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Size | 5.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2000 items) |
Abstract | Archibald Lee Manning Wiggins of Hartsville, S.C., was a businessman; banker and, in 1943, president of the American Bankers Association; undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury, 1947-1948; in the 1950s, chairman of the board of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and director of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company; and an officer and active participant in many charitable and educational organizations. Correspondence, speeches and articles by Wiggins, and other materials relating to Wiggins's work with the Atlantic Coast Line and Louisville and Nashville railroads, 1948-1962; the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, 1948-1952; the American Bankers Association, 1938-1953; the National Society for Crippled Children, 1950s; the Horace Williams Philosophical Society, 1946-1947; and other organizations. |
Creator | Wiggins, A. L. M. (Archibald Lee Manning), 1891- |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Benjamin H. Trask, July 1987 and subsequent additions
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Back to TopThe 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.
Archibald Lee Manning Wiggins (1891-1981) was born in Durham, North Carolina, the son of Archie Lee and Margaret London Council Wiggins. In 1913, he graduated from the University of North Carolina. Two years later he married Pauline Lawton of Hartsville, South Carolina. The Wiggins family settled in Hartsville where Lee Wiggins began a business partnership with David R. Coker (1870-1933). Coker developed the Pedigreed Seed Company with the assistance of Wiggins (see The Encyclopedia of Southern History, 1979). By 1938, Wiggins had served as treasurer and business manager of the company, as well as general manager of J. L. Coker & Company, and organizer of Coker's Wholesale Company.
In addition to his ties with Coker, Wiggins held several positions with the Bank of Hartsville and purchased a publishing company that published The Hartsville Messenger. Wiggins also served as president of the Southern Retail Merchants Conference in Richmond. During the Depression, he was president of the South Carolina Independent Merchants Association, the South Carolina Bankers Association, and the South Carolina Federation of Commerce, Agriculture and Industry. He was also a member of the Federal Reserve Council and chairman of the Deposit Liquidation Committee for South Carolina.
In 1941, Wiggins started a seventeen-year tenure as a lecturer at the Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. Two years later, he was elected president of the American Bankers Association. From 1942 until 1960, Wiggins was a member of the A.B.A.'s committee on governmental borrowing. Shortly after World War II, Wiggins severed all business connections and resigned from his numerous positions to become undersecretary of the United States Treasury, an office he held from January 1947 until July 1948. Wiggins returned to private business as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Louisville and Nashville Railroad Companies, and director of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. At the age of seventy, Wiggins retired from the railroad post but continued to fill various advisory roles.
Throughout his life, Wiggins dedicated much of his time, money, and financial expertise to a variety of charities and public service organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, and state and national crippled children societies. He was greatly concerned with the quality of ducation in the South, donating money to his alma mater, serving as chairman of the Darlington County Board of Education from 1934 to 1942, chairing the South Carolina governor's task force on education, and holding membership in the Horace Williams Society.
For all of Wiggins's accomplishments and contributions he received a wealth of awards and honorary degrees. In 1940, he earned a certificate for distinguised service to agriculture from the Clemson Agricultural College (Clemson University). Coker College of South Carolina presented him with the Algernon Sydney Award. Additionally, he accepted honorary degrees from Campbell College, Duke University, and the Universities of North Carolina and South Carolina. Finally, in 1971, he was inducted into the Wisdom Hall of Fame.
Back to TopOver half of these papers are items received or generated by A. L. M. Wiggins, 1935-1960. This material includes letters, notes, reports, newspaper clippings, telegrams, and speeches concerning various business and governmental pursuits of Wiggins. Almost all the letters written by Wiggins are typed carbon copies. Along with his many corporate interests, this collection contains material on the development of the South Carolina educational system, crippled children societies, donations to the University of North Carolina, and membership in the Horace Williams Society.
This collection does not have any material related to Wiggin's early life in North Carolina, at the University of North Carolina, or as a young businessman in Hartsville, South Carolina. There are very few letters from family members, and no information concerning his involvement with the American Cancer Society or the American Red Cross. Also, the collection holds nothing covering his role as an educator at Rutgers University, and few items concerning his position as undersecretary of the Treasury.
Along with this group of materials housed at the Southern Historical Collection, other papers of A. L. M. Wiggins are held at the Hartsville, South Carolina Historical Society and the University of Louisville's collection of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Records. Further information on Wiggins may be found in his autobiography titled the Autobiography of A. Lee M. Wiggins (Columbia, S.C.: R. L. Bryan Co., circa 1969).
Materials relating to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and other ventures. Also personal correspondence.
