Back to TopDescriptive Summary
- Repository
-
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
- Creator
-
Jeffress, E. B. (Edwin Bedford), 1887-1961.
- Title
- E. B. Jeffress Papers, 1860-1955
- Call Number
- 1167
- Language of Materials
- Materials in
English
- Extent
-
- Items: About 3300
- Linear Feet: 3.0
Abstract
Edwin Bedford Jeffress, owner of the Greensboro Daily News; mayor of Greensboro, N.C., from 1925 to 1929; and member of the North Carolina General Assembly from Guilford County in
1931. In May 1931, he was appointed chair of the State Highway Commission by Governor O. Max Gardner. When the North Carolina
State Highway and Public Works Commission was formed in 1933, Jeffress was named chair by Governor John C. B. Ehringhaus.
His tenure was cut short, however, by an illness that rendered him a semi-invalid for the rest of his life, much of which
he spent at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, writing a history of North Carolina.
The collection includes correspondence and other papers chiefly relating to E. B. Jeffress's public life. Beginning in 1921
and continuing throughout the collection, there are items relating to Jeffress's managerial duties at the Greensboro Daily News. Materials from the period 1925-1929 document Jeffress's activities as mayor of Greensboro, particularly his interests in
taxes, highway construction, airmail delivery, and bonds to finance various civic improvements. Correspondence about highway
construction, consolidation of the state's public universities, prison reform, electric power rate hikes, Democratic Party
politics, and taxes documents Jeffress's tenure in the North Carolina General Assembly. There are also materials relating
to Jeffress's activities as chair of the North Carolina State Highway Commission and its successor, the State Highway and
Public Works Commission. Many of the letters are to and from persons interested in specific road projects. Other letters relate
to prison problems, which were closely allied to road issues, since many roads were built using convict labor. Also included
are a typed copy of Jeffress's unpublished manuscript "The Modern State of North Carolina, 1776-1955" and a few photographs.
Back to TopAdministrative Information
- Restrictions to Access
- No restrictions.
- Acquisitions Information
- Received from E. B. Jeffress of Chapel Hill, N.C., 1946-1955.
- Processing Information
- Processed by: Roslyn Holdzkom, October 1992
- Encoded by: Roslyn Holdzkom, November 2006
- This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation,
Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the E. B. Jeffress Papers #1167, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright
law.
Back to TopOnline Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- Air mail service--North Carolina--History.
- Democratic Party (N.C.)
- Ehringhaus, John Christoph Bucher, 1882-1949.
- Gardner, Oliver Max, 1882-1947.
- Greensboro (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
- Greensboro daily news (Greensboro, N.C.)
- Greensboro (N.C.)--Politics and government.
- Guilford County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
- Highway departments--North Carolina.
- Jeffress, E. B. (Edwin Bedford), 1887-1961.
- North Carolina--Newspapers--History--20th century.
- North Carolina--Politics and government--1865-1950.
- North Carolina. General Assembly.
- North Carolina Highway Commission.
- North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission.
- North Carolina--Historiography.
- Prisons--North Carolina.
- Roads--North Carolina.
- Taxation--North Carolina.
- University of North Carolina (System)--History.
Back to TopBiographical/Historical Note
Edwin Bedford Jeffress was born in Canton, N.C., the son of Charles James (d. 1933) and Maria Love Osborne Jeffress (d. 1934).
He was graduated from Asheville High School in 1903 and entered the University of North Carolina in that same year. At UNC,
he earned a Phi Beta Kappa key for scholarship and an Omicron Delta Kappa key for leadership. During his last two years, he
was an assistant instructor in geology. In 1907, he received his B.A. degree with a major in general science.
Jeffress taught at the Bingham Military School in Asheville from 1907 to 1909, working during the summers as a reporter for
the Asheville Gazette News. In 1909, he quit his teaching job to become a full-time member of the Gazette News staff. Two years later, the Gazette News acquired the Greensboro Daily News. Jeffress is believed to have been the first reporter to serve as staff correspondent in the state capital, where he wrote
special dispatches for both the Asheville and the Greensboro paper.
