George Addison Baxter Papers
Collection 003
.8 linear ft.

Baxter (1771-1841), a graduate of Liberty Hall Academy, became Rector of Washington Academy in 1799 and served in his post for thirty years. By this time the institutional name had been changed to Washington College and his title had become "President." Baxter was a Presbyterian minister and was the son-in-law of Col. William Fleming (see also Fleming Papers - Collection 009). His correspondence often focused on Presbyterian Church matters (including the church schism of 1837-1870) in connection with his later service at Union Theological Seminary. Though the collection includes no letters of his concerning Washington College matters directly, there are thirteen letters written in 1805 to his wife while on a fund raising trip. The reminiscences of Dr. Baxter's daughter, Louisa, are included and these do include the Baxters' Washington College years. There is an additional collection of manuscripts on the Baxter family which includes a partial biography of Baxter written by one of his children. There is a photograph of a painting of Baxter in the W&L Photographs collection. For an overview of Baxter's life and influence at this institution see Ollinger Crenshaw, General Lee's College, pages 34-46. Baxter's service as president was the longest in our history.

Thomas Henry Carter Papers
Collection 004
.4 linear ft.

Carter (1931-1963) was one of the founders of Shenandoah, the Washington and Lee University literary review, and he served at one time as its editor. He was a student at W&L when he helped establish Shenandoah and he graduated in 1954. He was also editor of a more short-lived non-W&L literary publication known as Spearhead. He was later a high school teacher and professor of English at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. The papers consist chiefly of correspondence (during and after his W&L years) including editorial correspondence between Carter and various contributors to Shenandoah. Among the correspondents are T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, e.e. cummings, James Branch Cabell, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, John Crowe Ransom, Katherine Anne Porter, Donald Davidson, Allen Tate, Andrew Lytle and many other notable literary figures. We have in our Alumni Publications collection two published volumes of Carter's work: Signs of the Times: Poems (1963) and Essays and Reviews (1968).

George Washington Papers
Collections 012, 020, 138
.6 linear ft.

Washington (1732-1799) made a critically important gift in 1796 of stock in the James River Company to a financially struggling Liberty Hall Academy. The grateful trustees changed the name to Washington Academy in 1798 in his honor. Washington's letter to the trustees of June 17, 1798, acknowledging the honor of the name change is one of the most important documents in all our collections. There are five other items in the 012 collection including two Revolutionary War era letters signed by Washington. There is a letter from Washington to his nephew, George Augustine Washington, of August 26, 1787, giving various instructions for house repairs and discussing farm crops (collection 020). This is a beautiful example of Washington's fine handwriting and clear expression. Also included in our holdings are account books (1757-1773) kept by Washington concerning the estate of Daniel Parke Custis and other accounts (collection 138). These account books survived underground storage during the Civil War. For a description of these ledgers see the article by Joseph Horrell and Richard W. Oram in The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, XLIII (April 1986), 253-266. The Daniel Parke Custis accounts are published in W.W. Abbot, ed., The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, volume six.

William Preston Johnston Papers
Collection 015
.2 linear ft.

Johnston (1831-1899) was chairman of the Department of History and English Literature at Washington and Lee from 1867 to 1877 and was later President of Louisiana State University and Tulane University. He was the son of renowned Confederate General, Albert Sidney Johnston, and was an aide to Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. While at Washington and Lee he authored a biography of his father, The Life of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston (1878). This volume is included in our Rare Book collection and there are many other works by Johnston in our Faculty Publications collection. The letters include a touching 1878 note from Johnston to namesake, Preston Johnston Beale. There is additional Johnston material in the Hugh Anderson Moran Papers (collection 005), the Jefferson Davis Papers (collection 011) and the Robert E. Lee Papers (collection 064).

Tucker Family Papers
Collections 024, 024a
8.2 linear ft.

