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.
Size | 10.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 6000 items) |
Abstract | Frank Hunter Kennedy received his A.B. from the University of North Carolina in 1913, served as principal of Lees-McRae Institute in Plumtree, N.C., 1914-1915, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1918. He practiced law in Charlotte, N.C., 1918-1970. Kennedy and his wife, Margaret (Rita) Letzer Kennedy, had three children: Margaret, Mary Hunter, and Philip. Chiefly personal correspondence of Frank Hunter and Rita Kennedy with family members and friends. Most items from the period 1912-1916 are love letters to Frank Kennedy from young women attending the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College in Greensboro, N.C. These letters provide some detail about student life in a women's college. Kennedy described his experiences at Harvard Law School in a letter of 21 November 1915. Most of the correspondence for the period 1919-1921 concerns Kennedy's law practice in Charlotte. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing into the 1970s, most items are personal letters to and from Rita Kennedy, chiefly from her son Philip. Correspondence from 1951 documents Philip's studies and activities in Paris, France. Also included are memorabilia and dance cards from the University of North Carolina, circa 1913, and materials relating to Frank Kennedy's years as principal of the Lees-McRae Institute. Later additions include family correspondence from 1877 to 1983, Frank Hunter Kennedy's Harvard Law School notes, materials relating to Frank Kennedy's death in 1975, and his children's correspondence, Margaret Kennedy from 1948 to 1958 and Philip Kennedy from 1946 to 1987. There are also a few 18- and 19-century family papers. |
Creator | Kennedy, Frank Hunter, 1893-1975. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Michael L. Van Cott, November 1987; Adera Scheinker, November 1997, March 1998
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.
Frank Hunter Kennedy, son of Philip Butler Kennedy and Elizabeth Susan Dalton Kennedy, was born in Iredell County, N.C., 15 April 1893. Kennedy received his A.B. from the University of North Carolina in 1913 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1918. Before he entered Harvard, Kennedy taught high school Latin in New Bern, N.C., 1913-1914. Kennedy also served as principal of Lees-McCray Institute in Plumtree, N.C., 1914-1915.
After graduating from law school, Kennedy opened his own law office in Charlotte, N.C., where he practiced from 1918 to 1924. From 1925 to 1937, Kennedy was a partner in the Charlotte law firm of Tillett, Tillett, and Kennedy. From 1948 to 1957, Kennedy was a senior partner in the Charlotte law firm of Kennedy, Covington, Lodbell and Hickman. Kennedy continued to practice law until his retirement in 1970.
Kennedy married Margaret Letzer (called Rita). They had three children: Margaret, Mary Hunter, and Philip. Frank Hunter Kennedy lived in Charlotte, N.C., until his death on 19 December 1975.
Back to TopChiefly personal correspondence of Frank Hunter and Rita Kennedy with family members and friends. Also included are memorabilia and dance cards from the University of North Carolina, circa 1913, and materials relating to Frank Kennedy's years as principal of the Lees-McCray Institute. Later additions include family correspondence, 1877-1983, Frank Hunter Kennedy's Harvard Law School notes, materials relating to Frank Kennedy's death in 1975, and his children's correspondence, Margaret Kennedy from 1948 to 1958 and Philip Kennedy from 1946 to 1987. There are also eighteenth- and nineteenth-century family papers.
Personal correspondence of Frank Hunter Kennedy and his wife Rita with family members and friends includes letters from 1877 to 1912 about family affairs, postcards sent to the Kennedys from friends and family members, and letters about life at various schools. The bulk of the letters for the period 1912-1916 are love letters to Kennedy from several young women, many of whom attended North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College in Greensboro, N.C. In addition to its romantic content, this correspondence provides some detail about student life at a women's college in the early twentieth century. Also of interest is a letter dated 21 November 1915 in which Frank Kennedy describes his experiences at Harvard Law School.
Most of the correspondence for the period 1919-1921 concerns Kennedy's law practice in Charlotte, N.C.
Beginning in the 1930s and continuing into the 1970s, the bulk of the correspondence consists of personal letters to and from Rita Kennedy. These are chiefly from Philip Kennedy, although letters to and from Rita's other children, and letters between the children are also included. These letters document the close relationship between the Kennedys and their children.
Correspondence from the 1950s and 1960s traces Philip Kennedy's academic career and the continued financial support he received from his parents. Correspondence of 1951 documents Philip's studies and activities in Paris, France.
The last two folders of the first box contain memorabilia and dance cards from the University of North Carolina, circa 1913, and materials relating to Frank Kennedy's years as principal of the Lees-McCray Institute, Plumtree, N.C.
The Margaret Kennedy papers filed in folders 127-176 cover her life from high school through young adulthood. Many of the letters are from suitors, friends, and family members discussing social occasions and relations and university and employment activities. Also letters of interest are to Margaret from Hannah Nixon, mother of Richard Nixon, and friend of Margaret Kennedy's aunt, in which she invited Margaret, a graduate student at Berkley, to visit the Nixon home.
The Philip Kennedy correspondence and papers in folders 177-197 chronicles his life from his teenage years in prep school through adulthood. It contains information about his life and that of his family, especially about his time at the University of North Carolina, his work with folk music, his marriage to Laura Hasenpflung, and his Ph.D. in French.
Folders 198-210 contain primarily family papers from Kennedy's ancestors. Most of these are account books and school journals of members of the Houston family.
Account ledgers of Frank Hunter Kennedy in three volumes covering 1942-1970 and Kennedy's Harvard law school notes in nine bound volumes are filed in folders 211-222. The law school notebooks cover various law classes Kennedy took at Harvard in 1917-1918. The books are not differentiated by topic, date or class.
Correspondence written to Margaret Kennedy, Philip Kennedy, Frank and Rita Kennedy. The majority of these letters are from friends and family discussing family lives and local events. The Frank and Rita Kennedy letters include correspondence from Anna Kennedy, Frank's sister, chronicling her 1959 trip across Europe. The collection also includes collected nineteenth-century church books and novelettes, school papers of the Kennedy children, diaries, and mostly unidentified photographs of family members.
Back to Top