In late 1911, Jeffress purchased a half interest in the Greensboro Daily News and assumed the role of business manager. In 1918, he became president of the Greensboro News Company. The growth in circulation
and influence of the Greensboro Daily News, and, later, its afternoon counterpart, the Greensboro Record, was largely attributed to Jeffress. In 1934, Jeffress became seriously ill; subsequent brain surgery resulted in a general
incapacitation until his death in 1961. Although he experienced some difficulty getting around, he remained alert and lived
out his days at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill.
During his years in public life, Jeffress demonstrated a deep interest in everything that concerned the growth and development
of Greensboro. From the first, he was an energetic member of the Chamber of Commerce, serving as president 1921-1922. He also
served on the city council, and, as mayor of Greensboro from 1925 to 1929, did much to enhance the city, including playing
an important part in establishing the Greensboro-High Point Airport.
Elected to the North Carolina General Assembly, Jeffress proved to be an effective and energetic legislator in the 1931 session,
where he served on the on the Commission to Study the Prison Situation in North Carolina and was chair of the House Committee
on Reorganization of State Government. Jeffress also worked on the transfer of county roads and county prisoners from local
to state control under the State Highway Commission, the consolidation of the three state institutions of higher learning
into the Greater University of North Carolina, and other landmark legislation. In May 1931, he was appointed chair of the
State Highway Commission by Governor O. Max Gardner. In 1933, the state's prisons were added to the Highway Commission's responsibilities.
When the North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission was formed in 1933, Jeffress was named chair by Governor
John C. B. Ehringhaus, but his tenure was cut short by illness.
Jeffress married Louise Bond Adams on 17 July 1913, and they had five children: Rebecca, who married Winfield S. Barney Jr.;
twins Edward Bedford Jr., and Charles (Carl) Osborne; Mary Louise, who married A. Bradford McLean; and Sarah Clark Tate, who
married Bruce O. Jolly.
(Adapted from the note by C. Sylvester Green in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Volume 3, 1988.)
Back to TopCollection Overview
The papers of E. B. Jeffress, newspaperman, historian, politican, and public servant of Greensboro, N.C., includes correspondence and other papers chiefly relating to E. B. Jeffress's public life. Beginning in 1921 and continuing
throughout the collection, there are items relating to Jeffress's managerial duties at the Greensboro Daily News. Materials from the period 1925-1929 document Jeffress's activities as mayor of Greensboro, particularly his interests in taxes, highway construction, airmail delivery, and bonds to finance various civic improvements. Correspondence about highway construction, consolidation of the state's public universities, prison reform, electric power rate hikes, Democratic Party politics, and taxes documents Jeffress's tenure in the North Carolina General Assembly. There are also materials relating to Jeffress's activities as chair of the North Carolina State Highway Commission and its successor, the State Highway and Public Works Commission. Many of the letters are to and from persons interested in specific road projects. Other letters relate to prison problems, which were closely allied to road issues, since many roads were built using convict labor. Also included are a typed copy of Jeffress's unpublished manuscript "The Modern State of North Carolina, 1776-1955" and a few photographs.
Back to TopArrangement of Collection
1. Correspondence
1.1. 1870-1930
1.2. January-April 1931
1.3. May 1931-1934
1.4. 1935-1948
2. Other Papers
3. Pictures
Back to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
1. Correspondence, 1870-1948 and undated.
About 3250 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters relating to E. B. Jeffress's career in public service, first as mayor of Greensboro, then as state legislator,
and finally as chair of the State Highway and Public Works Commission.
Back to Top
1.1. 1870-1930.
About 600 items.
Items from 1870 consist of two receipts relating to the account of a Jeffress family member with Yancy & Vaughan for purchase
of drygoods, chickens, and a cow. E. B. Jeffress materials start in 1921 with items relating to his managerial duties at the
Greensboro Daily News. There are also a few items relating to the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and to the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church of which
Jeffress was a member. In December 1924, there are many letters about the opening of a new plant for the Greensboro Daily News. While there are a few 1925-1929 items relating to the newspaper, most document Jeffress's activities as mayor of Greensboro,
particularly his interests in taxes, highway construction, airmail delivery, and bonds to finance various civic improvements.
