Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of James Edward Grimsley, Accession #9379-a, -b, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to the University of Virginia Library in September 2001 by J. Edward Grimsley, Richmond, Virginia.

Biographical/Historical Information

Grimsley was born on May 25, 1927, in Buchanan, Virginia, to James Lowry and Almeda (Thomas) Grimsley. He earned his B.A. degree in Government at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1951 and married Ann Marriott Neblett the same year. He started his new career as a reporter for United Press International, 1951-1952, and served as press relations director for William and Mary, 1952-1953. He has also served on the college's Board of Visitors, beginning in 1990.

Grimsley joined the Richmond Times-Dispatch as a reporter covering state and local politics and urban affairs in 1953. For many years his satirical column "Metronome" also appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch , and a collection of these columns was published in Coming Through Awry (1967). He was the editorial page editor of Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1970-1992, becoming chairman of the Editorial Board, 1992-1995. Grimsley was a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the Society of Professional Journalists, and Sigma Delta Chi. He was also a member of the adjunct journalism faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University for about twenty years.

Scope and Content

The papers of J. Edward Grimsley (1927- ), of Henrico County, Virginia, ca. 1957-1997, ca. 4,000 items (15 Hollinger boxes, ca. 6 linear shelf feet) consist of editorial correspondence, news clippings, subject files, pamphlets and ephemeral publications from Grimsley's tenure as columnist, editorial page editor, and chairman of the editorial pages of the Richmond Times- Dispatch .

Arrangement

The papers of Edward Grimsley are arranged chiefly in reverse chronological order in three series: I: Correspondence (Boxes 1-8); II: Editorials (grouped by year only in Boxes 9-12) and III: Subject Files (Boxes 12-15 ).