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This is a collection guide. It is a description of archival material held in the Special Collections Division,
J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. The materials described here are physically available in our
reading room. To see what's been digitized in this collection, click on the thumbnail at the top right of this page
or look for hyperlinks in the container list and/or the preliminary inventory.
The collection is organized into several major series including Campaign Files, Victory Fund Files, Campaign Finance Division Files, Democratic National Committee Files, N.C. Democratic Party Files, General Files, Appointment Files, and Personal Papers. Although these series frequently overlap, they do complement each other. The organizational structure is in keeping with Shuping's filing system and has been retained largely in his original order.
Campaign Files
The campaign files constitute the largest division and consist of correspondence concerning Shuping's political activities at local, state, and national levels. Recurring topics of discussion include campaigns, political strategy, alliances, in-fighting, local problems, and fundraising. A file covering the years 1920 to 1930 contains a few letters (1920) pertaining to Shuping's management of the Guilford County campaign for Robert N. Page for governor. The majority of the file contains correspondence, precinct officer and voter lists, and clippings of election results concerning the Guilford County Democratic Executive Committee's involvement in elections during this period. A separate file contains newspaper clippings and printed material about Cameron Morrison's 1920 successful bid for governor. Also included is a small file pertaining to the 1924 Josiah Bailey gubernatorial campaign containing campaign form correspondence, an unidentified statewide list (dated April 17, 1924) probably listing local Democratic Party officials by county and then cities, and clippings about campaign issues.
Correspondence of the Guilford County Democratic Executive Committee (1928) contains resolutions and concerns the duties of precinct committees. The bulk of this file relates to the development of the Al Smith presidential campaign and includes information about dinners, numbers of registered voters, and precinct plans. The anti-Smith sentiment of many North Carolina Democrats, the outcome of the final vote in the state, and the need to strengthen the party are all topics of discussion. Correspondence with J. O. Carr, Charles Abernathy, Zebulon Weaver, Odus M. Mull, Thomas Turner, Jr., and others makes note of a potential split in the state party over a strong challenge to Furnifold Simmons in the upcoming U.S. Senate election. Political advertising, sample ballots, and clippings are also included, as is an open letter from the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan inviting members to a Klan rally in Greensboro (1928).
Correspondence pertaining directly to the Al Smith campaign in North Carolina covers a variety of topics. The defection of Furnifold Simmons to the Republican Party is a recurring theme. Other major issues include foreigners immigrating to New York City and seeking to take over the country, Tammany Hall, appointment of Blacks to office in New York, prohibition and the wet/dry issue, political in-fighting, and racism. Much of Shuping's correspondence is with other state politicians in an effort to gain support for Smith. The situation of and division within the state Democratic Party are frequent topics in correspondence with H. G. Connor, Jr., Robert N. Page, Lee Overman, R. Gregg Cherry, Bailey, and others. Correspondence with the Democratic National Committee largely concerns the distribution of campaign literature. Note is made of the importance of polls in the election. Also included are Smith's campaign speeches about his attitudes on immigration, religion, and the Negro and Republican issues. Ward and precinct notes and precinct descriptions for Guilford County, N.C., are also given. Campaign brochures concern such topics as the Democratic platform, the Catholic religion, the Black vote, immigration, labor, Smith appointments in New York noting the religious and political party affiliations of the appointees, Tammany Hall, and the Republican Party vs. the "White Man's government." Broadsides and clippings comment on the Black vote and white supremacy.
