Governor's Papers -- Clyde Roark Hoey (11 December 1877 -- 12 May 1954), SR.362
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Governor's Papers -- Clyde Roark Hoey (11 December 1877 -- 12 May 1954)
- Call Number
- SR.362
- Creator
- Office of the Governor
- Date
- 1937-1941
- Extent
- 53.6 cubic feet
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Quick Links
- General Correspondence, 1936-1941
- Agencies, Commissions, Boards, and Departments, 1937-1940
- Correspondence Relating to Colleges, Universities, and Normal Schools, 1937-1940
- Correspondence Relating to Hospitals, Orphanages, and Training Schools, 1937-1940
- Subject Files, 1937-1941
- Conferences and Conventions, 1937-1940
- Recommendations and Endorsements, 1937-1940
- Invitations, 1937-1941
- Addresses, Press Releases, Statements, and Proclamations, 1937-1941
- Court Correspondence, 1937-1941
- Judges, Justices of the Peace, and Notaries Public, 1937-1941
- Council of State Minutes, 1937-1940
- Material Used in Hoey Letterbooks, 1937-1941
- Requisitions, Extraditions, and Rewards, 1937-1940
Collection Overview
Clyde R. Hoey (11 December 1877-12 May 1954) was born in Shelby. At the age of twelve he left school to earn a living when his father's health failed. He worked briefly on a newspaper in Shelby, then became a printer at the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. When the Shelby REVIEW fell into financial straits, Hoey, at age sixteen, purchased the paper and renamed it the CLEVELAND STAR. When he was only twenty the Democratic Party in Shelby nominated him to the state House of Representatives; he served there for several terms and thereafter in the state Senate.
During this time Hoey read law in Shelby and continued his legal education briefly at the University of North Carolina. In 1899 he was admitted to the state bar and soon built up a flourishing practice. From 1913 to 1919 he served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District, and in 1919 was elected to the U.S. Congress for one term. Not seeking re-election, he resumed his law practice in Shelby. In 1935 he announced himself a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, which he won in the primary election the next year.
Advances during the Hoey administration included the state's provision of free textbooks for elementary school children, a pay increase for teachers, an expansion of the highway system, the first advertising and publicity campaign for tourism in the state, the institution of graduate programs in black colleges, the passing of child labor laws, and the establishment of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
Hoey left office with his popularity intact. He did not seek to develop a political organization and refused to become involved in the selection of a successor. He continued service as a Democratic national committeeman, and in 1944 defeated Cameron Morrison in the primary election for a U.S. Senate seat. He won easily in the general election, was unopposed in the 1950 primary, and again won the general election. In 1954 he died of a stroke and was buried in Shelby.
REFERENCES:
Powell, William S., ed. DICTIONARY OF NORTH CAROLINA BIOGRAPHY,
Vol. 3. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988.
Contents of the Collection
1. General Correspondence, 1936-1941
Scope and Content:
Letters and telegrams to the governor and carbon copies of his replies. Consists overwhelmingly of letters from private citizens and acquaintances of the governor. Includes some semi-official corres- pondence of peripheral importance from government officials. Also includes occasional government documents, transcripts of radio addresses, reports, legal findings, newspaper clippings, and bills before the legislature.
Arrangement:
Chronological, then primarily alphabetical by name of correspondent.
2. Agencies, Commissions, Boards, and Departments, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Correspondence concerning agencies, commissions, boards and departments of state government. Materials include commissions and appointments to boards and commissions, legislative bills, telegrams, staff and personnel reports, press releases, memorandums, studies, state government pension rolls, parole requests, etc. Larger files include correspondence concerning the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad (1936-1940), operating statements, and audit reports; State Highway and Public Works Commission correspondence and meeting minutes; Rural Rehabilitation Corporation reports, correspondence, balance sheets, and operating statements (1936-1940); Selective Service Board appointments for each county, recomendations to draft boards, plans and reports of the state defense corps of other states (1940); adjutant general's office accounts, memorandums, correspondence, court martial papers, and War Department special orders.
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by key word in title (subject).
3. Correspondence Relating to Colleges, Universities, and Normal Schools, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Correspondence and telegrams concerning colleges and universities in North Carolina, with carbon copies of the governor's replies, largely concerning requests for funding, appointments to boards of trustees committees, and commissions. Also in the series are newspaper clippings; occasional annual and biennial reports from a few institutions; a report on the 1937 investigation of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro; a report of the committee on reorganizing the UNC Board of Trustees; and a report on a study of highway traffic accidents, conducted by the North Carolina State College extension service. Some correspondence concerns the UNC sesquicentenial committee. The bulk of material concerns the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State College, North Carolina College for Negroes in Durham, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro.
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by institution.
4. Correspondence Relating to Hospitals, Orphanages, and Training Schools, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Correspondence pertaining to state-operated hospitals, orphanages, and training schools. Includes correspondence where the governor is responsible for appointing boards for private institutions. Includes appointments to boards of directors, petitions of release, business correspondence, appointments to consulting staff of hospitals, and complaints about conditions at institutions. Also includes correspondence pertaining to fund-raising for the Colored Orphanage in Oxford, and reports from funeral homes responsible for disposal of bodies from hospitals.
