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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 | 2 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 400 items) |
| Abstract | The papers of John W. Winters (1920-2004) a real estate developer and the first African American elected to the city council of Raleigh, N.C., and later a North Carolina state senator, document Winters' political career from the 1960s through the 1990s. The collection contains printed items chiefly from events; photographs; speeches; slight, scattered correspondence; a few items pertaining to his family; materials related to his career in real estate; and a scrapbook largely composed of newspaper clippings about Winters and his political causes and accomplishments. Materials reflect Winters' political interests including fair housing, zoning regulations, and desegregation of Raleigh's public spaces such as the Pullen Park Pool. Also included are items pertaining to Winters' participation in President Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977 and the Carter campaign's minority committee. Notable correspondents include African American civic leader and broadcast media producer J.D. Lewis, Edmund Muskie, and Jesse Helms. Photographs include images of Winters with presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton and North Carolina governors Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt. |
| Creator | Winters, John W., 1920-2004. |
| 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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Processing Information
Summary description created in October 2017.
Encoded by: Laura Smith, October 2017
Updated: May 2019
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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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
John W. Winters (1920-2004) was a real estate developer in Raleigh, N.C., and the first African American elected to Raleigh's city council. He also served as a North Carolina state senator and was a civil rights leader who worked to desegregate schools, housing, and public accommodations.
| 21 January 1920 | John Wesley Winters born in Raleigh, N.C., to Charles Winters and Lillie Summerville Winters. |
| 1933 | Moved to New York City to live with his sister following his mother's death. |
| circa 1939-1941 | Attended college at Long Island University, Virginia State College, and Shaw University. |
| 3 February 1941 | Married Marie Montaque. |
| 1957 | Founded a construction company, John W. Winters and Company. |
| 1950s-1980s | Constructed houses, housing developments, apartment buildings, and a housing complex for elderly residents called Wintershaven. |
| 1961 | Elected to the city council of Raleigh, N.C. |
| 1963 | Appointed by North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford to the Good Neighbors Council, which sought desegregation and youth employment. |
| 1966 | Sent by the city council to meet with Martin Luther King, Jr., when he officially visited Raleigh. |
| 1969 | Appointed by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt to a committee tasked with rewriting the rules for the state's Democratic Party. |
| 1972 | Ran unsuccessfully for the North Carolina State Senate. |
| 1974 | Elected to the North Carolina State Senate for the 14th district. |
| 1977 | Appointed by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt to the North Carolina Utilities Commission. |
| 1984 | Ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in the 4th congressional district, losing in the Democratic Party's primary. |
| 1980s | Served on the University of North Carolina System's Board of Governors. |
| 15 February 2004 | Died in Atlanta, Ga. |
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Scope and Content
The papers of John W. Winters (1920-2004) a real estate developer and the first African American elected to the city council of Raleigh, N.C., and later a North Carolina state senator, document Winters' political career from the 1960s through the 1990s. The collection contains printed items chiefly from events; photographs; speeches; slight, scattered correspondence; a few items pertaining to his family; materials related to his career in real estate; and a scrapbook largely composed of newspaper clippings about Winters and his political causes and accomplishments. Materials reflect Winters' political interests including fair housing, zoning regulations, and desegregation of Raleigh's public spaces such as the Pullen Park Pool. Also included are items pertaining to Winters' participation in President Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977 and the Carter campaign's minority committee. Notable correspondents include African American civic leader and broadcast media producer J.D. Lewis, Edmund Muskie, and Jesse Helms. Photographs include images of Winters with presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton and North Carolina governors Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt.
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John W. Winters Papers, 1960s-1990s
| Box 1 |
Scattered correspondence |
Speeches |
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Family materials |
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Newspaper clippings |
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Printed items |
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Campaign ephemera |
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License plate for North Carolina state senator |
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| Box 2 |
Program for the Democratic Party National Convention, 1968 |
Registered Builder License, 1973 |
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Annotated sample ballot, 1974 |
|
| Oversize Volume SV-5535/1 |
Scrapbook, 1961-1965Contains newspaper clippings, printed items, letters, telegrams, and photographs, including images taken at the White House with President Lyndon Johnson. Topics are chiefly North Carolina and Raleigh politics and the civil rights movement, specifically desegregation of public accommodations including community swimming pools. |
| Image Box IB-5536/1 |
Photographs, circa 1960s-1990sColor Photographic Prints, Black-and-White Photographic Prints Black-and-white prints. Images depict Winters throughout his life and career. Subjects include John Winters, the Winters family, John W. Winters and Company construction projects at different stages of completion in Raleigh, N.C., and Winters with numerous government officials. Government officials range from local to federal and include members of the Raleigh City Council, N.C. General Assembly, N.C. Governors Jim Hunt, Terry Sanford, and U.S. Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. |
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Items Separated