The Tucker Family has been one of the most prominent in Washington and Lee UniversityÕs history. Its two leading members were: John Randolph Tucker(1823-1897), Dean of the Law School at Washington and Lee, United States Congressman, and President of the American Bar Association; and his son, Henry St. George Tucker (1853-1932), whose accomplishments virtually duplicated his father's and included a stint as Acting President of Washington and Lee in 1900-1901. The majority of the collection consists of the papers of the younger Tucker concerning his terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also included are components of a scrapbook kept by Henry St. George Tucker's father-in-law, William Preston Johnston (see collection 015), that includes photographs of family members and W&L faculty members. Other Henry St. George Tucker material may be found in the Tucker Papers in the Rockbridge Historical Society collection.

Washington and Lee University Archival Records
Collections 028, 112
18 linear ft.

This collection includes records from Augusta Academy, Liberty Hall Academy, Washington Academy and Washington College, all previous names of the modern Washington and Lee University. Included are financial records, faculty minutes, Alumni Association records and various receipts and vouchers. There are operational documents bearing Robert E. Lee's signature as college president. Included is a collection of Trustees' Papers valuable for studying the University's history and development. These papers were used by W&L historian, Ollinger Crenshaw, in his 1969 history, General Lee's College: The Rise and Growth of Washington and Lee University. There is an index to the Trustees' Papers available in Special Collections. There are matriculation books and annual registers with student information. Some of the W&L Archival Records (especially collection 028), including Trustees' Papers, have been microfilmed and are available in the Leyburn Library's microfilm collection.

William Lyne Wilson Papers
Collections 029, 029a, 029b
2.5 linear ft.

William Lyne Wilson (1843-1900) was a member of Congress from West Virginia, Postmaster General in the second administration of President Grover Cleveland, and for the last three years of his life President of Washington and Lee University (1897-1900). The collection includes correspondence throughout Wilson's career including his service in the Confederate cavalry. Diaries and official letterbooks from his tenure as Postmaster General are included. Among the diaries are those from his years as W&L President. Additional materials from his service to Washington and Lee may be found in the Record Group section of the University Archives. A biographical study of Wilson that includes a discussion of his time at Washington and Lee is Festus P. Summers, William L. Wilson and Tariff Reform, A Biography (in our Rare book collection).

Robert Alexander Papers and Bible
Collection 037
1 linear ft.

Alexander was the founder in 1749 of a school that became known later as Augusta Academy, the original forerunner of Washington and Lee University. The collection consists of a 1747 deed of a tract of land near Greenville in Augusta County transferred to Alexander from William Beverley; two legal documents connected with the deed; and a 1756 English Bible containing Alexander's 1765 signature.

William Graham Papers
Collection 043, 118, 127
.2 linear ft.

Graham (1746-1799) was the first President of Liberty Hall Academy, forerunner of Washington and Lee University. It was under his leadership that college level standards were initiated. The papers include an 1801 inventory of his library. There are two notebooks transcribed by Joseph Glass (collection 127) of lectures on human nature from 1794 to 1796 at Liberty Hall given by Graham, who was a Presbyterian minister. There is also a Graham family Bible (collection 118) with a genealogical page in the hand of Graham's father recording his son's 1746 birth in Pennsylvania. There are two Graham letters (1787, 1792) to Zechariah Johnston in the latter's papers (collection 006). Graham is buried on Washington and Lee's campus.

Henry Donald Campbell Papers
Collection 059
.6 linear ft.

Campbell (1862-1934) served in many important positions in his long career at Washington and Lee (1887-1933). He was Dean of the University, Professor of Geology, and Historian of the University. He also served as Acting President in 1912. He was born in Lexington and was a W&L graduate. He was the son of another longtime W&L faculty member, John Lyle Campbell (see collections 075 and 116). Henry Campbell's papers contain material that he collected on the administration of Robert E. Lee (1865-1870) including copies of much of Lee's official correspondence. Also included are many of Campbell's speeches and papers on a variety of academic topics.

Franklin Lafayette Riley Papers
Collection 060
.2 linear ft.