Shuping's next activity was as state campaign manager for Josiah Bailey in his contest with Furnifold Simmons for the U.S. Senate seat. Correspondence from late 1928 through 1929 reflects discussions by Bailey, Shuping, Odus M. Mull, Robert Reynolds, R. A. Doughton, and others on the need for and means of attaining state Democratic Party reorganization. Correspondence reveals efforts by Shuping to develop a Bailey platform in 1927 although Bailey wasn't entirely decided about running until late 1928. Much of the material relating to this campaign consists of voter lists and party organization files. Voter lists, filed by congressional district, include responses to Shuping's questionnaire about the party and the race. Party organization files, also arranged by congressional district, include correspondence concerned with local problems as well as the condition of the state Democratic Party after the Simmons defection. Factionalism and the effort to reorganize the party in advance of the 1932 Presidential election are prominent issues. After the Bailey victory (1930), there was a North Carolina fraud investigation concerning the Simmons defeat. Once in the Senate, Bailey faced the Nye Committee in an investigation of his election expenses and the insinuation of primary election fraud. A file on the investigation of expenses includes affidavits, financial statements, reports to the Nye Committee from county managers, and
Hearings before the Select Subcommittee (1930). Correspondence with Gerald Nye concerns committee questions and Nye's request for an accounting of expenditures.
In 1935 correspondence, Shuping expresses to Bailey his disaffection with Roosevelt and his feeling that the Democratic Party should come first. Correspondence for the 1940s between Bailey and Shuping discusses problems of the Democratic Party and the possibility of its breakup (1945), President Truman's relationship with Congress and his support by organized labor (1945-1946), and the possible effects of the CIO on the 1948 elections (1946).
There are also files containing correspondence, clippings, and printed material concerning Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 campaign for the presidency, including the establishment of Roosevelt For President Clubs and Roosevelt-Garner Clubs in North Carolina; John C. B. Ehringhaus's 1932 campaign for N.C. governor; Cameron Morrison's 1932 campaign for U.S. Senate; Shuping's decision over whether to enter the U.S. Senate race (1932, 1938, 1944); and L. Richardson Preyer's political career. In addition many of these races are touched on in the files for the 1932 Democratic National Convention. Numerous 1932 state and local campaigns are covered in the Candidate Support files (broken down into thirty-three districts), which contain voter surveys and lists, and clippings.
Victory Fund Files
In 1931, Shuping was selected chairman for the North Carolina Democratic National Committee Victory Fund. Records of this activity (1931-1933) include minutes, fund-raising objectives, reports arranged by congressional district, and financial reports (1932). In an effort to wipe out the indebtedness of the party and cover the upcoming campaign expenses, Jouett Shouse and John J. Raskob corresponded with Shuping, encouraging him to meet his goal for the state. The bulk of the records in this file includes lists of names of individuals who contributed to the fund. General topics of interest include the establishment of Roosevelt-Garner Clubs locally and the financial condition of the counties.
Finance Division Files
Materials in the Finance Series reflect Shuping's efforts as N.C. Finance Division Director for the Democratic Party (1932). Shuping corresponded regularly with J. Wallace Winborne and James Farley about raising money, with the sale of medallions, campaign buttons, and matches being mentioned. In addition to the financial records of this office, this file also contains speeches, news releases, and clippings.
Democratic National Committeeman Files
The Democratic National Committeeman Series (1931-1936) reflects Shuping's ongoing efforts to find major contributions for the Democratic Party in order to meet the state's quota. Selected as a "Minute Man" in 1932, one of his chief responsibilities was to keep up with political trends of national significance in addition to fund-raising. A file specifically on the Minute Men of the Democratic National Committee (1931-1932) contains a constitution and bylaws, correspondence explaining the new organization's purpose and application process, and lists of prospective Minute Men. Correspondence (1932) with James Farley and others concerns the medallion campaign, Roosevelt's speeches, and prohibition. Correspondence for 1933-1934 concerns getting Shuping elected as a Democratic National Committeeman and is filed by district. Campaign form correspondence and quotas are included as are lists of new Roosevelt-Garner Clubs.
In a file on the 1936 Democratic National Convention, plans to publicize the
Roosevelt Record are discussed. Correspondence between Winborne and Shuping discusses the possible abolition of the 2/3 rule for representation at the convention and other methods which might be used instead.
Associated patronage files (1930-1939) include correspondence from constituents requesting federal appointments and from state politicians supporting or making recommendations for the appointment of party workers to federal employment. Efforts to keep the 332nd Infantry of the regular Army Reserve from moving its headquarters to Winston-Salem from Greensboro (1934) are also discussed.