Albemarle Papers Manufacturing Company, 1956
ALICO Land Development Corporation, 1962 (2 folders)
American Bankers Association, 1948-1954
American Telephone and Telegraph, 1954-1957 (5 folders)
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Hartsville Office, 1953-1955
New building, 1958-1960
Miscellaneous (2 folders)
Atlantic Land and Improvement Company, 1951-1958 (3 folders)
Carolina Power and Light Company, 1958
Kingsport, Tenn., 1951-1952
Lawton, Joe and Edgar, 1948-1957
Peninsula and Occidental Steamship Company, 1949-1958
Personal Correspondence, 1952-1953 (2 folders)
Public Relations, 1958 (2 folders)
South Carolina Governor's Tax Advisory Committee, 1951-1955 (8 folders)
South Carolina Reorganization Committee, 1948-1954
United States Chamber of Commerce, 1949-195
Back to TopSee also addition of August 1992.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between senior officials of the company in New York City and Wiggins in Hartsville, South Carolina, and minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors. Discussion topics include confidential letters related to stockholders' meetings and employee management relations. Among the noteworthy persons writing to Wiggins are Carroll Owen Bickelhaupt (1888 1954), Cleo F. Craig, Hal Stephens Dumas (b. 1914), Arthur C. Flatto, and Sealand Whitney Landon (b. 1896).
Folder 1-4
Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4 |
1950 |
Folder 5-8
Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8 |
1951 |
Folder 9-12
Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
1952 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Mostly correspondence generated by Wiggins and other top officials of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Companies. Other correspondence concerns the Transportation Association of America and the Standard and Poors Corporation's assessment of the railway industry. The bulk of this material discusses stock options, profits and losses, the outlook of railroad companies in America, arrangements for meetings, distribution of free transportation passes to business officials, reports on operations, and a dinner in honor of Wiggins.
Some of the noteworthy correspondencts are: Donald Deans Conn (1894-1954), Robert Vedden Fleming (1890-1967), James Spencer Love (1896-1962), Thomas J. Groom (1899-1963), Percival Huntington Whaley (1880-1963), John Ringling North (b. 1903), Henry O. Havemeyer (1876-1965), John E. Tilford, Buford Scott, William Hersey Kendall (b. 1910), Harold Holmes Helm (b. 1900), Albert Carleton, Jr. (1902-1963), and Robert Edward McNeill, Jr. (b. 1906).
Folder 13 |
1948 (Railroads) |
Folder 14 |
1948-1951 (Transportation Assoc. of America) |
Folder 15 |
1949-1956, 1960 (Standards and Poor's) |
Folder 16 |
1949 (Railroads) |
Folder 17 |
1950-1951 (Railroads) |
Folder 18 |
1952 (Railroads) |
Folder 19 |
1952-1954 (Transportation Assoc. of America) |
Folder 20 |
1953 (Railroads) |
Folder 21-23
Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23 |
1954 (Railroads) |
Folder 24 |
1955 (Railroads) |
Folder 25-27
Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27 |
1956 (Railroads) |
Folder 28 |
1957 (Railroads) |
Folder 29 |
1958-1959 (Railroads) |
Folder 30-34
Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34 |
(Railroads) |
Arrangement: chronological.
Mainly correspondence of A. L. M. Wiggins during his tenure as president of the American Bankers Association and his continued participation in that organization. The activities discussed include campaign literature from candidates running for offices in the A.B.A., publication of banking articles, travel plans, and the political positions of the A.B.A. concerning Federal legislation. Prominent correspondents include Eugene Christian Zorn, Jr. (b. 1916), Everett D. Resse (b. 1898), and Harold Stonier (1890-1957).
Folder 35 |
1938-1943 |
Folder 36 |
1948-1949 |
Folder 37 |
1950 |
Folder 38-39
Folder 38Folder 39 |
1951. |
Folder 40 |
1952 |
Folder 41 |
1953 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and reports concerning Wiggins's involvement in the South Carolina and National Crippled Children and Adults Societies. Other correspondence is from related organizations discussing international cooperation. This material covers fund raising, building construction, and meetings. Notable correspondents include Edgar Kobak (1895-1962), Lawrence J. Linck (b. 1908), William Thomas Sanger, George Bell Timmerman, Jr., and Dean Winn Roberts (b. 1914).
Folder 42 |
1956-1957 |
Folder 43-49
Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49 |
1957 |
Folder 50-57
Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57 |
1958 |
Folder 58 |
1950, 1975 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between Wiggins and Otho B. Ross, Sr., Floyd Miller, and J. Maryon "Spike" Saunders, concerning the Horace William Society. These letters discuss arrangement of meetings, membership, and publication of articles on Horace Williams.
Folder 59 |
1946-1952 |
Folder 60 |
1954-1958 |
Folder 61 |
1960, 1967 |
Folder 62-63
Folder 62Folder 63 |
1968 |
Folder 64 |
1969 |
Folder 65 |
1970-1976 |
Folder 66-67
Folder 66Folder 67 |
1977 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence and newspaper clippings concerning Wiggins's support for student aid in South Carolina, higher education, and the General Alumni Association and Business Foundation at UNC. The South Carolina items mention the Fiscal Survey Commission and its impact on education, the 1962 State Advisory Commission on Higher Education, North Greenville Junior College, and South Carolina Student Aid Funds, Inc. The UNC material concerns financial contributions, business-education relations, the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the UNC Class of 1913. Notables in this subseries include William Brantley Aycock, Preston H. Epps, Fenton Keyes (b. 1915), Robert B. House, and Thomas Best, Jr.
