Thomas Nelson Page Papers
Collections 007, 007a, 007b
1.4 linear ft.

Page (1853-1922) was a Virginia lawyer and author whose novels depicted an idealized, antebellum Southern society. He attended Washington and Lee from 1869-1872 and had personal contact with President Robert E. Lee. Though he withdrew without graduating, he later received honorary degrees from W&L. He was appointed United States Ambassador to Italy in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson. The collection includes manuscript pages and galley proofs of Page's 1911 biography of Lee, Robert E. Lee, Man and Soldier. Also included is Page's interesting dinner party record book kept during his tenure as Italian ambassador. See also the William Lyne Wilson Collection (029) for other Page manuscripts. Special Collections' Rare Book collection holds a number of first editions of Page's works.

Carter Newman Bealer Papers
Collection 094
16 linear ft.

Bealer (1899-1965) was a Washington, D.C., government official and collector of books and theatrical memorabilia. He was a member of the Washington and Lee University Class of 1922. The papers contain a notable collection of theatrical and musical autographs including those of Enrico Caruso, Franz Liszt, Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt and many other well known figures. There is a group of about 1,500 English, American and European playbills for the period 1860-1964. Also included is business and family correspondence and a collection of diaries including Civil War diaries of Mary and Virginia Cloud of Front Royal, Virginia. There is a fine collection of photographs of theater personalities.

John W. Davis Papers
Collection 106
.2 linear ft.

Davis (1873-1955) was the Democratic party's candidate for President in 1924. Throughout his long career he was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia and was U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. He was an 1892 graduate of Washington and Lee and an 1895 graduate of the W&L Law school. He was elected to the W&L Board of Trustees in 1921 and remained in that post for 28 years. The collection covers a variety of time periods in his life. It includes a speech typescript, his original law license, correspondence and asset statements. There are numerous Davis letters in the Trustees section of the W&L Record Group collection. There are also Davis letters in several other collections in our holdings (see our manuscripts catalog for details).

Freeman H. Hart Papers
Collection 129
3.2 linear ft.

Hart (1889-1965) was a 1912 graduate of Washington and Lee. He was an historian and professor of history at Hampden-Sydney College who was best known for his 1942 volume, The Valley of Virginia in the American Revolution, 1763-1789 (in our Alumni Publications collection). Hart's papers include his research notes for this book. Also included is his correspondence as well as notes and drafts for various articles on American history. There is material pertaining to his military service during World War I. Hart also authored The History of Pi Kappa Alpha which is in our Alumni Publications collection.

Daniel Crump Buchanan Papers
Collection 145
6.6 linear ft.

Buchanan (1892-1982) was a 1914 graduate of Washington and Lee. Born in Japan of American parents, he went on to become a Presbyterian minister and missionary. He was a teacher and a scholar of Japanese life. Included in this collection are materials from his work with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II including position papers, studies and internal memoranda. Manuscripts of his books are included as are printed materials he collected on Japan. This collection is valuable for the study of our wartime relationship with Japan. There is a finding aid available.

Leroy Hodges Papers
Collection 162
20.4 linear ft.

One of the largest collections in our holdings is that of Leroy Hodges (1888-1944). Hodges, who attended Washington and Lee from 1906 to 1910, was an economist and government official. He was Director of the Budget in Virginia during the administration of Governor E. Lee Trinkle. He served for thirteen years as the managing director of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce and also held positions briefly in the federal government. The papers (1908-1942) illustrate Hodges' efforts toward the streamlining of Virginia state government. His detailed involvement with the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce is a major topic of the collection. His correspondents included James H. price, Douglas Southall Freeman, John W. Davis and Lady Astor. The collection is valuable for the study of Virginia economic history and politics in the first half of the twentieth century. It includes photographs of Hodges and his family. There is a finding aid to the papers available in Special Collections. Two of Hodges' published works, including one on army ordnance, are in our Alumni Publications collection.

G. William Whitehurst Papers
30 linear ft.

Whitehurst (b. 1925) was a 1950 graduate of Washington and Lee. He represented the Second Congressional District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1987. His service in the Congress included the time of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the ABSCAM scandal and the oil crises of the 1970s. The papers are divided broadly into general files, personal files and legislative files. They include letters and other materials sent to Whitehurst by constituents and others along with his replies. Due to the enormous size of the collection the papers housed in Special Collections are a representative statistical sample of the whole. There is a detailed finding aid available for the collection. Also in the collection are Whitehurst's well written congressional diaries covering his eighteen year service in Washington. These diaries go well beyond the scope of his published diaries which are included in our Alumni Publications collection.