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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 Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 3.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1100 items) |
| Abstract | Ralph Waldo McDonald was an educator, legislator, and North Carolina gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic primary elections of 1936 and 1944. He was associated with the extension service and taught in the education and radio departments at the University of North Carolina beginning in the late 1930s and served as president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, 1951-1961. The collection includes correspondence, speeches, political materials, and other items related to Ralph Waldo McDonald's 1936 Democratic Party gubernatorial primary campaign against Clyde R. Hoey and Alexander H. "Sandy" Graham. Campaign-related correspondence includes letters between McDonald and his campaign staff, particularly W. L. Lumpkin and Itimous T. Valentine, and to and from McDonald supporters and campaign volunteers. Topics include finances; press and newspaper coverage; the organization of volunteers; the political atmosphere and leanings of North Carolina counties; Hoey's reputation and claims; and critical campaign issues such as the sales tax, old age pensions, liquor regulation, and "the political machine." Post-primary correspondence also discusses allegations of electoral irregularities, campaign finance difficulties, and McDonald's decision to campaign for Hoey. There are also materials relating to organizing campaign workers and supporters--including women--in North Carolina counties and precincts; publicity materials, including speeches, press releases, photographs, and political cartoons; financial records; appointments and itineraries; tables charting votes by county and candidate; and Hoey campaign materials. Topics include banking, electric power and Hoey's connection to the Duke Power Company, prison reform, labor, and the sales tax. Also included are few personal and family letters, a group photograph of members of the Order of Gimghoul that features author Walker Percy, and other items. |
| Creator | McDonald, Ralph Waldo, 1903-1977. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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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.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Ralph Waldo McDonald (1903-1977) was an educator, legislator, and North Carolina gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic primary elections of 1936 and 1944. McDonald, a native of Gallatin County, Ill., was raised in Illinois and Arkansas and graduated in 1923 from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. He then was a high school math teacher in Fork Smith, Ark., 1923-1924; principal of the Sunnyside Consolidated Schools, Fayetteville, N.C., 1924-1927; and head of the Department of Psychology and Education at Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C., 1928-1934. He received a doctorate in educational psychology from Duke University in 1933.
McDonald's political career began in 1934 when he was elected to a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives for Forsyth County, where he promoted improving public education finances and opposed the recently instituted sales tax. In 1936, he ran for governor of North Carolina in the Democratic primary against Clyde Hoey and Alexander H. "Sandy" Graham. McDonald positioned himself as the antiestablishment candidate and aligned himself with the programs of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt through his campaign slogan, "Let's have a New Deal in North Carolina." The first primary resulted in a run-off with Hoey, which McDonald lost among much speculation of voter fraud and electoral misconduct. After his defeat, McDonald campaigned for Hoey. He entered law school at the University of North Carolina in September 1936, but he contracted tuberculosis in 1937 and was forced to abandon his studies. After his recovery, he accepted a position with the extension services and as professor of education and head of the radio department at the University of North Carolina. He campaigned again for governor in 1944, but was defeated by R. Gregg Cherry. Thereafter, he served on various national educational committees, including the National Education Association, the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, and the National Education Association's Department of Higher Education. He served as president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, 1951-1961.
