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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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Size | 114.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 74000 items) |
Abstract | Luther Hartwell Hodges began his career as an executive for Marshall Field & Comapny, 1919-1950. He was later consultant to the Economic Cooperation Administration, 1950-1951; lieutenant governor, 1953- 1954, and governor, 1956-1960, of North Carolina; United Sates Secretary of Commerce, 1961-1965; head of the Research Triangle Foundation, 1966-1972; and president of Rotary International, 1967-1968. Correspondence, subject files, political files, speeches and other writings, scrapbooks, and other private papers and audiovisual materials of Luther H. Hodges. Much of the material concerns Hodges's years with Marshall Field & Comapny, 1919-1950; his work with Rotary International, 1930-1972; and his chairmanship of Research Triangle Foundation, 1966-1972. Also included are some letters about the Economic Cooperation Administration in post-World War II Germany; a small amount of family correspondence; political speeches Hodges made as governor and Secretary of Commerce; books by and about Hodges; scrapbooks of clippings about Hodges's political career and about school desegregation in Little Rock, Ark., as well as in North Carolina; materials relating to a study of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees; and trip reports to friends and family from many trips overseas, including trips to Asia and Africa. |
Creator | Hodges, Luther Hartwell, 1898-1974. |
Language | English |
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.
Luther Hartwell Hodges (9 March 1898-6 October 1974), businessman, North Carolina lieutenant governor and governor, United States Secretary of Commerce, and civic leader, was born at Cascade, Pittsylvania County, Va., the son of John James and Lovicia Gammon Hodges. The family moved to North Carolina soon after his birth.
The eighth of nine children of a tenant farmer, Luther Hodges went to work at age twelve as an office boy in a textile mill in Spray, N.C. Later, he worked his way through the University of North Carolina, where he was president of the student council and of his senior class. Upon graduation in 1919, Hodges accepted a job as secretary to the general manager of the Marshall Field & Company mills in the Leaksville-Spray (now Eden), N.C., area. He rose rapidly in the company--as personnel manager, production manager, general manager for all Marshall Field mills, and vice-president. Throughout his business career, he was involved in civic affairs, including the YMCA and the Rotary Club, and in politics by working in the election campaigns of others.
In North Carolina during this period, Hodges served as a member of the State Board of Education and the State Highway and Public Works Commission. In 1944, while living in New York, he volunteered for service with the federal government and was made price administrator of the textile division of the Office of Price Administration. He later served briefly as a consultant to the secretary of agriculture, and as textile consultant for the United States Army in Germany.
After his retirement from Marshall Field in 1950, Hodges became chief of the industry division of the Economic Cooperation Administration in West Germany. In 1951, he was a consultant for the State Department on the International Management Conference, a top-level technical assistance program for European business corporations. Throughout his career to this point, Hodges practiced his theory that businessmen should be involved in government.
Upon returning to North Carolina, Hodges in 1952 became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Although virtually unknown in many areas of the state, he conducted a vigorous grassroots campaign against more established politicians and led the field in the primary. No runoff was called, and Hodges was elected lieutenant governor in the fall. He was sworn in during the inauguration ceremonies of Governor William B. Umstead in January 1953.
Hodges became governor when Umstead died in November 1954. In the six years that followed, Governor Hodges used his experience in business to develop new approaches to the problems of North Carolina, particularly those relating to employment. His industrialization program was the hallmark for the South. He led trade missions at home and abroad, created a system of community colleges to provide training and education, supported the state's first minimum wage law, and supported the Research Triangle Park, which he called "the heart and the hope of North Carolina's industrial future."
Hodges sought to bring business management to government, creating a Department of Administration to coordinate fiscal and planning operations. In education, Hodges was able to increase appropriations, initiate a grass-roots campaign to gain public support for schools, and set a moderate course for school desegregation. He also sponsored a board of higher education to coordinate the state's college and university system. He was instrumental in court improvement and in prison rehabilitation programs, including work release.
In 1956, when he ran for his own four-year term, Hodges carried every county. He served as chairman of the Southern Governors' Conference and of the Southern Regional Education Board. At the end of his term, Governor Hodges was selected by President-elect John F. Kennedy to be his Secretary of Commerce.
In his four years as commerce secretary under presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Hodges reorganized the Commerce Department, created an Area Development Administration to help depressed areas, and was instrumental in the passage and implementation of the Trade Expansion Act. He worked for greater international trade and tourism. He was also the nation's chief spokesman for free enterprise and business ethics in the period.