Folder 68 |
1936, 1951-1955 (UNC) |
Folder 69 |
1956-1959 (UNC) |
Folder 70 |
1960-1961 (UNC) |
Folder 71 |
1978-1980 (UNC) |
Folder 72 |
1955-1956 (S.C. Colleges & Fiscal Survey Comm.) |
Folder 73 |
1961-1963 (South Carolina Education) |
Folder 74 |
1961-1962, 1971-1972 (N. Greenville Junior College/S. C. Junior Colleges) |
Folder 75 |
1962 (South Carolina Student Aid) |
Folder 76 |
1963-1964 (South Carolina Student Aid) |
Arrangement: chronological.
An assortment of letters touching on a variety of Wiggins's scholarly, financial, philanthropic, and religious interests. these items include material on a South Carolina task force to explore revenue problems, research foundations, and charities. The letters discussing the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Fund are from John Wesley Snyder (b. 1895), former U. S. Secretary of the Treasury.
Folder 77 |
1952-1955 (The Research Institute) |
Folder 78 |
1954-1956 (Task Force 8) |
Folder 79 |
1956 (Highway Dept/Task Force) |
Folder 80 |
1974-1976 (Christian Action Council) |
Folder 81 |
1975 (C. N. Davis Nursing Home) |
Folder 82 |
1978-1979 (George C. Marshall Foundation) |
Folder 83 |
1979 (Harry S. Truman Scholarship Fund) |
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly speeches presented by Wiggins in his capacities as a banker, head of the South Carolina and National ABA, advisor to the Federal Government, and undersecretary of the Treasury. In addition, there are a few related articles about or by Wiggins. These lectures and articles discuss banking during wartime, interest rates, the impact of new legislation, economic deterrents to growth, and the influence of the economy on the banking industry. Requests for copies of some of these speeches may be found in folder 119.
Folder 84 |
1932-1939 |
Folder 85-86
Folder 85Folder 86 |
1940 |
Folder 87 |
1941 |
Folder 88-89
Folder 88Folder 89 |
1942 |
Folder 90-92
Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92 |
1944 |
Folder 93 |
1946-1947 |
Folder 94 |
1948 |
Folder 95 |
1949-1950 |
Folder 96 |
1950 |
Folder 97 |
1952-1961 |
Arrangement: chronological.
A variety of speeches and articles presented by Wiggins on issues in education, philosophy, religion, agriculture, charities, railroads, and politics. Many speeches relate particularly to the South, especially South Carolina and Hartsville. Requests for copies of some of these speeches may be found in folder 119.
Folder 98 |
1935-1939 (The South) |
Folder 99 |
1940-1959 (The South) |
Folder 100 |
1960-1964 (The South) |
Folder 101 |
1977, n.d. (The South) |
Folder 102 |
1955 (Crippled Children Societies) |
Folder 103 |
1952-1967 (Philosophy and Religion) |
Folder 104 |
1937-1949 (Education) |
Folder 105 |
1952-1959 (Education) |
Folder 106 |
1961-1963 (Education) |
Folder 107 |
1964-1971 (Education) |
Folder 108 |
1949-1957 (Transportation) |
Folder 109 |
1944-1946 (Agriculture) |
Folder 110 |
1941-1944 (Human Rights) |
Folder 111 |
1945-1949 (Human Rights) |
Folder 112 |
1938, 1970, undated (Political) |
Folder 113-117
Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117 |
Undated (Miscellaneous Speech Notes) |
Arrangement: chronological.
An assortment of letters, interviews, newspaper clippings, carbon copies of correspondence, photographs, and reports covering politics, the Wisdom Hall of Fame, the U. S. Treasury, and personal matters. Many of the personal letters are requests for speeches. Political items discuss support for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Correspondents of the political papers include Sam Rayburn (1882-1961), and James Francis Byrnes (b. 1879).
Folder 118 |
1891-1981 (Biographical Items and Photographs) |
Folder 119 |
1949-1954, 1978-1979 (Personal Papers) |
Folder 120 |
1932 (Political Papers) |
Folder 121-122
Folder 121Folder 122 |
1936 (Political Papers) |
Folder 123 |
1937-1938 (Political Papers) |
Folder 124 |
1948 (U. S. Treasury Dept.) |
Folder 125 |
1971, 1975 (Wisdom Hall of Fame) |
Box 3-4
Box 3Box 4 |
Papers |
Box 7 |
B--Correspondence, 1947-1949 (2 folders) |
D--Correspondence, 1947-1953 |
|
F--Correspondence, 1947-1949 |
|
G--Correspondence, 1947-1949 |
Image Folder PF-4301/1 |
Photographs |