Collection Overview (Tom Wicker Papers):

The papers of Tom Wicker primarily relate to his work as a journalist, bureau chief, and editor, chiefly for the New York Times, and as a writer of fiction and non-fiction works. Included are drafts of his major works and research materials for some books, especially A Time to Die (1975), which is represented by items collected during and after Wicker's participation as an observer at the 1971 prison riot standoff at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, N.Y., and One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream (1991). Also included are drafts of articles on various topics and some materials relating to freelance work he undertook in the 1990s.

Professional correspondence mostly relates to the publication and distribution of Wicker's books; other professional papers include briefs and press releases accumulated during Wicker's tenure at the New York Times.

Many writings and professional materials relate to Richard M. Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, or John Erlichman, and to politics, government, and/or race relations in the United States and in North Carolina

Personal papers include a few writings and other papers relating to Wicker's early life in Hamlet, N.C.; letters from his time as a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1944-1948; letters to his parents while he served in the United States Navy during World War II and in the early 1950s; letters relating to the death of his mother, Esta Cameron Wicker, in 1989; and letters to Wicker's father, Delancey David Wicker, from his employer, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.