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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 | About 800 items (2.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Charles McKinney Nice of Birmingham, Ala., served in the Alabama House of Representatives, 1954-1958; as circuit court judge, 1974-1982; and, after that, as family court judge until his retirement in 1988. The collection consists of correspondence, writings, and other materials, chiefly relating to Nice and his judicial career. Some materials document Nice's stands against race discrimination as a legislator and against capital punishment as a judge. Correspondence, largely 1970s and 1980s, includes personal and professional letters written and received by Nice, who was a prolific letter writer with interests in history and politics. Included are letters, chiefly about politics, from Terry Sanford, Alabama politicians, and others. Most letters are from Nice's tenure a circuit court judge in Jefferson County, Ala. Writings include copies of journals Nice wrote throughout his lifetime. Most of the journals contain reminisces about cases he handled and about the end of his career on the bench. Also included are contemplatory writings by Nice about politics and his time in the Alabama legislature. The bulk of the newspaper clippings are about judicial cases, including some relating to death penalty cases over which he presided. Also included are election materials, speech notices, and genealogy materials chiefly relating to the Nice and McKinney families. |
| Creator | Nice, Charles McKinney, 1919- . |
| 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.
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Related Collections
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Biographical Information
Charles McKinney Nice was born in Birmingham, Ala., in December 1919, the son of Dr. Charles M. and Helen Adams Nice. He grew up in Birmingham and attended Ramsey High School. He received an A.B. degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1942. In 1948, he received an LIB degree from the University of Alabama Law School.
From 1950 until 1953, Nice was law clerk to a United States district judge. In 1954, Nice was elected to the Alabama state legislature. He served until 1958. After his time in the legislature, Nice served as an acting judge in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, as legal counsel for Southern Natural Gas, as legal counsel to Operation New Birmingham, assistant United States attorney for the northern district of Alabama, and as associate counsel for the University of Alabama. In 1971, Nice was appointed to a judgeship and was elected Jefferson County circuit judge in 1976. When his term expired in 1982, he transferred to the District Family Court. He retired from that position in 1988.
Nice married Sadie Claire Mapes of Birmingham in 1954. They had two sons.
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, writings, and other materials, chiefly relating to Charles McKinney Nice and his judicial career. Some materials document Nice's stands against race discrimination as a legislator and against capital punishment as a judge. Correspondence, largely 1970s and 1980s, includes personal and professional letters written and received by Nice, who was a prolific letter writer with interests in history and politics. Included are letters, chiefly about politics, from Terry Sanford, Alabama politicians, and others. Most letters are from Nice's tenure a circuit court judge in Jefferson County, Ala. Also included are letters of endorsement from Nice's colleagues during judicial elections. Writings include copies of journals Nice wrote throughout his lifetime. Most of the journals contain reminisces about cases he handled and about the end of his career on the bench. Also included are contemplatory writings by Nice about politics and his time in the Alabama legislature. The bulk of the newspaper clippings are about judicial cases, including some relating to death penalty cases over which he presided. Also included are election materials, speech notices, and genealogy materials chiefly relating to the Nice and McKinney families.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1939-1988.
Arrangement: chronological.
Personal and professional correspondence written and received by Charles McKinney Nice. Nice was a prolific letter writer with varied interests, such as history and politics, which are reflected in this series. Some materials document Nice's stands against race discrimination as a legislator and against capital punishment as a judge. The bulk of the correspondence is from the 1970s and 1980s. Included are letters, chiefly about politics, to Nice from Terry Sanford, Alabama politicians, and others. The majority of the letters are from the years when Nice sat as a circuit judge in Jefferson County, Ala. Also included are letters of endorsement from Nice's colleagues during judicial elections.
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Series 2. Writings, 1934-1999.
Arrangement: chronological.
Handwritten and printed-out copies of journals Charles McKinney Nice wrote throughout his lifetime. The first folder contains a handwritten diary with glimpses of Nice's school years. The "books" consist of autobiographical sections Nice excerpted from his journals. Most of the journals contain reminisces about cases he heard as judge and the end of his career on the bench. Also included are contemplatory writings by Nice about politics and his time in the Alabama legislature. There are also reflections on the successes and failures of his life as he saw them.
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Series 3. Newspaper Clippings, 1963-1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
Newspaper clippings about Charles McKinney Nice's career. The bulk of the material focuses upon his judicial cases. There are also some clippings in which Nice is mentioned in other contexts. Also included are clippings related to death penalty cases over which he presided.
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Series 4. Collected Materials, 1950-1980.
Arrangement: by subject.
Materials collected by Charles McKinney Nice, including election materials, speech notices, and genealogy materials. The election materials are clippings and promotional items, some in favor and some against Nice. Speech notices are mainly printed newsletters announcing Nice's speaking engagements and a few reviewing Nice's speeches. The genealogy materials consists of Nice and McKinney family trees and notes.