After his term as Secretary of Commerce, Hodges returned to Chapel Hill. He went to work for the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina at a salary of one dollar a year and continued to work for the economic development of the state. He lectured in the School of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 1967, he became the president of Rotary International and for the next year traveled around the nation and the world for Rotary.
In 1922, Hodges married Martha Blakeney of Union County, N.C. They were the parents of two daughters, Betsy and Nancy, and a son, Luther, Jr. Martha Hodges died in 1969 after a fire in the Hodges's Chapel Hill home. The following year Hodges married Louise Finlayson, who survived him. Luther Hodges died in 1974 and was buried in Eden, N.C.
Back to TopThis collection contains the private papers of Luther Hodges. The official papers of Luther Hodges as lieutenant governor and governor are in Raleigh, N.C., at the North Carolina State Archives. The official records of Hodges's tenure as Secretary of Commerce are presumably at the National Archives. Included in this collection are personal papers that, until 1994, were located in the private manuscript collections in the North Carolina State Archives. Papers in this collection are primarily related to Hodges's years with Marshall Field & Company, 1919-1950; his work with Rotary International, 1930-1972; and his chairmanship of Research Triangle Park Foundation, 1966-1972. Also included are some letters about the Economic Cooperation Administration in post-World War II Germany; a small amount of family correspondence; speeches made as governor and Secretary of Commerce; schedules and appointment books; trip reports to friends and family from many trips overseas, including trips to Asia and Africa; manuscripts of books written by and about Hodges; scrapbooks with clippings about Gov. and Mrs. Hodges, his political career, business matters, and desegregation; and audiovisual materials documenting Hodges's political speeches, public appearances, and travels.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Business and personal correspondence, invitations, cards and letters of condolence to Hodges at the death of his first wife in 1969 and to his second wife at his death in 1974, and guest lists for official functions that the Hodgeses attended. As with most of this collection, the correspondence series can be broken down into four main time periods in Luther Hodges's life. The first phase, 1914-1952, is his time at the University of North Carolina and in his position as an executive with Marshall Field & Company, Inc. The second interval, 1953-1960, is Hodges's tenure as lieutenant governor and governor. The third spans the years Hodges served as Secretary of Commerce, 1961-1964. The final time period, from 1965 to his death in 1974, deals with Hodges's service to Research Triangle Park and to Rotary International.
The guest lists and invitations subseries contain primarily material from Hodges's years in the Governor's Mansion and in Washington, D.C.
Correspondence relating to Hodges's career at Marshall Field & Company (later Fieldcrest Mills), his work with the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA), and family matters. Most letters in this subseries detail routine business matters. The material from Hodges's days at Marshall Fields includes letters about setting up meetings, acknowledgements of letters received, and copies of letters sent.
In 1950, Hodges retired from Marshall Fields and began work with the United States government as the chief of the industry division of the Economic Cooperation Administration in West Germany. In 1951, he worked as a State Department consultant for the International Management Conference, a top-level technical assistance program for European business corporations. While in Germany, Hodges wrote to friends and family back in North Carolina. These letters detailed business plans and descriptions of life in post-World War II Germany. On 18 June 1950, Hodges wrote, "All over the occupied area ... we had single men and in many instances they were living openly or otherwise with German women--whose code of morals is understandably below ours. They are 5 million in the minority and Hitler taught that unwed motherhood was patriotic."
This subseries includes a very small number of family letters. Some of the letters Hodges wrote to his family while at the University of North Carolina, 1915-1919; others he wrote from Camp Grant, Ill., during World War I. In the 1940s and early 1950s, Hodges's children wrote to their father. Nancy Hodges was the most frequent correspondent. In April 1949, Nancy Hodges surprised her parents with the announcement of her marriage. Her father was not happy, "First of all, why hurry about this important matter unless there is something you have not disclosed to us in your letter? ... I see nothing to justify haste except an emotional and physical urge which strong people can control," he wrote to his daughter on 7 April 1949.
