William Jesse Kennedy Papers Inventory (#4925)

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the African American Resources Collection, North Carolina Central University

Contact Information:

Manuscripts Department

CB#3926, Wilson Library

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890

Phone: 919/962-1345

Fax: 919/962-3594

Email: mss@email.unc.edu

URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/

Processed by

Carter Cue and Caroline Thomas

Date Completed

November 1999

Encoded by

Caroline Thomas

Descriptive Summary Including Abstract

Title

William Jesse Kennedy Papers (#4925)1902-1982

Creator

Kennedy, William Jesse, 1889-1985.

Extent

About 11,000 items (11.5 linear feet)

Repository

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.

Language

English.

Administrative Information

Access

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Provenance

Received from, and held jointly with, the North Carolina Center for the Study of Black History, North Carolina Central University, April 1998 (Acc. 98076).

Processing Information

This collection was processed with support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the William Jesse Kennedy, Jr., Papers, #4925, Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the African American Resources Collection of North Carolina Central University.

Online Catalog Terms

African American business enterprises--North Carolina--History--20th century.

African American businesspeople--North Carolina--History--20th century.

African American civic leaders--North Carolina--History--20th century.

African Americans--Education (Higher)--North Carolina.

African Americans--Education--North Carolina.

African Americans--North Carolina--Durham--History--20th century.

African Americans--North Carolina--Religion.

African Americans--North Carolina--Social life and customs.

Avery, John Moses, 1876-1931.

Boy Scouts of America.

Boys' Clubs of America.

Civic leaders--North Carolina--History--20th century.

Civil rights--North Carolina.

Durham (N.C.)--Commerce.

Durham (N.C.)--Social life and customs.

Durham Committee of 100.

Education--North Carolina.

4-H clubs.

Insurance companies, American--North Carolina--History--20th century.

Kennedy, William Jesse, 1889-1985.

Lincoln Hospital (Durham, N.C.).

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

North Carolina--Commerce--History--20th century.

North Carolina Board of Higher Education.

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Recreation--North Carolina.

Research Triangle Park (N.C.)--History.

Segregation--North Carolina.

White Rock Baptist Church (Durham, N.C.).

Biographical Note

William Jesse Kennedy, Jr., was born in Andersonville, Ga., on 15 June 1889, the son of William Jesse and Katie C. Riley Kennedy. He was educated at Americus Institute in his native state. Later, he studied business administration in Columbia University's Extension Course.

Kennedy worked for Guaranty Life Insurance Company in Savannah, Ga., 1913-1916. He began his career with North Carolina Mutual while in Savannah, where he held the position of district manager. He married Margaret "Mag" Spaulding, sister of North Carolina Mutual president C. C. Spaulding, and relocated to Durham, N.C., where he was office manager/assistant secretary. On 2 August 1952, following the death of C. C. Spaulding, Kennedy was elected the fifth president of the company.

During his lifetime, Kennedy participated in numerous professional and civic activities in addition to his duties as chair of the board of directors at North Carolina Mutual. He served as president of Bankers Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, vice president of Mutual Savings and Loan Association, chair of the board of directors at Mechanics and Farmers Bank, and as a member of the Howard University Board of Trustees. He was a life-long proponent of education and a member of the James E. Shepard Foundation, an organization that awarded scholarships to deserving students attending North Carolina Central University. His other activities included affiliations with the 4-H Club Foundation of North Carolina, the North Carolina Recreation Commission (1945-1956), the American Teachers Association, the Durham Business and Professional Chain, the Boys Clubs of America, and the United Negro College Fund. He maintained an interest in industrial development and was one of the few African Americans active with the Durham Committee of 100, which helped develop Research Triangle Park. As a member of the WTVD Advisory Board, Kennedy helped bring television to Durham in the early 1950s.

In addition to his business-related activities, Kennedy served as Sunday school teacher, treasurer, and trustee at the White Rock Baptist Church. He and his wife had three children: Margaret K. Goodwin (1918- ), Charlotte K. Sloan (1920- ), and William Jesse Kennedy III (1922- ). Kennedy died in Durham on 8 July 1985, at the age of 96.

Collection Overview

This collection contains correspondence, speeches, photographs, organizational records, and other items that document the business, civic, social, humanitarian, and professional activities of William Jesse Kennedy, Jr. Included are records relating to North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and the White Rock Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. There are also materials relating to Kennedy's activities with the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys' Clubs of America, the Durham Committee of 100 (a group focused on promoting social equality), 4-H clubs, Durham's Lincoln Hospital, the NAACP, and the North Carolina Board of Higher Education, among other groups. Also included are deeds and correspondence belonging to Kennedy's mentor, John Moses Avery, and a series of audiotaped interviews with Kennedy's relatives, friends, and associates conducted by Carter Cue in 1994. Materials show Kennedy's contributions to social and economic progress in North Carolina and demonstrate his interest in civil rights, integration, recreation, and industrial development, particularly in the Research Triangle Park.

Organization of Collection

1. Correspondence
2. North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company
3. White Rock Baptist Church
4. Business and Civic Organizations
5. Speeches and Writings
6. Other Materials
7. Oral History
8. John M. Avery Papers

Items Separated

A volume (V-4925/1), photographs (P-4925/1-37 and OP-P-4925), oral history cassettes (T-4925), and oversize certificates and newspaper articles (OP-4925).

Series Descriptions