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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 40,350 items (63.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Samuel James Ervin, Jr., was a Burke County, N.C., attorney, North Carolina legislator, judge, United States senator, and long-time champion of civil liberties. Ervin was first appointed to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1923, where he also served in 1925 and 1931. After the death of his brother Joseph W. Ervin (1901-1945), Ervin was appointed to the House of Representatives. In 1954, Ervin was appointed to the United States Senate, where he served on the Judiciary Committee, the Rackets Committee (Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor Management), and the Watergate Committee (Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The Private Papers Subgroup contains letters, subject files, financial material, and writings chiefly of Ervin and his wife Margaret. The bulk of the material is dated after his Senate appointment in 1954. Earlier items include letters from Ervin while he was stationed in France during World War I, 1917-1919; collegiate material from the University of North Carolina, 1913-1917, and Harvard University Law School, 1919-1922; and letters relating to Ervin's judicial appointments, 1930s-1954. Post-1954 items include letters from colleagues, family members, and others; subject files documenting his chief interests, including constitutional law, Watergate, the Equal Rights Amendment, and school desegregation; and speeches, articles, and books by and about Ervin. Also included are Ervin family history materials; biographical materials; items relating to the estates of Ervin family members; photographs of Ervin; films, videos, and audio tapes he recorded; and items relating to trips the Ervins made and to organizations in which they were active, especially the North Carolina Society of Washington, D.C. |
| Creator | Ervin, Sam J. (Samuel James), 1896-1985. |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
See biographical note in Sam J. Ervin Papers, Subgroup A: Senate Records (#3847A).
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Scope and Content
Subgroup B contains the letters, subject files, financial material, and writings of Sam J. Ervin and his family. The bulk of the material dates after his Senate appointment in 1954.
Early items include letters from Ervin while he was stationed in France during World War I (1917-1919), collegiate material from the University of North Carolina (1913-1917) and Harvard University Law School (1919-1922), and letters relating to Ervin's judicial appointments (1930s-1954). The post-1954 items include letters, subject files, collected material, and writings. Files on Ervin's financial dealings with the William Morris Agency of New York City highlight his contracts with ABC News and American Express.
Writing show that Ervin was a prolific writer. He wrote numerous articles on the United States Constitution. He was the author of three books: The Whole Truth (a work on Watergate), Preserving the Constitution (autobiography); and Humor of a Country Lawyer. Ervin was also the subject of many books. The most acrimonious correspondence surrounds Richard L. Dabney's A Good Man: The Life of Sam J. Ervin (1975).
Ervin and his wife Margaret Bell Ervin maintained memberships in several historical and genealogical organizations, such as the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Sons of the Confederacy. There are also family histories and genealogical materials about the Ervin family.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 17. Correspondence, 1898-1987.
Letters, cards, and invitations relating to Sam Ervin and his wife, Margaret Bell Ervin. It is divided into four subseries. The general correspondence consists primarily of letters written to Ervin by his friends, political colleagues, and admirers across the country. The subjects covered by the letters changed as Ervin became more well known. Family correspondence includes letters written by Ervin's children, as well as more distantly related relatives and close friends. The third subseries contains greeting cards and notes from family members, friends, and political associates. The final subseries includes invitations, accepted and declined, for some of the political and private social functions the Ervins were asked to attend.
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Subseries 17.1. General Correspondence, 1921-1985.
Arrangement: chronological and alphabetical by last name.
Letters written to Sam Ervin on various subjects and copies of his replies. Topics changed over time as Ervin moved from the local political scene to the national arena. The earliest letters discuss the Ervins' upcoming marriage. On 24 May 1924, Edwin Bridges wrote, "I congratulate you and extend to her my sympathy." As Ervin became more widely known in North Carolina as an able lawyer, the letters shifted from personal matters to political ones. On 10 November 1936, P. Cleveland Gardner wrote to Ervin that he would make a fine North Carolina Supreme Court justice: "[Y]our friends know and admit that your age, training, learning and all around qualifications point to you alone as the most logical man for an able judge--one that would be progressive, liberal minded, and a representative of our age and generation, and not a `moss back' type of the stone age."