Letters dealing chiefly with meetings, acknowledgements of letters received and sent, and some personal correspondence during Hodges's years as lieutenant governor and governor. This subseries begins with the many letters Hodges wrote announcing his candidacy for lieutenant governor. Hodges's campaign involved visiting and speaking in every county in the state, and he wrote many letters of thanks to helpers and supporters all over the state. Despite being an unknown in North Carolina political circles, Hodges was elected and sworn in with Governor William Umstead in January 1953. Governor Umstead died in November 1954, and Luther Hodges succeeded him as governor. Hodges won reelection in 1956. Please note that that this subseries does not contain the official papers of Hodges's tenure in office. There are, however, a few letters dealing with desegregation and the attraction of business to North Carolina.
In addition to material about his term as governor, Hodges received mail from former business associates in New York and Chicago, as well as letters from Rotary members around the world. For more information about Rotary, see also Series 2.2.
Memoranda, travel programs, personal correspondence, and other related material from Hodges's years as Secretary of Commerce. As Secretary of Commerce, Hodges emphasized the need for more foreign travel to the United States and freer trade markets. Much of this subseries consists of correspondence about Hodges's speaking engagements as Secretary of Commerce.
Folder 270-280
Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280 |
1961 January #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 270-280 |
Folder 281-295
Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294Folder 295 |
1961 February #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 281-295 |
Folder 296-307
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1961 March #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 296-307 |
Folder 308-315
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1961 April #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 308-315 |
Folder 316-327
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1961 May #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 316-327 |
Folder 328-338
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1961 June #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 328-338 |
Folder 339-347
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1961 July #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 339-347 |
Folder 348-358
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1961 August #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 348-358 |
Folder 359-375
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1961 September #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 359-375 |
Folder 376-390
Folder 376Folder 377Folder 378Folder 379Folder 380Folder 381Folder 382Folder 383Folder 384Folder 385Folder 386Folder 387Folder 388Folder 389Folder 390 |
1961 October #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 376-390 |
Folder 391-400
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1961 November #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 391-400 |
Folder 401-405
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1961 December #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 401-405 |
Folder 406 |
1961 Undated #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 406 |
Folder 407-412
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1962 January #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 407-412 |
Folder 413-417
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1962 February #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 413-417 |
Folder 418-429
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1962 March #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 418-429 |
Folder 430-441
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1962 April #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 430-441 |
Folder 442-454
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1962 May #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 442-454 |
Folder 455-466
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1962 June #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 455-466 |
Folder 467-479
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1962 July #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 467-479 |
Folder 480-494
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1962 August #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 480-494 |
Folder 495-506
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1962 September #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 495-506 |
Folder 507-522
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1962 October #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 507-522 |
Folder 523-531
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1962 November #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 523-531 |
Folder 532-540
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1962 December #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 532-540 |
Folder 541 |
1962 Undated #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 541 |
Folder 542-553
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1963 January #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 542-553 |
Folder 554-568
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1963 February #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 554-568 |
Folder 569-585
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1963 March #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 569-585 |
Folder 586-603
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1963 April #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 586-603 |
Folder 604-620
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1963 May #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 604-620 |
Folder 621-629
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1963 June #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 621-629 |
Folder 630-640
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1963 July #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 630-640 |
Folder 641-650
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1963 August #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 641-650 |
Folder 651-659
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1963 September #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 651-659 |
Folder 660-666
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1963 October #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 660-666 |
Folder 667-673
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1963 November #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 667-673 |
Folder 674-685
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1963 December #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 674-685 |
Folder 686-697
Folder 686Folder 687Folder 688Folder 689Folder 690Folder 691Folder 692Folder 693Folder 694Folder 695Folder 696Folder 697 |
1964 January #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 686-697 |
Folder 698-707
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1964 February #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 698-707 |
Folder 708-716
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1964 March #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 708-716 |
Folder 717-725
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1964 April #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 717-725 |
Folder 726-736
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1964 May #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 726-736 |
Folder 737-745
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1964 June #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 737-745 |
Folder 746-755
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1964 July #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 746-755 |
Folder 756-764
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1964 August #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 756-764 |
Folder 765-772
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1964 September #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 765-772 |
Folder 773-785
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1964 October #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 773-785 |
Folder 786-791
Folder 786Folder 787Folder 788Folder 789Folder 790Folder 791 |
1964 November #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 786-791 |
Folder 792-802
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1964 December #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 792-802 |
Folder 803-805
Folder 803Folder 804Folder 805 |
1964 Undated #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 803-805 |
Folder 806-810
Folder 806Folder 807Folder 808Folder 809Folder 810 |
1965 January #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 806-810 |
Folder 811 |
1965 15 January-19 May #03698, Subseries: "1.3. 1961-1965." Folder 811 |
Routine business letters, board of directors' reports, and correspondence about Rotary matters and the Research Triangle Foundation. Following his retirement from the Commerce Department, Hodges returned to North Carolina and worked for the Research Triangle Foundation, as well as serving as president of Rotary International in 1967. Hodges was also named to the boards of directors for several firms, among them Drexel Furniture Company, Founders Life Assurance Company of Carolina, and Servomation Corporation and corresponded with these firms during his years of service.