Riley (1868-1929) was Professor of History at Washington and Lee from 1914 to 1929. His papers include correspondence in connection with his book, General Robert E. Lee After Appomattox (1922), which is held in our Rare Book collection. Also included are letters from Riley to his wife in 1919 when he was serving with the American Expeditionary Force University in France. Other correspondents include Mary Custis Lee, oldest daughter of Robert E. Lee.

William Paxton Houston Papers
Collection 068
.4 linear ft.

Houston (1843-1918) was a Lexington lawyer and judge. He saw military service with the Confederacy as a lieutenant of artillery. He was an 1867 graduate of Washington College and eventually a member of the W&L Board of Trustees (1898-1910). Houston's papers include his correspondence as a Trustee pertaining to the election in 1901 of a new President of Washington and Lee to succeed William Lyne Wilson. Also included is various material on the issue of sectarianism at W&L. There is additional W.P. Houston material in the Rockbridge Historical Society collection.

John Lyle Campbell Papers
Collection 075, 116
.4 linear ft.

Campbell (1818-1886) was a Professor of Chemistry and Geology at Washington and Lee from 1851 to 1886. He served as Superintendent of Rockbridge County Schools from 1870 to 1882. A member of an old Rockbridge County family, he attended Washington College as a student. He became one of the leading nineteenth century faculty personalities. His papers include a notebook of his geological field observations in the mountains of the nearby area in 1859 and 1860. The 116 collection contains material from his tenure as School Superintendent. Notes from chemistry courses at W&L taught by Campbell are contained in the William D. Johnson (117) and Charles E. McCorkle (139) collections. Additional Campbell material may be accessed through the Special Collections manuscripts catalog. Papers of his sons, Henry Donald Campbell (collection 059), and John Lyle Campbell, Jr. (collection 123) are also located in Special Collections.

William George McDowell Papers
Collection 076
.4 linear ft.

McDowell (1850-1921) was from Lexington and was an 1872 graduate of Washington and Lee. He planned a memorial volume on alumni who had served in the Civil War and his papers contain biographical sketches of 41 such W&L veterans. Also included is an orderly book of the Liberty Hall Volunteers, the unit (with roots from the American Revolution) from Washington College which marched off to war for the Confederacy in 1861. For an historical study of this unit see W.G. Bean, The Liberty Hall Volunteers: Stonewall's College Boys (in our Rare Book collection).

James Lewis Howe Papers
Collection 080
6.4 linear ft.

James Lewis Howe (1859-1955) was one of the most prominent faculty in Washington and Lee's long history. He was a Professor of Chemistry from 1894-1938 and University Historian from 1938 to 1955. He also served for ten years as Dean of the School of Applied Science. Howe Hall on campus is named for him. His papers reflect the diversity of his activities. There is much correspondence concerning his academic work and reflecting his active involvement in the American Chemical Society. Notes for and a typescript of his unpublished history, Annals of Washington and Lee University During the Administration of George Washington Custis Lee, 1871-1896, are included. His active participation in Presbyterian Church affairs is also reflected in his papers. He was a longtime member of the Fortnightly Club, a scholarly Lexington discussion society whose papers are held in Special Collections. Many of Howe's published works are in our Faculty Publications collection.

Henry Ruffner Papers
Collection 102, 102a
.2 linear ft.

Ruffner (1790-1861) was a Presbyterian minister, writer and educator. He was on the faculty of Washington College and ultimately became its President from 1836-1848. From 1819 to 1831 he was pastor of the Timber Ridge Church in Rockbridge County. His papers include sermons and tracts and other writings including lectures on political science. There is a typed copy of his controversial pamphlet criticizing slavery in 1847. He wrote an early history of the college in 1840 and the manuscript draft of this work is included in his papers. His "Early History of Washington College" was published in 1890 in the Washington and Lee University Historical Papers (Number One). Many of Ruffner's other published writings are included in the Faculty Publications section of Special Collections.

Shenandoah Papers
Collection 104
5.8 linear ft.