Letters document mayoral responsibilities, which apparently included everything from granting permission for groups to picnic
on city property to directing investigations of police misconduct. Although Jeffress was mayor through 1929, there are few
items after 1926.
Also included are a small number of personal letters, including one, dated 29 July 1929, from Jeffress to his daughter Rebecca,
in which he discussed taking up golf. There are also a few letters about personal business deals in which Jeffress was involved,
including a telegram, dated 30 October 1929, from Jeffress to a partner in a stock deal that reads, "Have you noticed the stock market this week?"
Folder
1
1870
Folder
2
1921-1922
Folder
3-7
1924
Folder
8-13
1925
Folder
14-22
1926
Folder
23
1927-1928
Folder
24
1929-1930
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1.2. January-April 1931.
About 750 items.
Materials chiefly relating to Jeffress's tenure as member of the North Carolina General Assembly from Guilford County. The
bulk of the items are letters from constituents and lobbying groups, but there is also correspondence with other legislators
and government officials. Issues include transportation, highway construction, consolidation of the state's universities,
prison reform, electric power rate hikes, and taxes. Folder 27 contains letters from store owners and workers opposed to "any and all forms of sales tax."
There are also a few items relating to the Greensboro Daily News and to private business deals. Among Jeffress's correspondents was Hariette Hammer Walker, editor of the Courier of Asheboro, N.C.
Folder
25-58
January-April 1931
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1.3. May 1931-1934.
About 1800 items.
Materials chiefly relating to Jeffress's activities as chair of the North Carolina State Highway Commission, to which he was
appointed by Governor O. Max Gardner, and its successor the State Highway and Public Works Commission, to which Governor John
C. B. Ehringhaus appointed Jeffress. Many of the letters are to and from persons interested in specific road projects. Other
letters relate to prison problems, which were closely allied to road issues, since many roads were built using convict labor.
The North Carolina State Highway Commission included a prison department in 1932, and there are several reports on investigations
of prison conditions in materials from that year. The State Highway and Public Works Commission also had jurisdiction over
prisons. Beginning in February 1932, many items relate to efforts to get the $125,000,000 Emergency Appropriation for Federal
Aid in Highway Construction bill through Congress.
Although most correspondence from this period is about highways and Jeffress's speaking engagements and attendance at public
functions as chair of the Highway Commission, there are also some materials relating to newspaper work and to private business
deals. In addition, there are a great number of inquiries from people seeking employment or recommendations for jobs. After
April 1932, the volume of correspondence lessens considerably, as Jeffress was periodically ill or concerned with the death
of his father in mid-July 1933 and his mother on 31 July 1934. Although there is no direct reference to the illness that ended
Jeffress's active career, by September 1934, his secretary was signing his letters; it may be assumed that he fell ill sometime
before then.
Folder
59-92
May-December 1931
Folder
93-116
1932
Folder
117-136
1933
Folder
137-141
1934
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1.4. 1935-1948 and undated.
About 100 items.
Chiefly letters relating to routine newspaper work, mainly about advertising copy. Early in 1935, there is a letter mentioning
Jeffress's retirement from the State Highway and Public Works Commission due to bad health. Many subsequent letter note the
progress of his recovery. A few letters relate to political affairs, particularly, in 1936, to Jeffress's support of Clyde
R. Hoey for governor. Letters from 1938 show sporadic activity in the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, and materials from the
1940s relate chiefly to club participation and repairs to Jeffress's Greensboro home. By 1946, Jeffress's address was the
Carolina Inn, but materials in this collection do not document his activities while a resident there.
Folder
142
1935
Folder
143
1936
Folder
144
1937
Folder
145
1938
Folder
146
1939
Folder
147
1940
Folder
148
1941
Folder
149
1942
Folder
150
1943-1948
Folder
151
Undated and fragments
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2. Other Papers, 1860-1955 and undated.