Arrangement: chronological and by type of invitation and location.
Invitations accepted and declined for various social, political, and business engagements. Invitations range from addressing the graduating class of Leaksville-Spray High School to dinner with President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House.
Condolence letters, sympathy cards, memorial gift acknowledgements, and clippings after the death of Martha B. Hodges on 27 June 1969. The Hodgeses' home in Chapel Hill caught fire the evening of 27 June 1969. Governor Hodges broke his leg jumping out of a second story window. Mrs. Hodges was killed in the fire. This subseries also contains some get-well cards to Hodges, while he recuperated from his injuries.
Arrangement: by type of document.
Condolence letters, sympathy cards, telegrams, gift acknowledgements, and funeral books after the death of Luther Hodges on 6 October 1974. This subseries also contains many Christmas cards expressing sympathy to Louise Hodges, Hodges's second wife.
Arrangement: chronological.
Volumes and folders containing guest lists for various social and official functions during Hodges's tenure as governor and Secretary of Commerce.
Arrangement: by topic.
Correspondence, reports, financial statements, and other related material about Rotary International, Research Triangle Park, numerous business, the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees, and personal and professional areas of interest. The bulk of this series is made up of Hodges's files from Rotary International and general subject files.
Arrangement: by topic.
Dental records, typed reminiscences about Hodges's childhood, and recollections of his gubernatorial experiences. The childhood recollections (incomplete) were dictated to Pete Ivey on 9 September 1967. Ivey apparently posed questions about Hodges's youth and early adulthood. The questions are not included, but can be inferred from Hodges's answers. Hodges recounted his work in the mill, his days at the University of North Carolina, and life with his father and stepmother. The 92-page typed manuscript about Hodges's tenure as governor of North Carolina is undated. Hodges began his recollection with the death of Governor William Umstead and discussed a variety of topics from desegregation and state government reorganizations to the attraction of industry to North Carolina.
Arrangement: roughly chronological and by topic.
Correspondence, meeting minutes, convention brochures, newsletters, and clippings relating to Hodges's work with Rotary International. Note that the original filing pattern used by Hodges and his staff has, for the most part, been followed. The subseries is organized around three time periods, 1926-1967; 1967-1968; and 1968-1973.
From 1926 to 1967, Hodges was involved in Rotary International primarily on the local level. He founded the Leaksville Rotary club in 1923. He then served as a district governor of North Carolina and as the president of the New York City Club. He was chairman of the 1948 convention and was a Rotary consultant and observer at the United Nations in San Francisco and the Security Council in New York. The documents from this time period are chiefly letters, U.N. pamphlets and brochures, and Rotary newsletters.
On 1 July 1967, Luther Hodges was installed as president of Rotary International. Folders 1344-1470 contain most of the material about Hodges's presidency. These items include correspondence, travel brochures, newsletters, copies of Rotarian, and other documents. While head of Rotary International, Hodges stressed making "Rotary Membership Effective" through local and international work. Hodges visited many countries, such as Sierra Leone and Bahrain, that had never been visited by a Rotary International president. He also developed the "Rotary Volunteers Abroad" program. This plan, based on the International Executives Service Corps (see folder 1409), functioned as a kind of Peace Corps for retired Rotarians. Under Rotary Volunteers Abroad, retired members gave their time and talent to underdeveloped nations.
After his presidency, Hodges continued to be an active Rotarian. He served as trustee and chairman to the Rotary Foundation. Much of the material from 1968 to 1973 deals with the Foundation. There are many stock reports, minutes of Board of Trustees meetings, and correspondence about Rotary politics.
