kanawha Coal Operators Association; 1930
M.M. Neely's 1930 Campaign; 1930
Money, Inflation--Questions; 1933
Naval Ordinance Plant; 1937
Naval Ordinance Plant; 1938
Naval Ordinance Plant--Charleston; 1933
Newspaper Work; 1933
Opposition to Appointment of Owen D. Roberts; 1930
Patronage and Political Struggle; 1933
Puerto Rico Child Feeding Committee; 1930
Prohibition; 1930
Public Ownership League; 1931
Railroad--Prince Plan; 1933
Roosevelt Boom; 1931
State and National Politics; 1931
State Patronage; 1933
West Virginia Political Patronage; 1932
West Virginia Politics; 1930
World Court; 1931
Name Index:
Agar, Herbert; 1933
Agar, Herbert; 1936
Agar, Herbert; 1937
Alderson, George P.; 1933
Alderson, J. N.; 1937
Ashurst, Henry F.; 1930
Atkinson, George W.; 1930
Baker, Newton D.; 1936
Barkley, Alben W.; 1931
Berry, George L.; 1937
Blease, Cole L.; 1930
Borah, William E.; 1938
Bourne, Jr., Jonathan; 1933
Brisbane, Arthur; 1930
Carter, George H.; 1933
Conley, William G.; 1930
Cornwell, John J.; 1930
Cornwell, John J.; 1933
Cornwell, John J.; 1936
Cornwell, John J.; 1937
Cummings, Homer; 1937
Curran, Henry H. ; 1931
Daniels, Joseph; 1933
Daniels, Joseph; 1937
Dayton, Arthur S.; 1930
Edmiston, Andrew; 1933
Edmiston, Andrew; 1936
Edmiston, Andrew; 1937
Edmiston, Charles; 1938
Fahey, John H.; 1933
Farley, James A.; 1933
Farley, James A.; 1937
Farley, James A.; 1938
Farley, Jim; 1936
Fitzpatrick, Herbert; 1930
Fitzpatrick, Herbert; 1931
Fitzpatrick, Herbert; 1933
Fitzpatrick, Herbert; 1936
Fitzpatrick, Herbert; 1937
Fletcher, Duncan U.; 1936
Fletcher, Duncan W.; 1933
Garner, John N.; 1931
Grayson, Cary T.; 1933
Green, William; 1930
Hallanan, W.S.; 1930
Hallanan, Walter S.; 1931
Hallanan, Walter S.; 1936
Halsey, Edwin A.; 1933
Halsey, Edwin A.; 1936
Halsey, John W.; 1931
Hatfield, H.D.; 1930
Hatfield, H. D.; 1933
Henderson, Leon; 1936
Holt, Homer A.; 1936
Holt, Homer A.; 1937
Holt, Rush D.; 1933
Holt, Rush D.; 1936
Holt, Rush D.; 1937
Holt, Rush D.; 1938
Homer, Lynn S.; 1933
Howe, Louis Mac H.; 1931
Jessup, Phillip C.; 1933
Johnson, George W.; 1930
Johnson, George W.; 1936
Johnson, George W.; 1937
Johnson, George W.; 1938
Johnson, Louis; 1933
Johnson, Louis; 1937
Johnson, Louis; 1938
Kee, John; 1936
Kee, John; 1938
Kenna, John N.; 1933
Kenna, John N.; 1936
Kump, H.G.; 1932
Kump, H.G.; 1933
Kump, H.G.; 1937
Lewis, David J.; 1936
Lewis, James H.; 1938
Lewis, James Hamilton; 1937
Long, Huey P.; 1933
MacCorkle, William A.; 1930
McAdo, William G.; 1930
McAdo, William G.; 1931
McAdo, William G.; 1937
McAdo, William G.; 1938
McClintic, George W.; 1931
McCormick, Robert R.; 1931
McCullough, F. Witcher; 1936
McCullough, F. Witcher; 1937
Meadows, Clarence W.; 1937
Morrow, Dwight W.; 1931
Neely, M.M.; 1930
Neely, M.M.; 1931
Neely, M.M.; 1933
Neely, M.M.; 1936
Neely, M.M.; 1937
Neely, M.M.; 1938
Norris, George W.; 1936
Oddie, Tasker L.; 1933
Ogden, H.C.; 1930
Ogden, H.C.; 1936
Ogden, H.G.; 1931
Osenton, C.W.; 1930
Overman, Les S.; 1930
Owen, Robert L. (Federal Reserve Act); 1937
Peyser, Theodore A.; 1933
Ramsey, Robert L.; 1930
Ramsey, Robert L.; 1933
Ramsey, Robert L.; 1936
Ramsey, Robert L.; 1937
Ramsey, Robert L.; 1938
Randolph, Jennings; 1930
Randolph, Jennings; 1933
Randolph, Jennings; 1937
Randolph, Jennings; 1938
Robinson, Joe T.; 1930
Roosevelt, Franklin D.; 1936
Roper, Daniel C.; 1937
Rosier, Joseph; 1933
Sheppard, Morris; 1930
Shouse, Jouette; 1931
Shrouse, Joett; 1933
Silver, Gray; 1931
Silver, Gray; 1933
Smith, C.E.; 1930
Smith, Earl H.; 1933
Smith Joe L.; 1933
Smith Joe L.; 1936
Smith Joe L.; 1937
Smith Joe L.; 1938
Smith Joseph L.; 1931
Smoot, Reed; 1930
Swanson, Claude A.; 1933
Swanson, Claude A.; 1936
Thomas, Elbert D.; 1936
Thomas, Elmer; 1933
Truman, Harry S.; 1938
Vinson, Carl; 1936
Walsh, Thomas L.; 1930
Watson, James E.; 1933
Wheeler, Burton K.; 1933
Wickerson, George W.; 1933
The series Legal Papers includes deeds, miscellaneous court papers, etc. Also includes affidavits regarding the 1926 strike of the Charleston Typographical Union No. 146 against the Charleston Gazette . (1918-1931)
Includes drafts of miscellaneous writings on political and historical topics.
The Speeches and Writings series includes miscellaneous writings on political and historical topics. (undated)
The Miscellaneous series includes address book, bank statements, certificate, hotel bills, clippings, two reports, and Woman's Democratic Club committee list. (1917-1936)