McDonald married Athleen Taylor of Arkansas in 1923. They had a daughter, Athalea.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence, speeches, political materials, and other items related to Ralph Waldo McDonald's 1936 Democratic Party gubernatorial primary campaign against Clyde R. Hoey and Alexander H. "Sandy" Graham. Campaign-related correspondence includes letters between McDonald and his campaign staff, particularly W. L. Lumpkin and Itimous T. Valentine, and to and from McDonald supporters and campaign volunteers. Topics include finances; press and newspaper coverage; the organization of volunteers; the political atmosphere and leanings of North Carolina counties; Hoey's reputation and claims; and critical campaign issues such as the sales tax, old age pensions, liquor regulation, and "the political machine." Post-primary correspondence also discusses allegations of electoral irregularities, campaign finance difficulties, and McDonald's decision to campaign for Hoey. There are also materials relating to organizing campaign workers and supporters--including women--in North Carolina counties and precincts; publicity materials, including speeches, press releases, photographs, and political cartoons; financial records; appointments and itineraries; tables charting votes by county and candidate; and Hoey campaign materials. Topics include banking, electric power and Hoey's connection to the Duke Power Company, prison reform, labor, and the sales tax. Also included are few personal and family letters, a group photograph of members of the Order of Gimghoul that features author Walker Percy, and other items.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1936 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence includes internal and external communications of Ralph Waldo McDonald and his campaign staff, particularly W. L. Lumpkin, campaign manager; Itimous T. Valentine, associate campaign manager; Edney Ridge, member, Board of Strategy, Committee for McDonald; and A. J. Fletcher, head of Wake County, N.C., campaign headquarters. There are also many letters to and from McDonald supporters, contributors, and campaign volunteers. There are few personal and family letters. Much of the early correspondence consists of letters arranging speaking engagements or from constituents pledging support to McDonald's candidacy and offering service to the campaign. Correspondence April-June 1936 relates to campaign finances; press and newspaper coverage; the organization of volunteers; the political atmosphere and leanings of North Carolina counties; the reputation and claims of the opponent, Clyde R. Hoey; and critical campaign issues such as the sales tax, old age pensions, liquor regulation, and the "the political mahcine."
Correspondence after McDonald's defeat in July 1936 includes letters of condolence, many containing references to voter fraud or electoral irregularities and to the election being "stolen" or "bought" by the opposition. Letters from the North Carolina State Board of Elections reflect McDonald's attempts to have instances of irregularity investigated. Also among the post-primary correspondence are letters expressing various attitudes toward his decision to campaign for Clyde Hoey on behalf of the Democratic Party and some letters reflecting the campaign's difficulties in meeting financial responsibilities.
| Folder 1 |
February-March 1936 |
| Folder 2 |
April 1936 |
Folder 3-4
Folder 3Folder 4 |
May 1936 |
| Folder 5 |
June 1936 |
| Folder 6 |
July 1936 |
| Folder 7 |
August 1936 |
Folder 8-9
Folder 8Folder 9 |
September 1936 |
| Folder 10 |
October 1936 |
| Folder 11 |
Undated |
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Series 2. Campaign Materials and Other Papers, 1936 and undated.
A large portion of the campaign materials are related to the organization and mobilization of persons involved in the McDonald campaign as organizers, managers, chairpersons, speakers, volunteers, supporters, contributors, and committee and precinct workers. Some of these demonstrate the active involvement of women in the campaign infrastructure. There is also a large amount of publicity material, including speeches, press releases, photographic materials, printed items, and political cartoons. Other materials include financial records; appointments and itineraries; tables charting votes by county and candidate; campaign material produced by McDonald's opponent Clyde Hoey; and data and research on critical campaign issues such as banking, costs of electricity and Hoey's association with the Duke Power Company, prison reform, labor, and the sales tax. There are also a few tangentially related political items and items pertaining to McDonald's enrollment in Law School at the University of North Carolina, including a few photographs related to the Order of Gimghoul, one of which is a group photograph that features Walker Percy.