Despite the very turbulent time period this subseries embraces, Hodges and his fellow Rotary members stressed the harmony between nations and between races. Many of folders dating from the mid-1940s celebrate the United Nations and its mission. There are copies of the United Nations Charter, correspondence with the American Association for the United Nations, and flyers about various U.N. activities. Hodges and his fellow Rotarians believed that through service and friendship many of the goals of the United Nations could be carried out on the local level.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained. Note also that there is some correspondence with Rotary members in Series 1.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, meeting minutes of the Research Triangle Foundation, weekly status reports, clippings, and industry brochures for Research Triangle Park.
Arrangement: by company.
Correspondence, printed materials, reports, financial statements, legal documents, and other related materials connected to companies owned by Hodges and those for which he served on the boards of directors. Hodges had interests in three Virginia businesses--Clark Oil Company, Danville Lumber and Manufacturing Company and Wayside Company, a restaurant and motor inn enterprise. Hodges also owned Howard Johnson's franchises in Danville, Va., and in Durham, Fayetteville, and Research Triangle Park, N.C.
From 1966 to 1971, Hodges served on various boards of directors, among them American Thread Co., Business Development Corporation of North Carolina, Gulf & Western Industries, Inc., and William Bros., Inc.
Arrangement: roughly by topic.
Letters, travel reports, brochures, and other items from Hodges's tours to various countries and his chairmanship of Financial Consultants International, Ltd. (FCI) and Industries of the United States Fund, Ltd. (IUSF). Most of his efforts seem to have been directed towards establishing favorable contacts with local government officials, particularly in the Middle East. Hodges also endeavored to initiate local business contacts to develop fund offices engaged in the direct selling of tax protected mutual funds. There are several folders of material related to Hodges's board membership. There is a useful organizational chart and an Investment Flow Schematic in folder 1691 that explains the nature of funds ownership.
Arrangement: by topic.
Letters, draft reports, and meeting minutes relating to Hodges's 1965-1967 chairing of a committee organized to examine the University of North Carolina's Board of Trustees. The Commission on the Study of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina was formed by Governor Dan Moore to reform the Board. In 1965, the Board of Trustees had 100 members and was considered too large to make decisions efficiently.
Arrangement: by topic.
Correspondence, pamphlets, articles, clippings, and programs on a variety of topics dating from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. These files range from reports about school integration in North Carolina to letters about Hodges's second marriage. Note that the original filing system used by Hodges and his staff has, for the most part, been retained, as have many original file folder titles.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, clippings, records of campaign contributions, political pamphlets, and other material. Although Hodges served on the North Carolina State Board of Education and the State Highways and Public Works Commission in the 1930s, his career in politics did not begin in earnest until he ran for lieutenant governor in 1952. Because he ran as a virtual unknown in North Carolina political circles, much of the earliest part of this series contains letters garnering support from voters.
On 7 November 1954, Hodges succeeded William B. Umstead as governor. From 1954 to 1960, the series focuses on various campaigns and includes the program for his inauguration in January 1957. Luther Hodges was a respected governor, but he was not immune from criticism from the press or his fellow North Carolinians. He received harsh words not only for his stand on segregation, but also when he appeared to be playing politics. In his 21 May 1956 letter, Nelson Jackson of Tryon, N.C., wrote, "I have always admired you greatly ... [b]ut recently I have been much disturbed by the report you said `one of our main jobs is to elect a Democrat in the 11th district.' With all the important work to do in getting good Democrats elected in other areas I cannot believe you would say or try to defeat Raper Jonas who has made a fine record. Are we working for good government of only Democrats?" (folder 1888)
As a life-long supporter of the Democratic Party, Hodges campaigned for many Democratic presidential nominees. The series has campaign literature from the 1956 national election, material from the "Operation Kennedy" movement in Illinois, and letters of support and campaign contributions for Edmund Muskie in the 1972 presidential election. Also included are a few of Hodges's speeches (see also Subseries 4.2).
Arrangement: chronological and by title.
Book manuscripts, correspondence, copies of speeches, bound volumes of speeches, notebooks, and miscellaneous writings. Speeches Hodges gave as a businessman and a politician make up the bulk of the materials.
Arrangement: by title of book.
Drafts, proofs, correspondence, and sound recordings of A Businessman in the Statehouse and The Business Conscience. This subseries also contains a softbound copy of A Governor Sees the Soviet.