Shenandoah is the Washington and Lee University literary review. It began publication in 1950 and attracts a national readership. Included in the collection is correspondence between editors and authors. Among the correspondents are: Carlos Baker, Cleanth Brooks, Hodding Carter, Fred Chappell, Norman Cousins, Donald Davidson, James Dickey, T.S. Eliot, Ralph Ellison, George Garrett, Langston Hughes, Archibald MacLeish, Bernard Malamud, Marshall McLuhan, Marianne Moore, Howard Nemerov and Katherine Anne Porter. For related material on the early years of Shenandoah see the Thomas Henry Carter Papers (collection 004). A complete collection of the published volumes of Shenandoah is housed in Special Collections.

James Graham Leyburn Papers
Collection 136
4.8 linear ft.

Leyburn (1902-1993) was Dean of the University and Professor of Sociology at Washington and Lee for twenty-five years following his arrival. He was one of the major figures of the twentieth century at W&L and was well known for his "Leyburn Plan" revamping the curriculum. His papers include correspondence, scrapbooks and lecture notes as well as his fascinating 1968 diary which reveals his thoughtful and meticulous nature. There is a collection of his theater and music programs from Washington and Lee and elsewhere. Leyburn authored several books including The Scotch Irish: A Social History and The Haitian People which can be found in our Faculty Publications collection. Washington and Lee's University Library was named in Leyburn's honor in 1993.

Francis Pendleton Gaines Papers
Collection 140
9.2 linear ft.

Gaines (1892-1963) was President of Washington and Lee from 1930 to 1959, the longest tenure of the twentieth century and one matched by only one other executive in our history. The papers include his personal correspondence and that of his family as well as speeches, appointment calendars, photographs and the typescript of an unpublished novel. Official W&L correspondence is included. Among his correspondents were several prominent historical figures including Franklin D. Roosevelt, George C. Marshall, John W. Davis, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. There is an additional body of Dr. Gaines' Washington and Lee correspondence in the Record Group collection of the University Archives. The papers of Jessie Ball duPont (collection 169) contain considerable correspondence from him. Many of his speeches and other published works including The Southern Plantation can be found in our Faculty Publications collection. There is a finding aid to the papers maintained in Special Collections.

Henry Louis Smith Papers
.4 linear ft.

Smith (1859-1951) was President of Washington and Lee from 1912 to 1929 after having served in the same position at Davidson College. He was one of the first American scientists to demonstrate the use of the X-ray for medical purposes. He was also known for his plan during World War I that helped shorten the war by using balloons to drop information leaflets over Germany. The collection includes scattered official correspondence. There is also material on his World War I plans. There is additional Smith material in the official correspondence of Francis Pendleton Gaines. For material concerning the Lee Chapel renovation controversy during Smith's presidency at Washington and Lee see the Ann Scott Papers (collection 163). There are several published works by Smith in our Faculty Publications collection.

Fred C. Cole Papers
4.4 linear ft.

Fred Carrington Cole (1912-1986) was President of Washington and Lee from 1959 to 1967. He held a Ph.D. in history from Louisiana State University and served as Professor of History, Dean and Academic Vice President at Tulane University before coming to W&L. During his tenure at W&L the Lee Chapel was restored, faculty salaries were raised substantially and student financial aid was tripled. The collection includes a wide variety of correspondence, speeches and newspaper clippings. There is material on his inauguration ceremony as well as numerous correspondence at the time of his resignation. A resolution of the W&L Board of Trustees at the time of his death is included. The collection provides a good sense of the breadth of his activities. There is a finding aid to the collection maintained in Special Collections. Published writings by Dr. Cole are included in our Faculty Publications collection.

Robert E. R. Huntley Papers
5.8 linear ft.

Robert Edward Royall Huntley was President of Washington and Lee from 1968 to 1983. He was a 1950 graduate of W&L and was Professor of Law and Dean of the Law School before assuming the presidency. He oversaw the completion of the most successful development effort in the University's history up to that time. The papers consist of numerous speeches as well as letters received at the time of his appointment and the time of his resignation. There is correspondence on a wide range of subjects during his tenure. There is other Huntley material in the general "W&L Presidents" category of the Record Group collection of the University Archives.