Folder 12-15
Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15 |
AddressesIncludes notebooks and loose papers containing addresses, possibly for use as mailing lists. |
| Folder 16 |
Appointment bookIncludes appointments and speaking engagements, April-June 1936, for Ralph Waldo McDonald with some entries for W. L. Lumpkin. |
| Folder 17 |
Baby BondsBaby Bonds were apparently sold to campaign supporters to raise funds. Some booklets contain records of purchasers. |
| Folder 18 |
Banking DepartmentIncludes notes and figures related to the state Banking Department, a topic of interest in the campaign. See also W. L. Lumpkin: Personal file. |
| Folder 19 |
Bills and receiptsIncludes bills and receipts for campaign related expenses including newspaper and radio advertisements, telephone service, telegraphs, office supplies, accomodations, printing, and other goods and services. |
| Folder 20 |
BulletinAn internal publication for campaign workers; includes messages from Ralph Waldo McDonald, instructions, and event notices. |
| Folder 21 |
Check books |
| Folder 22 |
Clippings |
Folder 23-29
Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29 |
Committees and supportersPapers compiled into at least two volumes. The first volume, arranged alphabetically A-Z, possibly belonged to Ralph Waldo McDonald. The second volume, arranged alphabetically Z-A, possibly belonged to W. L. Lumpkin or another campaign official. |
| Folder 30 |
Electric costs/Duke Power CompanyIncludes a petition of complaints filed against Duke Power Company citing excessive commercial electric rates. Clyde R. Hoey's association with the Duke Power Company was a point of contention during the campaign. See also W. L. Lumpkin: Personal file. |
Folder 31-32
Folder 31Folder 32 |
Financial recordsSee also W. L. Lumpkin: Personal file. |
| Folder 33 |
Hoey, Clyde R.: Campaign materials |
| Folder 34 |
Itineraries |
| Folder 35 |
LaborIncludes material related to Clyde Hoey's legislative record as it pertains to labor issues and information on a Florida transient labor resolution. |
| Folder 36 |
University of North CarolinaIncludes materials related to McDonald's study of law and to the University of North Carolina. All are undated. |
| Image Folder PF-5413/1 |
University of North CarolinaIncludes pictures and photographs related to McDonald's study of law and to the University of North Carolina. Photographs are of the Order of Gimghoul including Walker Percy and of the football stadium. All are undated. |
| Folder 37 |
Letters to the editor |
| Folder 38 |
Lumpkin, W. L.: Personal fileIncludes strategic correspondence and other materials related to major campaign issues including Duke Power Company and the state Banking Department. There are also records of expeditures and contributions for the first primary and other items. |
| Folder 39 |
ManagersLists of campaign managers by county. Includes list of female managers and chairpersons heading Ralph Waldo McDonald's women's committees. |
| Folder 40 |
Maps of North Carolina |
| Folder 41 |
Notebooks, shorthand |
| Folder 42 |
NotesIncludes unidentified and fragmentary notes. |
| Folder 43 |
Photographic materialsIncludes photographs related to the campaign, presumably submitted by supporters. There are also metal and pressed paper photographic plates of various sizes with images of Ralph Waldo McDonald; W. L. Lumpkin; and McDonald's wife and daughter, Athleen and Athalea McDonald. |
| Image Folder PF-5413/1 |
Photographic materialsSee folder 43 description. |
| Folder 44 |
Political cartoonsIncludes linoleum plates of political cartoons for reproduction. Cartoons reference the sales tax, machine politics, campaign tactics and "dirty tricks," and other issues. |
| Folder 45 |
Press releases |
| Folder 46 |
Printed itemsIncludes pamphlets, fliers, newspaper columns, and other printed publicity items. Also included is a copy of Durham's Labor Review, Annual 1936 which contains a full page advertisement for Ralph Waldo McDonald. |
| Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5413/1 |
Printed itemsSee folder 46 description. |
| Folder 47 |
Prison systemIncludes a letter from an inmate and accompanying financial data on the prison system. |
| Folder 48 |
Publicity materials: Proofs and drafts |
| Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5413/1 |
Publicity materials: Proofs and drafts |
| Folder 49 |
Related papersIncludes political and personal papers of Ralph Waldo McDonald apparently not used in the campaign. |
| Folder 50 |
Sales taxIncludes figures, graphs, and other politician's views on sales tax, an important issue in the campaign. |
| Folder 51 |
SpeakersIncludes lists of speakers available to the campaign, organized by county. |
Folder 52-53
Folder 52Folder 53 |
SpeechesIncludes speeches by Ralph Waldo McDonald and W. L. Lumpkin on various topics, and speeches written by the campaign to be given by others. |
| Folder 54 |
State Board of ElectionsIncludes a document describing proper electoral procedures issues in response to problems reported during the first primary. |
| Folder 55 |
Tax records of Ralph Waldo McDonald |
| Folder 56 |
Precinct listRelationship of persons listed to McDonald campaign is undetermined. |
Folder 57-59
Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59 |
VolunteersLists of volunteers include votes garnered by each candidate by precinct. |
| Folder 60 |
Vote tablesTables of vote figures by county related to 1936 straw poll and first primary, and to previous elections in the state of North Carolina. |
| Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5413/1 |
Vote tablesSee folder 60 description. |
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