About 20 items.
A typescript of "The Modern State Of North Carolina, 1776-1955," by E. B. Jeffress; an account book, 1860-1862; and miscellaneous items.
"The Modern State of North Carolina, 1776-1955" (typescript), about 350 pages
In his narrative, Jeffress largely emphasized the development of transportation and communication, the work of great political
leaders, constitutional and legal developments in government administration, and the evolution of public education. Most of
the early chapters present fairly standard, popularly written, state history. The later chapters, however, are a bit more
lively, dealing with politicians and events with which Jeffress himself had been associated. Included in folder 152 is part
of a 1955 letter from Lambert Davis, director of the University of North Carolina Press, declining to publish the manuscript.
Chapter titles are listed below; titles and order remain as received.
Folder
152
The Physical Characteristics
European Influence in Discovery and Settlement of America
The Sandy Creek Organization
The Logistics of Revolution
Folder
153
The Post Office and its Effect of Transportation
The Trade Winds and Barbados and Caribbean
The Constitutional Developments
The Buncombe Turnpike
England in Elizabeth's Time
The Piedmont and the State of Manufacturing
The Convention of 1935 and Railroad Era
Manhood Suffrage
Dismal Swamp Canal
Folder
154
The Civil War Period
Post Civil War, Debt Adjustment
Return to Union
Constitutional Convention
Sale of Western North Carolina Railroad, 1880
White Supremacy Campaign, 1890
Early Libraries and Culture in North Carolina
Governor Vance, 1877-1894; Period of Fiscal Reconstruction
Farmer Alliance, 1880-1892: Agrarian Discontent
A. W. Tourgee, 1838-1905
Folder
155
Reverend Walker and Welfare Section, 1817-1893
W. B. Rodman, 1873-1893
Calvin H. Wiley, Superintendent of Schools, Pre-War Period
College Aid in Roads: Land Grant Colleges Factor
Guilford County as Example
Charles B. Aycock, A Civic Leader of Great Power
Highway Agitation, 1893-1900
R. B. Glenn, 1905-1909
Three-in-One Convention, 1908
W. W. Kitchin, 1909-1913
Locke Craige, Highway Needs Dramatized
Folder
156
Early Days in Chapel Hill
An Early Automobile Trip
Bickett Era, 1917-1921
Post Office Service, 1789-1829
Federal Aid for Highways, 1916
R. L. Doughton Speech for Federal Aid
Ford's Kitchen Laboratory Produces the Puff That Was to Change the Habits of a Nation, 1890
Folder
157
Frank Pages Takes Helm
Year of Decision, 1919
Daniel Russell, 1897-1901
Cameron Morrison and 1921 Program
The Old Salt Road
Angus W. McLean, Budgeteer
Folder
158
O. Max Gardner, 1929-1933: Road Law of 1931
Folder
159
The Gardner Road Program, 1931
Gardner Financial Crisis: Faith Paid Off
Ehringhaus: Blue Ridge Parkway, 1933-1937
The Angus McLean School Bill, 1931
Clyde R. Hoey, 1937-1941: Highways and Administration
Folder
160
J. M. Broughton, 1941-1945
R. Gregg Cherry, 1945-1949
W. Kerr Scott, 1949-1953: Rural Branch Head Boys
William B. Umstead, 1953-1954
Luther Hodges, 1954
The Modern State of North Carolina Summary
Development of the Modern State
Bibliography
Folder
161
Account book, 1860-1862, about 800 pages
The book contains accounts of of E. B. Jeffress (1823-1891), grandfather of E. B. Jeffress (1887-1961), for purchases of general
merchandise in South Boston, Va.
Folder
162-164
Miscellaneous materials, including notes on various subjects, fragments of writings, and other items
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5 items.
Image
P-1167/1
Photograph, probably E. B. Jeffress with another man posed in front of an orange juice stand, 1930s
Image
2-5
Photographs documenting an automobile trip, largely showing unidentified roads, 1930s
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