The letters jump very quickly from discussions of North Carolina politics and Kiwanis Club activities to the post-Watergate era. After his retirement, Ervin received large amounts of mail. Because of the fame Ervin gained as a result of his Watergate hearing activities, the bulk of the letters in the 1970s are requests for assistance. Correspondents asked for Ervin's advice on their own legal problems, appointments to the service academies, and money. One letter, dated 5 February 1975, asked Ervin to help start a movement to pardon Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Some of the correspondents wrote Ervin just to tell him what a fine job he had done on the Watergate Committee and to wish him happy retirement. On 4 April 1975, the sixth grade class of Shiply Elementary School in Wilmington, Del., sent Ervin a copy of the class constitution. Ervin responded by telling the class, "This is a tremendous document and the writers are to be commended for the diligent efforts in behalf of the Sixth Grade." Ervin also received a few letters from people who were obviously emotionally and mentally troubled.
Ervin's fellow legislators in Congress frequently wrote to him. folder 19 contains copies of letters from President Gerald Ford thanking Ervin for his work on bills that passed after his retirement. Other letter writers were senators Thurmond, Kennedy, Baker, Dole, Inouye, and Helms. Ervin gave advice and, when asked, spoke for or against various pieces of legislation his former colleagues were working on.
By the early 1980s and until his death, Ervin's correspondence became more involved in subjects that interested him personally. He wrote many letters urging North Carolinians not to amend the state constitution to allow governors successive terms. He also wrote in favor of a balanced budget amendment to the United States constitution. Letters from admirers still arrived, but most of these writers asked for autographs (many filed as "Requests") rather than personal assistance. Despite the large volume of mail, Ervin answered every letter.
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Subseries 17.2. Family Correspondence, 1898-1987 and
undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, sympathy cards, wedding invitations, thank you letters, and vacation post cards documenting the Ervins' daily family life.
Letters dated through 1963 are primarily from close family members, including those from the Ervins' children Samuel J. Ervin III, Laura Powe Ervin, and Leslie Ervin at college. In 1948, Samuel J. Ervin III began his studies at Harvard Law School after being graduated from Davidson College. Samuel J. Ervin III letters from Harvard discuss how difficult his studies were, his lack of preparation, and bad weather. He also asked his parents to send money: "If you'd send me a check for $15.00 I'll stop bothering you" (6 April 1949).
Leslie Ervin attended Duke University for a while and then transferred to the University of North Carolina. Unhappy at Duke she wrote on September 1948, "[I]t took me the whole night to discover a North Carolinian. I didn't realize there were so many Yankees in spite of all the warnings." Laura Powe Ervin attended St. Mary's College in Raleigh and the Woman's College at Greensboro.
After the Ervins' children left college and started families of their own, correspondence is chiefly with friends and more distantly related relatives. Cousin Bertha, a patient at the State Hospital in Morganton, N.C., frequently wrote poignant letters, including one, dated 21 January 1956, in which she thanked the Ervins for their Christmas gift of The State magazine and remarked that "I was pretty well informed about dear old North Carolina ('before I went crazy' got 'dumped' in the 'bug house' You know why people gave it that name? So many roaches on these wards running everywhere)."
Letters in this series contain only occasional references to the political scene, chiefly in postscripts to letters that ask if "everything was okay in Washington" following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Even Ervin's work on the Watergate hearings did not elicit much commentary except for pride in his achievements.
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Subseries 17.3. Greeting Cards and Notes, 1950-1983.
Arrangement: by type.
A sample of greeting cards including birthday, Christmas, Easter, and get-well cards received by the Ervins. There are also cards, letters, and telegrams for the Ervins' 50th wedding anniversary and congratulatory letters concerning Ervin's appointment to and retirement from the Senate and his receiving the Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 1976 (see also series 24.4 for an audio tape from the award ceremony). Many of Ervin's congratulatory letters are alphabetized by correspondent and bound into books.
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Subseries 17.4. Invitations Accepted and Declined, 1923-1985.
Arrangement: chronologial.
Invitations to speaking engagements and social functions, including symposia, installations, graduation ceremonies, and various club functions. The vast majority of these occasions occurred after Ervin's retirement from the Senate in 1974. From 1975 to 1985, files are split between engagements accepted and those declined.
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Series 18. Writings, 1920s-1985.
Articles, books, and speeches written by Sam Ervin. Most writings are on political or constitutional topics, however, some early articles are on colonial North Carolina history. In many writings, Ervin displayed his love for the American Constitution and its unique nature. "The Constitution is the most precious instrument of government the earth has ever known," he wrote in a speech on the Supreme Court. Many speeches were later printed as articles, often in law reviews, although one of his articles on privacy was printed in Prism, a journal of the American Medical Association. Among his books are The Whole Truth, which is about Watergate; Preserving the Constitution, an autobiography; and Humor of a Country Lawyer.
