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Preferred Citation

The Archie G. Richardson Papers, Accession #1997-77 , Special Collections and Archives, Johnston Memorial Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA.

Biographical/Historical Information

Archie Gibbs Richardson, was the Associate Director of the Division of Secondary Education, State Department of Education, Richmond, Virginia. He was born in Lexington, Virginia, April 4, 1904. Because there were few high schools for African American in Virginia, Richardson's parents sent him to the high school at the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute at Petersburg where he completed the program in 1923. He received the B.A. Degree from Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute, Petersburg, in June 1927; the M.S. Degree in education from Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, in June 1939; and was granted the degree of Doctor of Education at Columbia University, New York, in1946. In June 1957, Virginia State College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

Richardson served as principal of the Mecklenburg County   Training School, in South Hill, Virginia, 1927-1935; and as Director of academics at Saint Paul Normal School, Lawrenceville, Virginia. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction appointed him Assistant Supervisor of "Negro" Education in 1936. On January 1, 1951, he was promoted to the position of Associate Supervisor of Elementary and Secondary Education. He received another promotion on September 1, 1966, to Associate Director of the Division of Secondary Education. He retired April 4, 1969.

Richardson had two elementary schools and one high school named for him. The elementary schools were in Culpepper and the other in Blackstone, Virginia. Archie Richardson High School was located in Louisa County  , Virginia.

During his tenure, he contributed a number of articles to State and National journals of education. He also authored The Development of Negro Education in Virginia.

Mr. Richardson was married to Linnie Ramey for over fifty years. Mrs. Richardson taught at schools in Mecklenburg and Richmond, Virginia.

Scope and Content Information

How did Virginia explain educational public policy during the era of legal segregation? Archie Richardson's main responsibility during his tenure with the Department of Education was that of official spokesman to the African American Community for the State of Virginia. Correspondence, speeches, writings, and photographs documenting Archie Richardson's position as the only African American professional employed by the Education Department in Virginia during the era of legal segregation, Constitutes the majority of these materials.

Series Description

Series I. Correspondence 1932-1979 Personal and Business Boxes 1-3

Sub-series A: Correspondence by subject Correspondence, most generated by Richardson during his tenure with the department of Education. Arranged Alphabetically and then chronologically within the folders.

Sub-series B: Correspondence by date Arranged Chronologically.

Series II. Literary Boxes 4-19

Sub-Series A: Speeches Arranged by title and date, followed by speeches with dates and materials missing both a date and a clearly defined title.

Sub-Series B: Writings and Reports Some of the writings were used later in Richardson's history of Negro education in Virginia. Many of the reports appear to have been used by Richardson to carry out his job with the State Department of Education. The reports consist of conference and workshop results organized by Richardson.

Sub-Series C: Research Notes During Richardson's career, part of his responsibility was to develop procedures and manuals used by African-American Schools in Virginia. This sub-series also contains an interesting log concerning the Whitcomb court school in Richmond, VA.

Series III. Video Recordings Taped speeches at different functions attended by Richardson. Most of the speeches were not delivered by Richardson.

Series IV: Photographs Boxes 21-27

Sub-series A: Family and Personal Photo's of activities at Virginia State when Richardson was a student and later as a teacher at the Mecklenburg County   Training School, conferences at Virginia State and other areas.

Sub-series B: Education in Virginia (African American Schools) Several thousand 3x5 black and white photographs and negatives of schools scenes in Virginia. The Photographs were taken between the years 1926 and 1938. The Photographs and negatives are of European, Native, and African American school buildings, some classes, and other activities. Most of the developed photographs are of African American schools and include Rosenwald, Slater, and other buildings used by African Americans in Virginia. *The origin of the photographs and negatives is not known. The folders are arranged alphabetically by county   and city.

Sub-series C. Negatives of the schools and scenes located in some of Virginia's counties   and cities. These do not have an inventory, but are arranged by county   and city. In addition there are negatives of activities relating to education outside of the state of Virginia.

Box #28 Series V: Scrapbooks and Yearbooks Correspondence most of which covers Richardson's retirement, two yearbooks from Louisa, Virginia.

Series VI: Printed Printed items including certificates, pamphlets, and degrees

Box #29 Sub-series A: Awards and Certificates Awards and certificates presented to Richardson over the years.

Sub-series B: Pamphlets Two items: one the By-Laws of the Southside Interscholastic Athletic Association, documenting an early effort to organize African American sports played in the high schools.

Sub-series C: Book The Development of Negro Education in Virginia, 1831-1970, published by Phi Delta Kappa.

Sub-series D: Degrees Earned Degrees of Archie and Linnie Richardson

Box #30 Series-series E: News clippings News clippings from a number of newspapers primary from the state of Virginia.