A Guide to the Armistead L. Boothe Papers 1948-1969 Boothe, Armistead, Papers of 8319 & 8319-a

A Guide to the Armistead L. Boothe Papers 1948-1969

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 8319 & 8319-a


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Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

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University of Virginia
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Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Beth Wray

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
8319 & 8319-a
Title
Armistead L. Boothe Papers 1948-1969
Physical Characteristics
This collection consists of ca. 9.25 shelf feet plus one oversize folder.
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Armistead L. Boothe Papers, Accession # 8319 & 8319-a, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The main accession (#8319) was a gift of Mr. John Hundley on May 20, 1967. Mr. Hundley served as Boothe's office manager for the campaign in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. Mr. Boothe gave the second collection of his papers which were received on July 25, 1973.

Biographical/Historical Information

Armistead L. Boothe was born in Alexandria, Virginia on September 23, 1907. He attended Episcopal High School and the University of Virginia where he received his A.B. in 1928. He was chosen as a Rhodes scholar in 1929 and received a B.A. in Jurisprudence from Oxford University in 1931.

In October, 1931, Boothe commenced the practice of law in his father's firm in Alexandria, Boothe, Dudley, Koontz, Blakenship & Stump. He served as a lawyer for the Department of Justice 1934-1936, and Alexandria City Attorney 1938-1943. After serving in the Untited States Naval Reserve, 1943-1945, as an Air Combat Intelligence Officer, he returned to private practice.

In 1934 Boothe married Elizabeth Ravenel Peelle of Washington, D.C. and they have three daughters, Julie Perry, Eleanor Smith and Elizabeth Davis.

Boothe was elected to his first term in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1948 to which he was re-elected until 1955 and from 1956-1963 he represented Alexandria in the State Senate. A life long Democrat, Boothe aided the Kennedy-Johnson campaign effort in Virginia in 1960, served as chairman of the Tenth Congressional District Democratic Committee from 1964-1968, in 1968 he headed Robert Kennedy's campaign in Virginia. In 1961 he made an unsuccessful bid for Lt. Governor on the ticket with A. E. S. Stephens and T. Munford Boyd and he lost a 1966 bid for the United States Senate to Harry F. Byrd, Jr. by a very small margin. While in the legislature Boothe was classified as a militant moderate and is best remembered for his consistent fight after 1954 to keep open the public schools of Virginia.

After his loss to Byrd, Boothe retired from the active political arena, although he continued to help in state campaigns through the 1969 election. At the present time, the former politician is Director of Development for Virginia Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria.

Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of material from two accessions, 8319 & 8319-a, and includes political correspondence, campaign material, speeches, papers of his work on legislative committees and special sessions, and copies of book reviews.

The main collection (8319) consists of campaign material and clippings related to Boothe's campaign for the United States Senate in 1966. There is also a small amount of material directly related to this campaign in the later accession (8319-a).

The later accession is the larger of the two and included all the other political papers mentioned above. Although pertinent correspondence is sparse, the papers relating to the various campaigns give the best details of Boothe's early career in Alexandria or his service in the House of Delegates. Another excellent source of information on Boothe's career are the papers pertaining to the legislative committees on which he served and his papers of the special sessions on school integration in which he tried to effect a compromise that would both keep Virginia's public schools open and satisfy the Supreme Court order of Brown v. Board of Education. Again pertinent correspondence is scarce, but other files relating to constitutional questions and education supply a great deal of relevant material.

The correspondence files run from 1951-1962, but there are large spans of time for which there is no correspondence, and many others for which there are only a few letters. The only time span with a relatively complete file runs from April 1960 through December 1962. The nature of all correspondence in the collection is political.

The photographs, speeches, and clippings found within the papers are also of a political nature. Some of the papers deal strictly with fund raising and general political activities to aid the Democratic party. The only personal papers of any sort are the book reviews written for a Washington newspaper, a certificate awarded to his mother, Mrs. Gardner Boothe's estate, and several speeches.

The papers may be disappointing to a researcher because of the lack of continuity in correspondence and general information on Mr. Boothe's activities during regular legislative sessions, or his relations with other legislators. The researcher may find his only aid for this information would be the extensive collection of clippings included in the papers. However, any research on the educational problems introduced in Virginia by the Brown v. Board of Education decision of the Supreme Court should be greatly aided by the collection, as it was of primary interest to Boothe.

Arrangement

The main accession and the additional accession have been kept as separate collections. The first group of papers were left in the order in which they were received. The clippings had been placed together, information on Byrd is in the same file with campaign materials such as photographs, list of precinct organization, sample ballots and advertisements. The last items are correspondence and the paper work of the campaign.

As much as possible, the additional group of papers have also been left in the order in which they were received. The files have been placed in alphabetical order; the material within each folder has been left in chronological order as it was received. Where there are several files under the same headings, the files are placed in chronological order within the file, i.e. all campaign files are placed together, but in the chronological order in which they took place.