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Subseries 18.1. Speeches and Statements, 1917-1983.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Speeches and statements, the earliest of which is Ervin's address to his graduating class at the University of North Carolina in 1917. Most speeches are from his senatorial days.
Ervin often kept several copies of the same speech adapted for presentation to different groups. Only those that were changed significantly have been retained.
In addition to his speeches, Ervin also kept copies of his official press statements. Some of these statements were acknowledgements of deaths; the Condolences and Eulogies folder contain announcements of the deaths of Winston Churchill, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and William Kerr Scott.
In many speeches, Ervin cited the Constitution as the premier instruction manual for governing society, his narrow interpretation making him an opponent of civil rights legislation and the Equal Rights Amendment and an advocate of separation of church and state and the right to privacy.
The themes of many of Ervin's speeches overlap (e.g., his views on privacy can be found in the privacy folders, as well as folders on government spying, the computer and privacy).
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Subseries 18.2. Articles, 1917-1985.
Arrangement: chronological.
Articles published in various journals, including the American Bar Association Journal , Vital Speeches, and Modern Age. Many of Ervin's speeches were later turned into articles. The earliest articles, written while studying at the University of North Carolina, are on colonial history. Both of these articles appeared in the James Sprunt Historical Collection series.
Also included is correspondence between Ervin and journal editors about editorial changes and offprint requests.
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Subseries 18.3. Books, 1964-1985.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title.
Drafts, publicity, and correspondence relating to Humor of a Country Lawyer , Preserving the Constitution, "Freedom Against Tyranny," "Essentials of the Constitution," and The Whole Truth. Two books, "Essentials of the Constitution" and "Freedom Against Tyranny," were not published. "Essentials of the Constitution" was to be a guidebook to the Constitution, but the Ervin's duties kept this work from being finished. "Freedom Against Tyranny" was to be a collection of his articles and speeches, but Ervin was unable to find a publisher.
Correspondence is chiefly between Ervin and his publishers. There are also letters requesting autographed copies of books. Publicity files contain book reviews and advertisements.
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Subseries 18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by topic; bound volume at end.
Notes probably relating to "Freedom from Tyranny." There is also a folder of miscellaneous notes on a variety of subjects and a notebook on partnership law from Ervin's Harvard Law School days.
| Folder 840-841 |
"Every Man's Home is his Castle" #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 840-841Folder 840Folder 841 |
| Folder 842-843 |
First Amendment #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 842-843Folder 842Folder 843 |
| Folder 844-846 |
McCarthy, Joseph #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 844-846Folder 844Folder 845Folder 846 |
| Folder 847 |
Miscellaneous #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 847 |
| Folder 848-849 |
Religious Freedom #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 848-849Folder 848Folder 849 |
| Folder 850-852 |
Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 850-852Folder 850Folder 851Folder 852 |
| Folder 853 |
Partnership Notes #03847B, Subseries: "18.4. Notes, 1920s-1980s." Folder 853 |
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Series 19. Subject Files, 1915-1985.
Letters, articles, and other items relating to topics that were of special interest to Ervin, privately and professionally. Subseries 19.2 is devoted to Ervin's tenure as a North Carolina Superior and Supreme Court justice. Subseries 19.3 relates to the North Carolina Society of Washington, D.C., in which Ervin and his wife were active.
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Subseries 19.1. General Subject Files, 1918-1985.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Professional and personal files, including some on his brother Congressman Joseph W. Ervin (1901-1945), who committed suicide on Chirstmas day 1945. Ervin took his brother's place in Congress as a compromise candidate. Ervin also kept files on his brother-in-law, James King Hall (1975-1948), psychiatrist and president of the American Psychiatric Association, 1941-1942.
Ervin's subject files show the wide range of his views. Some of the most interesting letters involve Ervin's fight against school prayer.
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Subseries 19.2. North Carolina Courts, 1932-1954.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type of court.
Correspondence and clippings about Ervin's judicial appointments and elections. Ervin served as both a North Carolina Superior Court judge and a Supreme Court hustice. There are many letters of congratulations on both positions, as well as letters urging Ervin to consider running for governor.