Hodges wrote A Businessman in the Statehouse, a memoir about his years as governor. He used his trip reports to the Soviet Union as the basis for A Governor Sees the Soviet. The Business Conscience was drawn from anecdotes about Hodges's experiences in politics and business. Hodges dictated these reminiscences to his secretaries. Included are sound recordings of his dictation (playback equipment not available). James Cormier, possibly a staff member at the Department of Commerce, edited the transcriptions.
Arrangement: chronological.
Bound volumes and loose copies of speeches, notes, and outlines of speeches, and reference materials for speeches. As a business executive, a member of Rotary International, and a political figure, Hodges gave many speeches throughout his life. His earliest speeches were about work and Rotary. The subseries contains chiefly notes or outlines of these early speeches. The topics covered were usually related to the textile business. However, on 14 February 1950, Hodges gave a speech entitled "I believe in the United Nations," in which he extolled the United Nations for being an organization that believed in and worked for peace.
As lieutenant governor and governor of North Carolina, Hodges focused in his addresses, both inside and outside the state's borders, on strengthening North Carolina. He spoke to political groups, civic associations, educational organizations, and businesses. Also included are a few speeches on other topics, such as desegregation, mental health, and prison reform. The vast majority of Hodges's talks, however, were about business in North Carolina. He even managed to work the spirit of boosterism into an address given to the Men's Fellowship group of Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. Hodges's ideas about faith in God also included a pitch for Research Triangle Park, "[a] more recent example of faith in the future of North Carolina and its great potentialities in research can be found in the formation of Research Triangle Committee, Inc." (18 November 1957, folder 2068). Note that Hodges's campaign speeches are filed in Series 3, Political Files.
Hodges's speeches as Secretary of Commerce dealt with the importance of export trading, travel in the United States, and strengthening industry in the United States. During the campaign years of 1960 and 1964, Hodges gave a few political speeches. These addresses usually portrayed the Republican candidates as being bad for business. Hodges was particularly harsh to Barry Goldwater in 1964. Senator Goldwater had previously spoken out in favor of civil rights and desegregation, but apparently changed his tune to woo Southern voters. Hodges viewed this tactic as hypocritical, "[o]ne wonders even more which side the Senator is on now. He tells us Southerners he is against civil rights legislation. But his Republican Committee ... printed a pamphlet recently ... quoting Barry Goldwater: 'I believe completely in vigorous enforcement of the Civil Rights Bill, for I believe in majority rule'" (19 October 1964, folder 2087).
Unless otherwise noted all the bound volumes of speeches have unnumbered pages.
Arrangement: chronological.
Reports from Hodges to friends and family about his various travels, itineraries, and correspondence surrounding numerous trips. Hodges began detailed trip reports in 1944, while at Marshall Field & Company The first trip reports documented what he found at many department stores through out the United States that carried Marshall Field's products. Hodges continued to record personal and professional visits throughout his life. These trip reports contain Hodges's opinions on the countries and cities he visited, descriptions of local customs and landmarks, and histories about the area visited. Hodges traveled extensively throughout the world, including Antarcticirca His trip reports from a governors' junket to the Soviet Union, 24 June-19 July 1959, were printed into a booklet called A Governor Sees the Soviet.
While in foreign countries, Hodges would try many of the local foods and would always insist on visiting a local food market to see what the local populations ate. His reports described Europe rebuilding after World War II, many African nations after their independence, and Asian and South American countries beginning their economic development.
Arrangement: chronological.
One of Hodges's notebooks from the University of North Carolina, a typed note on German reparations, a typed outline entitled "The Tar-Heel Bridge," and an undated forward written by Hodges.
Folder 2111 |
Miscellaneous writings, 1919; 1942; and undated #03698, Subseries: "4.4. Miscellaneous Writings, 1919, 1942 and undated." Folder 2111 |
Arrangement: by type of material.
Scrapbooks, clippings, congratulatory messages, desegregation material, awards, and miscellaneous printed items. Oversized scrapbooks make up most of this series.
Scrapbooks of clippings from North Carolina newspapers, supplied by a commercial clipping service and mounted in chronological order, relating to the public life and interests of Hodges while he was governor of North Carolina. There is also, one volume from 1952, while he was lieutenant governor.
During his administration Governor Hodges was concerned, among other things, with desegregation of public facilities, balancing the budget, raising taxes, highway spending, road safety, higher education, water resources, increased industrialization of the state economy, travel and speech making, and successive hurricanes, especially in 1955.
