Theodore F. Davidson (1845-1931) Papers, PC.100
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Theodore F. Davidson (1845-1931) Papers
- Call Number
- PC.100
- Creator
- Davidson, Theodore F. (Theodore Fulton), 1845-1931
- Date
- 1769-1931
- Extent
- 3.200 cubic feet
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.100, Allen T. and Theodore F. Davidson Papers, Private Collections, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, U.S.A.
Collection Overview
Papers of T. F. Davidson, lawyer, railroad executive (1879-1881), at- torney general of North Carolina (1885-1893), mayor of Asheville (1895), and contender for Democratic nomination for governor in 1900 and 1904; and a few papers of his father, Asheville laywer A. T. Davidson (1819-1905), including letters from Murphy, N.C. (1854- 1859), reminiscences, and estate papers. Correspondence and other material from T. F. Davidson's law practice pertain to court cases in- volving, for example, the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad (1904- 1905) and the estates of D. L. Swain and R. B. Vance; and to legal issues such as married women's contracts, constitutional power of the courts and Cherokee lands. There are also copies of wills; a law partner's case notes (1879-1884) and copied superior court civil dockets (1883-1884); Davidson's record of fees as attorney general; and printed briefs for federal court cases (1886-1890). His personal business papers concern collection of debts for agencies and dealings with Wachovia Bank and Trust Company (1902-1904), western railroads, mining companies, development in Waynesville and Ashe- ville, and real estate in Buncombe, Cherokee, and Wake counties (Raleigh). Political material includes correspondence with local and state Democratic leaders such as Z. B. Vance, Thomas Jarvis, S. A. Ashe, Furnifold M. Simmons, R. B. Glenn, and Walter Clark on local and state elections (1874-1928), sectionalism in party, railroads, race, and internal revenue collectors; election material, including his 1904 campaign manager's correspondence, mailing lists, expenses, and delegate estimates; and correspondence, speeches, and articles advocating neutrality in WWI. Davidson's personal papers include letters about his marriage, family history, and history of 39th Regt. NCT; personal letters from Prof. William Cain (1893-1930); a brief journal commenting on the people of New Bern and Raleigh (1890); speeches, photographs, clippings. There are original or copied letters from A. T. Davidson's uncle David Vance about the death of father (1813), from Dr. R. B. Vance about Congress and the Supreme Court (1824), and from other relatives in Ireland (1846) and Texas (1847); and manuscript and printed accounts by Silas McDowell, T. F. David- son, David Vance, F. A. Sondley, and other of events such as Battles of Cowan's Ford and Kings Mountain, the death of botanist John Lyon in 1814, the Carson-Vance duel (1827), and an Asheville hanging (1835). Other printed material includes the constitution (1861) and ex- ecutive and congressional directory (published in 1899) of the Con- federacy; Davidson's speech at impeachment trial of D. M. Furches and R. M. Douglas (1901); assorted periodicals (1891-1929), including essays of the Pen and Plate Club of Asheville (1905); and speeches and articles on aspects of North Carolina history, including early days at UNC, and partisan campaigns of Col. Lawrence M. Allen, 64th Regt. NCT. Correspondents include A. B. Andrews, A. C. Avery, C. B. Aycock, Joseph G. Brown, Marion Butler, George W. Connor, J. Bryan Grimes, David Starr Jordan, Julian S. Mann, Lee S. Overman, and William B. Rodman.