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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.
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 6.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5400 items) |
| Abstract | Mark F. Ethridge was a journalist of Louisville, Ky. Papers chiefly consist of professional correspondence and speeches of Ethridge relating to his career in journalism, principally as editor and publisher of the Louisville, Ky., Courier-Journal and Times, 1936-1963; editor of New York Newsday, 1963-1965; and instructor in journalism at the University of North Carolina. In addition to newspaper affairs, these papers reflect many social and political issues of the times, including race relations, southern economic development, national elections and Democratic Party affairs, freedom and responsibility of the press, World War II, the Cold War, the creation of Israel, the spread of Communism in postwar Europe, and international peace. A separate series, chiefly 1945-1947, relates to Ethridge's fact-finding missions on behalf of the United States State Department and the United Nations to several Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria, Rumania, and Greece. |
| Creator | Ethridge, Mark F. (Mark Foster), 1896-1981. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| 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.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
| 1896 | Born in Meridian, Miss. |
| 1913 | Reporter for Meridian Star. |
| 1931-1933 | Managing editor of The Telegraph in Macon, Ga. |
| 1933-1934 | Assistant general manager of The Washington Post. |
| 1934-1936 | President and publisher of The Times Dispatch in Richmond, Va. |
| 1936-1963 | Publisher at The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky. |
| 1945-1948 | Appointed to represent the State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in the Balkans. |
| 1954-1967 | Trustee for the Ford Foundation. |
| 1963-1965 | Editor of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y. |
| 1963-1969 | Instructor of journalism at the University of North Carolina. |
| 1981 | Died in Moncure, N.C. |
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Scope and Content
These papers document the professional life of Mark Foster Ethridge. Correspondence includes some family letters, but pertains primarily to his newspaper work and politics. Correspondence and speeches touch on numerous social and political issues and events that were prominent in public discussions during his career, including American race relations, the Second World War, Southern development, elections and Democratic Party positions, freedom of the press, federal regulation of broadcasting, the Cold War (especially in the Balkans), and the United Nations. There is a separate series for the time when Ethridge was in the Balkans for the government. Also included is one yearbook and photographs from his career.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1916-1981.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of Ethridge chiefly relating to political issues and his newspaper and government work. There are also letters about giving, commentary on, and requests for copies of speeches. Letters from 1939 to 1941 and again in 1953 and from 1956 to 1958 discuss civil liberties, Ethridge's support for educating African-Americans and economic and social concerns of the South. Integration is discussed in 1956 and 1964.
Ethridge's correspondence about newspaper affairs relates primarily to conflicts between the FCC and the National Broadcasting Company in 1942; a 1945 trip to the Pacific concerning the education of American newspaper publishers on affairs in the Pacific; another trip to Japan in 1961 focussing on Japanese newspapers. In 1965, there are letters relating to Ethridge's becoming a fellow of Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism society.
Compilation of material on Turner Catledge, Mississippi native and managing editor of the New York Times occurred in 1960 as well as discussions about various other journalism personalities in conjunction with the Ethridge's Pulitzer Prize Memorial lecture. In 1962, Ethridge accepted a lectureship at UNC's School of Journalism and in 1963 became editor of Newsday.
Ethridge commented on politics throughout his papers. Included are remarks denouncing the manner in which Harry Truman was nominated in 1944 and critiquing the New Deal. In 1963, he commented on Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy assassination. In 1966, Adlai Stevenson requested that Ethridge join a national committee to organize and support a Stevenson Institute for International Affairs.
Although most letters, 1945-1947, are personal, some correspondence overlaps with items filed with the Balkans Materials. In 1949 and 1953, there is discussion of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to Communism in the Balkans. Communism remains a major topic after Ethridge's trip to the Balkans until 1955, when Ethridge discussed the case of Carl Braden of Louisville, who was affiliated with Communism.
Ethridge was nominated by Truman in 1948 to the board of inquiry relating to a labor dispute in the coal industry. In 1949, Ethridge served as U.S. Representative to the Conciliation Commission for Palestine, and papers of this year include policy statements and letters from Truman about Middle East economic and refugee problems. Between 1950 and 1951, Ethridge worked with Cyril Black on writing a chapter on negotiations with the Russians in the Balkans for a book by the World Peace Foundation. From 1961 to 1966, there is information about the Ford Foundation.
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Series 2. Speeches, 1931-1968.
Arrangement: chronological.
Speeches, many published later or incorporated into editorials, given by Ethridge on political matters, the newspaper business, Southern affairs, and related topics. Letters discussing some speeches may be found in Series 1.
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Series 3. Balkans Materials, 1945-1963.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, printed material, clippings, and notes from the period when Ethridge was appointed by Secretary of State James Byrnes to represent the U.S. State Department on a special mission to investigate the political scene in Bulgaria and Rumania, particularly with regard to Communism.
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Subseries 3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily correspondence regarding official State Department business, reports by Ethridge on the situation in the Balkans, and statements about the mission. The reports, October-December 1945, focus on the Communist position in Rumania and Bulgaria. Ethridge became a representative for the Security Council Commission of Investigation for the U.S. State Department in 1946 on a Greek frontier mission for the United Nations. He left for Greece in January 1947 and reported on the border violations between Greece and the Balkan states. Most of the material from January to May 1947, deals with the Security Council Commission and the economic situation of Greece.
Material between June and July 1947, after Ethridge returned to the U.S., consists of schedules and itineraries as well as more information about Greece. Papers after his return include articles and statements about Ethridge's mission and U.S. foreign policy in the Balkans. In 1948 and 1954, there is information about the death of Nicola Petrov, leader of the democratic opposition to the Communist regime (see also Series 1, 1945-1947).
Folder 179-190
Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190 |
1945 #03842, Subseries: "3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963." Folder 179-190 |
Folder 191-192
Folder 191Folder 192 |
1946 #03842, Subseries: "3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963." Folder 191-192 |
Folder 193-203
Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203 |
1947 #03842, Subseries: "3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963." Folder 193-203 |
| Folder 205 |
1947, undated #03842, Subseries: "3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963." Folder 205 |
| Folder 206 |
1948-1963 #03842, Subseries: "3.1. Balkan Correspondence, 1945-1963." Folder 206 |
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Subseries 3.2. Other Papers, 1947-1963.
Arrangement: chronological.
Printed material, notes, and clippings pertaining to the Balkans.
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Series 4. Printed Material, 1903-1981.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 4.1. Subject Files, 1930-1981.
Arrangement: topical.
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Subseries 4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981.
Primarily articles by Ethridge, many undated; articles about Ethridge; clippings of interest to him; and other printed material. Some of the editorials and articles are fragments.
Folder 231-236
Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236 |
Editorials and Articles by Ethridge #03842, Subseries: "4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981." Folder 231-236 |
Folder 237-238
Folder 237Folder 238 |
Articles about Ethridge #03842, Subseries: "4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981." Folder 237-238 |
Folder 239-242
Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242 |
Clippings #03842, Subseries: "4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981." Folder 239-242 |
Folder 243-244
Folder 243Folder 244 |
Notes #03842, Subseries: "4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981." Folder 243-244 |
| Folder 245 |
Other Papers #03842, Subseries: "4.2. Articles and Clippings, 1903-1981." Folder 245 |
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Subseries 4.3. Yearbook, 1913.
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Series 5. Pictures, 1945-1951.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing, April 1996
Encoded by: Joseph Nicholson, February 2006
Revised by: Dawne Howard Lucas, July 2021
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
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