Miscellaneous political correspondence (1930-1943) covers such topics as Robert R. Reynolds' candidacy for the U.S. Senate (1931-1932); the importance of prohibition in the 1932 presidential election (August 27); the Minute Men (November 26, 1932); the sale of Roosevelt-Garner Medallions; and the expenses of the Democratic Primary in Wake County in June 1932 (January 3, 1933). Also included are items such as thank-you notes and invitations. There is a moderate amount of correspondence (1930-1933) from H. G. Gulley, an early supporter of and political activist for Bailey, both to Bailey and Shuping. Gulley's letters to Bailey reflect the innuendoes of state politics. Similarly, he keeps Shuping abreast of Washington activities and Bailey's concerns. In 1932, he relayed to Shuping that Ehringhaus was backing away from supporting Shuping for the chairmanship of the State Democratic Executive Committee. In 1933 patronage correspondence, Bailey wrote to Farley with his concerns about the repeal of prohibition, requesting a position for Gulley as special investigator.
A folder of miscellaneous political items (1931-1933) includes campaign brochures against Hoover and for Roosevelt; a brochure for Tam C. Bowie in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from North Carolina; articles written by Lindsay Warren on Beaufort County'scontributions to history (printed in the
Congressional Record); and a brochure (undated) bemoaning extravagance and mismanagement in Guilford County Court House.
N.C. Democratic Party Files
A separate group of North Carolina Democratic Party Files reflects Shuping's work at the state and local level as a member of the advisory committee for the N.C. Democratic Party (1932-1938). Shuping's files contain material on North Carolina's delegation to the 1932 National Convention, voting record statistics (1920-1930) by district, lists of the Congressional Executive Committees and their members by district (1928), and nominees for state offices by party (undated). Other files pertain to his unsuccessful candidacy for chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee (1932).
One file of material (1946-1948, 1951) documents Shuping's quest for an expansion of the East-West political subdivisions in North Carolina politics to include a third section for the Piedmont. The file includes correspondence, revenue collection lists to support his claim that the Piedmont section pays more taxes, and clippings. Another topic touched on in this file is Shuping's unsuccessful attempt to be appointed to fill the remainder of Senator Bailey's term after his death in 1946.
On a local level Guilford County Democratic Executive Committee records contain financial records of receipt and disbursement (1926-1929), county Democratic Convention material (1920s), minutes of precinct meetings, precinct delegates and alternates lists, delegates to the state convention, resolutions, and precinct voter list files (1920s, 1944). Information on the 1962 Guilford County election consists of primary and general election vote detailed by precinct.
General Files
Although the General Files are primarily concerned with Democratic Party issues, they do reflect a multitude of topics and concerns. This series is organized alphabetically by the name of the correspondent or the major topics of discussion.
In 1935 correspondence, Shuping and J. O. Carr (Hester and Roosevelt files) express similar sentiments about New Deal pronouncements, the general welfare clause, and government centralization. John Hester, an Oxford, N.C., attorney, comments (Hester file) on the deterioration of the Democratic Party (1935-1937), noting that John Nance Garner was for strengthening the economy and against sit-down strikes (1937). Correspondence (Roosevelt files) with Bailey, R. L. Doughton, Frank Gannett, and the National Committee for Independent Courts (1937) indicates displeasure with Roosevelt's reorganization plan for theSupreme Court. Correspondence (Farley, Gulley, and Hoey files) with Farley and others concerns such political issues as a third term for Roosevelt and the possibility of U.S. involvement in the war (1939), North Carolina sentiment running against a fourth Roosevelt term (1943), and the prospects of a Truman renomination bid in 1952 (1951).