Contents List

Box 1
Alexandria Advocate - Campaign material 1959
Box 1
Almond Tour of Northern Virginia Clippings 1960
Box 1
Americanism Bills - Papers and Correspondence 1950-1954
Box 1
Americanism Bills - Proposed Legislation 1954
Box 1
Appropriations Committee - Budget 1954
Box 1
Appropriations Committee - Budget 1956
Box 2
Appropriations - Budget (Printed Material) 1956
Box 2
Appropriations - Public Welfare and Budget 1956-1959
Box 2
Book Reviews 1961-1964
Box 2
Certificate to Mrs. Gardner Boothe 1944
Box 2
Campaign for State Senate - Clippings 1953
Box 2
Candidacy - State Senate 1955
Box 2
Candidacy State Senate - Primary 1959
Box 2
Candidacy State Senate - General Election 1959
Box 2
Campaign for State Senate - Clippings 1959
Box 3
Campaign for State Senate - Clippings 1959
Box 3
Campaign for State Senate - Reardon Ring Clippings 1959
Box 3
Campaign for Lt. Governor - Campaign Issues, Filing Papers, Returns in Democratic Primary and Clippings 1961
4 folders
Box 4
Campaign for Lt. Governor - Miscellaneous, Speeches, and Photographs 1961
3 folders
Box 4
Campaign United States Senate - Correspondence, Speeches, and News Releases 1966
Box 4
Campaign of Battle, Reynolds and Miller 1969
Box 4
Carter Bill re Suspension of Tax Credits 1954
Box 5
Code Commission 1960
Box 5
Consitutional Law re Brown v. Board of Education Decision 1954-1957
Box 5
Correspondence - Political 1955-1961
3 folders
Box 6
Correspondence - Political 1962
2 folders
Box 6
Democratic Barbecue 1960
Box 6
Inauguration of Robert E. R. Huntley as President of Washington & Lee University (ALB representing Oxford University) 1968
Box 6
Interposition 1955-1956
Box 6
Legislation - Amendments 1954
Box 6
Legislation - Clippings 1948-1956
Box 7
Legislation - Changes in Alexandria City Charter 1955-1956
Box 7
Legislation - School Integration Plan introduced by Dalton and Boothe 1954-1956
Box 7
Legislation - Correspondence and Notes 1956
Box 7
Legislation - Special Session on Stanley Plan, Gray Plan, and Boothe-Dalton Plan 1956
Box 7
Legislation - Clippings on Special Session on Stanley on Stanley Plan, Gray Plan, and Boothe-Dalton Plan 1956
Box 8
Legislation - Clippings on Special Session on Stanley Plan, Gray Plan, and Boothe-Dalton Plan 1956
Box 8
Legislation - Review of Changes in the Virginia Code by the Legislature during their regular session 1956
Box 8
Legislation - Regular and Special Session dealing with School Integration Question 1956
Box 8
Legislation 1958
Box 8
Legislation - Special Session re School Integration 1959
Box 8
Legislation - Clippings 1960 & 1962
2 folders
Box 9
Miscellaneous Clippings 1954-1962
2 folders
Box 9
News Releases 1959
Box 9
Papers re Gardner Boothe Estate 1955
Photographs
Box 9
Presidential Campaign in Virginia June - Nov 1960
2 folders
Box 10
Presidential Campaign in Virginia - Clippings and Miscellaneous 1960
2 folders
Box 10
Presidential Campaign of Robert F. Kennedy in Virginia 1968
2 Proofs of Drawings used in Alexandria Advocate
Box 10
Public Assistance Bill 1956
Box 10
Printed Pamphlets n.d.
Box 10
Proof for Drawing used in Alexandria Advocate n.d.
Box 10
Redistricting and the "Young Turk" Fight - Clippings 1952-1954
Box 11
Redistricting File 1962
Box 11
Referendum on the Gray Commission Report 1955-1956
Box 11
Repeal of Poll Tax 1963
Box 11
Repeal of Poll Tax - Clippings 1963
Box 11
Reston First Home Owners - Deed of Dedication 1966
Box 11
"Revelations Twenty-Three" - Religious tract given to Boothe 1953
Box 11
Sales Tax Free Stamps 1970
Box 11
School Integration Problems - Clippings 1952-1954
Box 12
School Integration Problems - Clippings 1955-1966
Box 12
School Integration - Reaction to Brown v. Board of Education June 1954-Sept 1955
2 folders
Box 12
School Integration - Speeches on Plans to Implement the Supreme Court Decision 1954
Box 13
School Integration - Boothe Questionaire to Legislators 1954
Box 13
School Integration Clippings re Boothe attempt to keep schools open 1954-1958
Box 13
School Integration - Legislation 1956
Box 13
School Integration - Virginia S. B. #337 & Court Test 1958-1959
Box 13
School Integration - Perrow Report 1959
Box 14
Supreme Court - Special material in Defense of Brown v. Board Decision 1956-1959
Box 14
Speech File 1955-1960
2 folders
Box 14
Speech material used to aid Kennedy Election 1960
Box 15
Speech File 1961
Box 15
Speeches and Speech Material 1965
Box 15
Tax File 1941-1951 & 1962-1964
4 folders
Box 15
Virginia's Commonwealth - A study of Virginia's Outdoor Resources 1965
Box 15
Virginia Publications by various groups opposing Integration 1954-1958
Box 15
The Virginian - Newspaper published by the Virginia League 1956-1958