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 Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Size | 6.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5400 items) |
Abstract | Mark F. Ethridge was a journalist of Louisville, Ky. Papers chiefly consist of professional correspondence and speeches of Ethridge relating to his career in journalism, principally as editor and publisher of the Louisville, Ky., Courier-Journal and Times, 1936-1963; editor of New York Newsday, 1963-1965; and instructor in journalism at the University of North Carolina. In addition to newspaper affairs, these papers reflect many social and political issues of the times, including race relations, southern economic development, national elections and Democratic Party affairs, freedom and responsibility of the press, World War II, the Cold War, the creation of Israel, the spread of Communism in postwar Europe, and international peace. A separate series, chiefly 1945-1947, relates to Ethridge's fact-finding missions on behalf of the United States State Department and the United Nations to several Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria, Rumania, and Greece. |
Creator | Ethridge, Mark F. (Mark Foster), 1896-1981. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing, April 1996
Encoded by: Joseph Nicholson, February 2006
Revised by: Dawne Howard Lucas, July 2021
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Back to TopThe 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.
1896 | Born in Meridian, Miss. |
1913 | Reporter for Meridian Star. |
1931-1933 | Managing editor of The Telegraph in Macon, Ga. |
1933-1934 | Assistant general manager of The Washington Post. |
1934-1936 | President and publisher of The Times Dispatch in Richmond, Va. |
1936-1963 | Publisher at The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky. |
1945-1948 | Appointed to represent the State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in the Balkans. |
1954-1967 | Trustee for the Ford Foundation. |
1963-1965 | Editor of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y. |
1963-1969 | Instructor of journalism at the University of North Carolina. |
1981 | Died in Moncure, N.C. |
These papers document the professional life of Mark Foster Ethridge. Correspondence includes some family letters, but pertains primarily to his newspaper work and politics. Correspondence and speeches touch on numerous social and political issues and events that were prominent in public discussions during his career, including American race relations, the Second World War, Southern development, elections and Democratic Party positions, freedom of the press, federal regulation of broadcasting, the Cold War (especially in the Balkans), and the United Nations. There is a separate series for the time when Ethridge was in the Balkans for the government. Also included is one yearbook and photographs from his career.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of Ethridge chiefly relating to political issues and his newspaper and government work. There are also letters about giving, commentary on, and requests for copies of speeches. Letters from 1939 to 1941 and again in 1953 and from 1956 to 1958 discuss civil liberties, Ethridge's support for educating African-Americans and economic and social concerns of the South. Integration is discussed in 1956 and 1964.
Ethridge's correspondence about newspaper affairs relates primarily to conflicts between the FCC and the National Broadcasting Company in 1942; a 1945 trip to the Pacific concerning the education of American newspaper publishers on affairs in the Pacific; another trip to Japan in 1961 focussing on Japanese newspapers. In 1965, there are letters relating to Ethridge's becoming a fellow of Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism society.
Compilation of material on Turner Catledge, Mississippi native and managing editor of the New York Times occurred in 1960 as well as discussions about various other journalism personalities in conjunction with the Ethridge's Pulitzer Prize Memorial lecture. In 1962, Ethridge accepted a lectureship at UNC's School of Journalism and in 1963 became editor of Newsday.
Ethridge commented on politics throughout his papers. Included are remarks denouncing the manner in which Harry Truman was nominated in 1944 and critiquing the New Deal. In 1963, he commented on Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy assassination. In 1966, Adlai Stevenson requested that Ethridge join a national committee to organize and support a Stevenson Institute for International Affairs.
Although most letters, 1945-1947, are personal, some correspondence overlaps with items filed with the Balkans Materials. In 1949 and 1953, there is discussion of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to Communism in the Balkans. Communism remains a major topic after Ethridge's trip to the Balkans until 1955, when Ethridge discussed the case of Carl Braden of Louisville, who was affiliated with Communism.
Ethridge was nominated by Truman in 1948 to the board of inquiry relating to a labor dispute in the coal industry. In 1949, Ethridge served as U.S. Representative to the Conciliation Commission for Palestine, and papers of this year include policy statements and letters from Truman about Middle East economic and refugee problems. Between 1950 and 1951, Ethridge worked with Cyril Black on writing a chapter on negotiations with the Russians in the Balkans for a book by the World Peace Foundation. From 1961 to 1966, there is information about the Ford Foundation.