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by key word in name of institution.
5. Subject Files, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Corrrespondence, telegrams, memorandums, governmental communiques, reports, position papers, and newspaper clippings covering a wide range of subjects, addressed to the governor and carbon copies of his replies. Included are substantial amounts of correspondence concerning acts, bills, and laws; the State Advertising Program; and the "Centennial of Transportation 1840-1940" celebration. Federal departmental official communiques are also present in quantity. Also included is correspondence pertaining to the Governor's Office and its management.
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by subject.
6. Conferences and Conventions, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Correspondence concerning the Southern Governors' Conference, Governors' Conference (national), and other miscellaneous conferences and conventions. Files concerning the Southern Governors' Conference include invitiations to the governor, correspondence concerning conference topics and location, and minutes of conference meetings. Most topics dealt with at the conference, and thus the topics of most of the correspondence concerning the conference were of economic, industrial issues such as southern rail rates. Files concerning the Governors' Conference (national) include copies of Governor's Bulletin: Conference Proceedings, invitations, and the governor's replies. Miscellaneous conference files include invitations to the governor and his replies, programs, and appointments made by the governor to individuals to represent the state in his place.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
7. Recommendations and Endorsements, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Letters from individuals requesting recommendations or endorsements by the governor with attached carbon copies of the governor's letters of endorsement, recommendation, or introduction. Letters expressing thanks to the governor.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
8. Invitations, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Letters, telegrams, and formal printed invitations from a wide variety of organizations, including civic groups, cities, colleges, churches, and clubs inviting the governor to speak or attend events. Also includes carbon copies of the governor's replies, confirmations of schedule, and notes of thanks to the governor.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
9. Addresses, Press Releases, Statements, and Proclamations, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Carbon copies and drafts of speeches, proclamations, messages, press releases, and announcements made by the governor in an official capacity. Includes correspondence requesting copies of addresses, speeches, etc; requests for official proclamations; and requests for written messages from the governor. Also includes drafts of and final reports on the governor's yearly speechmaking activities. Includes forwards and introductions written by the governor for various publications and clippings from publications containing the governor's words.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
10. Court Correspondence, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Official executive correspondence pertaining to court matters. Includes primarily notification of the temporary commission of judges, temporary transfers or exchanges with other court precincts in cases of conflict courts, and appointments of judges to special term courts. Also includes requests to the governor to establish special courts. Most documents are accompanied by original folders with executive document numbers assigned.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
11. Judges, Justices of the Peace, and Notaries Public, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Consists of three subseries: Judges, Notaries Public, and Justices of the Peace.
Subseries on judges contains files pertaining to the appointment of special judges, superior court judges, supreme court judges, and solicitors, commissions, and certifications of election. Files for individuals include carbon copies of letters from the governor informing appointees of commission and replies from the appointees, resignations, and miscellaneous correspondence.
Subseries on notaries public contains letters pertaining to the appointments, resignations, revocation of commissions, and cancellation of appointments. Also included are letters to the governor requesting appointment, letters of recommendation, and carbon copies of the governor's replies. Includes a file on the ruling of attorney general on eligibility for appointment.
Subseries on justices of the peace contains carbon copies of letters from the governor informing justices of the peace of their appointment, letters of acceptance, letters of resignation and carbon copies of the governor's acceptance, letters pertaining to charges and complaints against justices of the peace, and miscellaneous correspondence.
Arrangement:
By office, then by subject and alphabetical by last name of appointee.
12. Council of State Minutes, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Minutes of the weekly council of state, budget memorandums concerning the expenditure of the Emergency and Contingency Fund, letters concerning deeds to residents of Wrightsville Beach for newly made land, and memorandums concerning the purchase of land for the state. Also includes bond resolutions, construction bids for UNC dormitory project, and miscellaneous budget papers. The Council of State consisted of the governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, and the attorney general.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
13. Material Used in Hoey Letterbooks, 1937-1941
Scope and Content:
Carbon copies of material included in the Hoey letterbooks. Includes proclamations, statements, press releases, announcements of appointments and resignations made by the governor in an official capacity. Includes transcripts of newspaper articles and editorials about the governor. A few original drafts of the governors statements may also be found in this series.
Arrangement:
Chronological.
14. Requisitions, Extraditions, and Rewards, 1937-1940
Scope and Content:
Official requisition and extradition papers submitted by the governor to governors of other states and by governors of other states to the governor of North Carolina for the return of fugitives from justice. Includes supporting evidence, copies of arrest warrants, convictions, letters from the governor to other governors, confirming letters, and telegrams. Also includes file folder on 1938 attorney general's ruling on extradition expenses. Series also includes rewards authorized by the governor for the capture of fugitives in 1937 and 1939.
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by name of the fugitive.