After the scrapbooks were microfilmed, letters from prominent people, especially political figures such as Lyndon Johnson and Adlai Stevenson, were removed from the scrapbooks and filed in folders 2295-2298.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily notes, letters, and telegrams congratulating Hodges on his Rotary, business, and political achievements. Folder 2122 contains letters written by Hodges to various Democratic Party winners in the 1964 campaign.
Folder 2112 |
1944-1945 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2112 |
Folder 2113 |
1946 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2113 |
Folder 2114 |
1946-1947 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2114 |
Folder 2115 |
1947 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2115 |
Folder 2116 |
1952 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2116 |
Folder 2117-2119
Folder 2117Folder 2118Folder 2119 |
1956 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2117-2119 |
Folder 2120-2121
Folder 2120Folder 2121 |
1957 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2120-2121 |
Folder 2122 |
1964 #03698, Subseries: "5.2. Congratulatory Letters, 1944-1964." Folder 2122 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, telegrams, clippings, and political pamphlets sent to Governor Hodges in the wake of Governor Orval Faubus's summoning of the National Guard troops to prevent the integration of Central High School in Little Rock. President Eisenhower responded by calling in federal forces to continue the court-ordered integration of schools. Hodges and fellow Southern governors, Theodore McKeldin of Maryland, LeRoy Collins of Florida, and Frank Clement of Tennessee, tried to mediate between Faubus and Eisenhower.
Most of the correspondence praised Hodges for his pro-segregationist stance and calm statesmanship throughout the crisis. Hodges also received copies of letters sent to other governors, the president, and, in one instance, to the Rev. Billy Graham. The majority of letters were in the vein of Howard Chatham's letter of 8 October 1957 to Rev. Graham, "The preachers are making it tremendously difficult for our Southern Governors and Congressmen who are trying to obey God and keep the races separated. Their hands are completely tied if the ministers are going along with Satan to destroy the people God set apart to be His witness nation to carry the Gospel to the world."
A few of the correspondents were in favor of integration. John L. Mathers wrote to Hodges on 3 October 1957, "I was interested in hearing you say that you have received many letters from 'all parts of the United States' disapproving of the use of Federal Troups [sic] in Little Rock ... I sensed an implication that you had not received any approving their use. Among the people I know, I know of none who do not feel, very deeply that there was no other recourse, under the conditions which prevailed there." Hodges's long-time friend, Voit Gilmore, wrote on 2 October 1957, "Possibly this touch of humor in the Arkansas situation will give you some comic relief. ... Gov. Faubus should convene his legislature and have Arkansas vote to secede from the Union. Then Faubus could lead his own troops in the attack of the 'invading' Federal forces. The federal troops would ... win--making Arkansas a defeated foreign nation. Whereupon Arkansas could apply for foreign aid and be ahead of everyone."
See also Subseries 5.1., Scrapbooks.
Arrangement: chronological.
Newspaper and magazine clippings about Governor and Mrs. Hodges at various social and political functions in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. This subseries also contains clippings about Hodges's early work with Fieldcrest Mills, some articles on post World War II Germany, and stories about North Carolina politics.
Arrangement: chronological.
Political, business, and philanthropic tributes given to Hodges. Some of these commendations include an honorary doctorate of law from the University of North Carolina, honorary citizenship from the city of New Orleans, and the key to My Old Kentucky Home.
Brochures, newsletters, tickets, business cards, and other items collected by Hodges.
Folder 2170-2171
Folder 2170Folder 2171 |
Printed Material #03698, Subseries: "5.6. Printed Material, 1940s-1970s." Folder 2170-2171 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Appointment books, calendars, schedules, and telephone log books from Hodges's years as a businessman, politician, and retired executive. In one appointment book (folder 2257), a staff member estimated that while Secretary of Commerce, Hodges travelled about 384,492 miles and made close to 745 public appearances.
Arrangement: chronological.
Bank statements, stock sales, investment information, travel vouchers, income tax material, and other material of Governor and Mrs. Hodges.
Arrangement: roughly chronological by format.
Audio recordings and moving images documenting Hodges's political speeches, public appearances, and travels. The majority of this series consists of open reel audio recordings of speeches, addresses, reports, and dedications by Hodges. Of paricular note are moving image films that were produced in the Soviet Union during Hodges's tour of the Soviet Union in 1959 (F-03698/1-2). The films were sponsored by the Institute of International Education and New York University. The purpose of the films is to "compare problems, promote the cause of friendship, etc." Audio recordings are on 1/4" open reel audio, audiocassette, and 45-rpm record, while moving images are on 16mm motion picture film.