Folder 1 |
1916-1932 |
Folder 2 |
1933 |
Folder 3 |
1934-1935 |
Folder 4 |
1938 |
Folder 5 |
1939 |
Folder 6 |
1940 |
Folder 7-8
Folder 7Folder 8 |
1941 |
Folder 9 |
1942 |
Folder 10 |
1943 |
Folder 11-14
Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14 |
1944 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/1 |
Letter from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Mark Ethridge regarding his speech "For What the Hell Should We Apologize?," 21 November 1944Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 15-17
Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
1945 |
Folder 18-19
Folder 18Folder 19 |
1946 |
Folder 20 |
1947 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/2 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge regarding Bulgarian politician Nikola Petkov, 19 August 1947Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 21-23
Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23 |
1948 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/3 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge regarding an injunction in a miners' strike case, 3 April 1948Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/4 |
Order appointing Mark Ethridge as Chairman of the United States Advisory Commission on Information, 10 August 1948, and a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Mark Ethridge regarding an editorial, 28 December 1948Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 24-27
Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27 |
1949 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/5 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge with condolences for the passing of Ethridge's mother, 25 March 1949Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/6 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge accepting Ethridge's resignation from the Conciliation Commission for Palestine, 24 June 1949Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 28-29
Folder 28Folder 29 |
1950 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/7 |
Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Mark Ethridge, 9 October 1950Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 30-32
Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32 |
1951 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/8 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge, 18 April 1951Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/9 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Mark Ethridge asking him to serve as a member on the Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights, 27 July 1951Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 33 |
1952 |
Folder 34-35
Folder 34Folder 35 |
1953 |
Folder 36 |
1954 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/10 |
Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Mark Ethrdige asking him to serve on the Board of the National Issues Committee, 5 February 1954, and a letter in reply to his declination of the position, 12 February 1954Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 37-39
Folder 37Folder 38Folder 39 |
1955 |
Folder 40 |
1956 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/11 |
Letter from John Steinbeck to Mark Ethridge asking for gift ideas for James Pope, 15 May 1956Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 41 |
1957 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/12 |
Letter from Lyndon B. Johnson to Mark Ethridge regarding Johnson's speech in New York, 10 June 1957Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 42-44
Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44 |
1958 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/13 |
Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Mark Ethridge and his wife inviting them to a talk by Aubrey Williams for the Southern Conference Educational Fund, 6 February 1958Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 45 |
1959 |
Folder 46-48
Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48 |
1960 |
Folder 49-51
Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51 |
1961 |
Folder 52-55
Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55 |
1962 |
Folder 56-67
Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67 |
1963 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/14 |
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Dean Eagle about honoring Mark Ethridge, 3 September 1963Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 68-77
Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77 |
December 1964 |
Separated Folder SEP-3842/15 |
Letter from Lyndon B. Johnson to Mark Ethridge regarding an editorial, 22 October 1964Restriction to Access: The original item is not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options. |
Folder 78-86
Folder 78Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86 |
1965 |
Folder 87-91
Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91 |
1966 |
Folder 92-93
Folder 92Folder 93 |
1967 |
Folder 94-95
Folder 94Folder 95 |
1968 |
Folder 96 |
1969 |
Folder 97-98
Folder 97Folder 98 |
1970 |
Folder 99 |
1971 |
Folder 100 |
1972-1981 |
Folder 101 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Speeches, many published later or incorporated into editorials, given by Ethridge on political matters, the newspaper business, Southern affairs, and related topics. Letters discussing some speeches may be found in Series 1.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, printed material, clippings, and notes from the period when Ethridge was appointed by Secretary of State James Byrnes to represent the U.S. State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in Bulgaria and Rumania, particularly with regard to Communism.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily correspondence regarding official State Department business, reports by Ethridge on the situation in the Balkans, and statements about the mission. The reports, October-December 1945, focus on the Communist position in Rumania and Bulgaria. Ethridge became a representative for the Security Council Commission of Investigation for the U.S. State Department in 1946 on a Greek frontier mission for the United Nations. He left for Greece in January 1947 and reported on the border violations between Greece and the Balkan states. Most of the material from January to May 1947, deals with the Security Council Commission and the economic situation of Greece.
Material between June and July 1947, after Ethridge returned to the U.S., consists of schedules and itineraries as well as more information about Greece. Papers after his return include articles and statements about Ethridge's mission and U.S. foreign policy in the Balkans. In 1948 and 1954, there is information about the death of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to the Communist regime (see also Series 1, 1945-1947).
Folder 179-190
Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190 |
1945 |
Folder 191-192
Folder 191Folder 192 |
1946 |
Folder 193-203
Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203 |
1947 |
Folder 205 |
1947, undated |
Folder 206 |
1948-1963 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Printed material, notes, and clippings pertaining to the Balkans.
Folder 207 |
1945-1946, Printed Material |
Folder 208 |
1945-1946, Clippings |
Folder 209-210
Folder 209Folder 210 |
1947, Printed Material |
Folder 211 |
1947-1952, Printed Material |
Folder 212 |
1947, Clippings |
Folder 213 |
1948-1963, Clippings |
Folder 214 |
Undated, Notes |
Arrangement: chronological.
Arrangement: topical.
Folder 215 |
American Foreign Policy |
Folder 216 |
Book Reviews |
Folder 217 |
Turner Catledge |
Folder 218 |
Civil Rights |
Folder 219 |
Genealogical |
Folder 220-221
Folder 220Folder 221 |
Germany |
Folder 222 |
Louisville |
Folder 223-224
Folder 223Folder 224 |
Middle East |
Folder 225 |
Newspaper Business |
Folder 226 |
Palestine |
Folder 227 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Folder 228 |
Russia |
Folder 229 |
The South |
Folder 230 |
Southern Policy Committee |
Primarily articles by Ethridge, many undated; articles about Ethridge; clippings of interest to him; and other printed material. Some of the editorials and articles are fragments.
Folder 231-236
Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236 |
Editorials and Articles by Ethridge |
Folder 237-238
Folder 237Folder 238 |
Articles about Ethridge |
Folder 239-242
Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242 |
Clippings |
Folder 243-244
Folder 243Folder 244 |
Notes |
Folder 245 |
Other Papers |
Folder 246 |
Volume 1: 1913, 127 pages. Yearbook of Meridian High School |
Arrangement: chronological.