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Subseries 19.3. North Carolina Society of Washington, D.C., 1930s-1974.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Correspondence, membership information, account books, press releases, and scrap books for the North Carolina Society of Washington, D.C., founded on 1 February 1913. The Society was a social club, one of many state clubs in the District of Columbia. Its purpose was to bring together "men and women from the State of North Carolina; to foster acquaintance and friendship among its members through social entertainment; to stimulate and strengthen patriotism, pride of citizenship and loyalty to the Nation and the State of North Carolina, its traditions and institutions." The club offered a non-political social arena for North Carolinians working or living in the area. The Ervins were active members of the organization; Margaret Ervin served as the second vice-president and on the board of governors. Laura Powe Ervin was the 1957 Cherry Blossom Princess.
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Series 20. Financial and Legal Materials, 1927-1985.
Tax records, tax returns, banking transactions, insurance policies, automobile information, and information about income generated from stocks, bonds, property, speaking engagements, and advertising contracts. Included are notes documenting how much Ervin tipped bell-boys, taxi drivers, and maids on his 1977 European trip.
Also found here are papers from the estates of Ervin's mother Laura Powe Ervin and mother-in-law Margaret J. Bell.
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Subseries 20.1. Income Tax Returns, 1927-1984.
Arrangement: chronological.
Joint federal and state income tax returns filed by the Ervins. From 1975 until 1981, Ervin received honoraria from several states where he had lectured. When applicable, he paid state income tax in these states. Ervin also paid state taxes on income generated from his American Express commercials, television contracts, and insurance commercials. Along with the tax returns, there is some correspondence with tax officials about depreciations allowed for a law library, stock dividend information, and other states' tax laws.
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Subseries 20.2. Advertising Contracts, 1971; 1975-1984.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and other documents about Ervin's work in television, film, and records. After the Watergate hearings, Ervin became a celebrity, in high demand for graduation speeches and civic groups. He worked as a television commentator on the AM America show for ABC News, spokesman for American Express Cards and National Home Life Assurance Company, and recording artist. Ervin contracted his advertising and television appearances through the William Morris Agency of New York City. He also made a series of films for junior high school students with Alexsa Company on politics and the Constitution.
Ervin made television commercials. He is best known for his American Express Card commercials, but he also did advertisements for National Home Life Assurance Company. The correspondence and contracts surrounding the National Home Life Assurance Company make up the bulk of these materials. Some letters criticized these activities; Ervin also had problems with receiving regular payment from National Home Life.
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Subseries 20.3. Insurance Policies and Claims, 1969;
1981-1986.
Arrangement: by type of insurance.
Insurance policies and medical claims, most of them from when the Ervins were in poor health the last few years of their lives. Ervin had lymphoma and his wife suffered from glaucoma and heart disease.
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Subseries 20.4. Banking Information, 1965; 1986.
Sample of check stubs from Ervin's bank accounts with First National Bank and Wachovia Bank in Morganton, N.C.
| Folder 1113 |
1965 #03847B, Subseries: "20.4. Banking Information, 1965; 1986." Folder 1113 |
| Folder 1114 |
1969-1970 #03847B, Subseries: "20.4. Banking Information, 1965; 1986." Folder 1114 |
| Folder 1115-1116 |
1985-1986 #03847B, Subseries: "20.4. Banking Information, 1965; 1986." Folder 1115-1116Folder 1115Folder 1116 |
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Subseries 20.5. Property, 1962; 1979.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, rent agreements, tax returns, tax receipts, and information about a addition to the Ervins' home and about a building Ervin and his siblings owned in Morganton.
| Folder 1117 |
1962, 1970-1973 #03847B, Subseries: "20.5. Property, 1962; 1979." Folder 1117 |
| Folder 1118 |
1967, 1979 #03847B, Subseries: "20.5. Property, 1962; 1979." Folder 1118 |
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Subseries 20.6. Ledger Books, 1927-1985.
Arrangement: chronological.
Annual ledgers kept by the Ervins detailing their financial affairs. These ledgers include information about income and expenditures. Some ledgers also contain lists of guests, members of the "Sandwich Club," and Christmas card lists. During the 1968 campaign, Ervin kept a ledger on campaign contributions. In addition to the ledger, there is a photocopy of a list of 1968 campaign contributions from the North Carolina Department of Archives and History. Most volumes have indexes compiled by Ervin.