Photographs and photo albums of various political, social, business, and travel activities involving Governor and Mrs. Hodges. The vast majority of these photographs are of Luther Hodges as either governor or Secretary of Commerce. There are photo albums of the Hodgeses on various trips. There is also a photo album with glossy prints of scenes of violence during strike at the Harriet-Henderson Cotton Mills.
Image P-3698/1-21
P-3698/1P-3698/2P-3698/3P-3698/4P-3698/5P-3698/6P-3698/7P-3698/8P-3698/9P-3698/10P-3698/11P-3698/12P-3698/13P-3698/14P-3698/15P-3698/16P-3698/17P-3698/18P-3698/19P-3698/20P-3698/21 |
Photographs of Luther Hodges alone. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/1-21 |
Image P-3698/22-64
P-3698/22P-3698/23P-3698/24P-3698/25P-3698/26P-3698/27P-3698/28P-3698/29P-3698/30P-3698/31P-3698/32P-3698/33P-3698/34P-3698/35P-3698/36P-3698/37P-3698/38P-3698/39P-3698/40P-3698/41P-3698/42P-3698/43P-3698/44P-3698/45P-3698/46P-3698/47P-3698/48P-3698/49P-3698/50P-3698/51P-3698/52P-3698/53P-3698/54P-3698/55P-3698/56P-3698/57P-3698/58P-3698/59P-3698/60P-3698/61P-3698/62P-3698/63P-3698/64 |
Photographs of Luther Hodges with others, 1950-1974 and undated. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/22-64 |
Image P-3698/65-67
P-3698/65P-3698/66P-3698/67 |
Photographs of Luther Hodges with his family. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/65-67 |
Image P-3698/68-137
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Photographs of Luther Hodges and corporations, including visits to American Textile Machinery Association 32nd Annual Meeting, North Carolina Heart Association, Thompson Ramo Wooldridge, Inc., and American Thread Company. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/68-137 |
Image P-3698/138-174
P-3698/138P-3698/139P-3698/140P-3698/141P-3698/142P-3698/143P-3698/144P-3698/145P-3698/146P-3698/147P-3698/148P-3698/149P-3698/150P-3698/151P-3698/152P-3698/153P-3698/154P-3698/155P-3698/156P-3698/157P-3698/158P-3698/159P-3698/160P-3698/161P-3698/162P-3698/163P-3698/164P-3698/165P-3698/166P-3698/167P-3698/168P-3698/169P-3698/170P-3698/171P-3698/172P-3698/173P-3698/174 |
Slides of Europe (Some negatives on file) #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/138-174 |
Image P-3698/175-181
P-3698/175P-3698/176P-3698/177P-3698/178P-3698/179P-3698/180P-3698/181 |
Other groups. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/175-181 |
Image P-3698/182-228a |
Identified scenes. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/182-228a |
Image P-3698/229-243
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Unidentified people. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/229-243 |
Image P-3698/244-246
P-3698/244P-3698/245P-3698/246 |
Unidentified scenes. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." P-3698/244-246 |
Oversize Image OP-P-3698/1-8
OP-P-3698/1OP-P-3698/2OP-P-3698/3OP-P-3698/4OP-P-3698/5OP-P-3698/6OP-P-3698/7OP-P-3698/8 |
Luther Hodges alone. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." OP-P-3698/1-8 |
Oversize Image OP-P-3698/9-15
OP-P-3698/9OP-P-3698/10OP-P-3698/11OP-P-3698/12OP-P-3698/13OP-P-3698/14OP-P-3698/15 |
Luther Hodges with others, including family, Rotary International in 1927 at the Manhattan Club, the Annual Convention of N.C. State Highway Employees in 1953, and with unidentified woman. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." OP-P-3698/9-15 |
Oversize Image OP-P-3698/16 |
Lyndon B. Johnson, signed portrait. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." OP-P-3698/16 |
Oversize Image OP-P-3698/17 |
The USAF Thunderbirds, signed and mounted photograph. #03698, Series: "9. Photographs, 1940s-1970s." OP-P-3698/17 |
Photogr |