State interests are largely reflected in the general correspondence. Topics discussed in the I.R.S., Greensboro Post Office, Umstead, and Boren files include the possibility of the State I.R.S. office moving to Greensboro (1931), the dedication of a new post office in Greensboro (1933), the possible establishment of an airport for Greensboro through the WPA (1935), alledged racial discrimination in jury selection (1935), a road grading project for High Point (1936), financing tornado damage repairs in Greensboro (1936), continuation of funding for the geodetic survey in the state (1936), an effort to protect the Greensboro office from a possible consolidation of state WPA offices (1936), the possible consolidation of state FHA offices (1937), and the fiscal operations and operating costs of the FHA office in Greensboro (1958-1966). Also of interest (Brooks, Jonas, Women's Suffrage, Daniels, and Coates files) are references to strained relations between Shuping and Aubrey Lee Brooks (1937); opposition to the appointment of Charles Jonas as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of N.C. (1931-1932); the determination of women's suffrage by state or federal government (1920); criticism of Josephus Daniels as ambassador to Mexico (1936); and the formation of the Institute of Government in 1932.
Other files in the General Group containing correspondence, pamphlets, clippings, speeches, etc., pertain to prohibition, the Social Security Act of 1935, labor, Negroes (including a list of Black lawyers in North Carolina--1956), party loyalty (containing a leaflet on Furnifold Simmons's betrayal of the party), and the Pageant of Roanoke and a Pilgrimage to Old Fort Raleigh (1934 programs) celebrating the 350th anniversary of the landing of the first English colonizing expedition in the New World.
Appointment Files
An Appointments series contains correspondence, reports, clippings, and other materials pertaining to the various boards, commissions, and committees on which Shuping served or sought membership. The North Carolina Fuel Administration Files (1917-1919) reflect efforts to supply the state with coal and wood during World War I. A payroll sheet delineates the organization of the Fuel Administration and a detailed sketch describes its activities. A final report notes personnel and membership on fuel committees and a conservation division. A second major file of this series pertains to Shuping's service on the advisory board for North Carolina of the National Recovery Administration (1933-1934). Files include minutes, correspondence, publications, and clippings for this New Deal agency that dealt with codes, hours worked, wages, and regulation compliance. Correspondence also discusses his resignation in September 1934. Other files in this series deal with Shuping'sinvolvement in the Guilford County Woodrow Wilson Commemorative Committee (1929) and his unsuccessful bid to gain appointment as the U.S. Commissioner of Revenue (1932-1933).
Personal Papers
The Personal Papers series contains materials pertaining primarily to Shuping's law practice, family activities, and a variety of interests, many of which impacted on his political affairs. This section of the collection contains a holograph autobiography and support documentation that Shuping prepared in his later years. This unpublished manuscript parallels his career and provides added insight into the papers. Additional family information can be found in
The Shuping Genealogy Collection written by J. Ross Shuping.
Family material in the personal files reflects the lives of Shuping's sons. Roy, who served as a special agent with the FBI before joining the Army in 1943, writes home concerning his duties with Military Intelligence. His letters home discuss the U.N. Drafting Conference in San Francisco (1945) and detail his activities there, including contact with dignitaries and attendance at a party aboard the USHB
ERNIE PYLE. He also participated in the Manhattan District atomic bomb testing as a special agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps and wrote home about the first atomic bomb test and the possibility of being assigned to go to the Marshall Islands for further tests (1945). Most of his comments, however, concern communism in the United States, spies, and all forms of espionage (1945-1946). He mentions the arrest of Russian spies in Canada, an independent citizens committee that was communist-dominated, and the communist influence in the Roosevelt cabinet.
Shuping's son, Hampton, joined the Navy Reserves in 1944 and was promoted to skipper of LCI 343. He describes his participation in the Japanese surrender at Bougainville and Raboul. At the beginning of the Korean War, Reservists were called back to active duty and he was stationed at Mare Island, California, for additional training. He describes the base, quarters, and his training (1951). His letters to his father detail visits to Yokasuka and the industrial area of Kyoto, Japan; the transporting of refugees; duties of the anti-invasion patrol in the area of Sokcho-Ri (1952); and participation in "Operation Spreadout," which moved prisoners from Pusan to Koje.
Files documenting some of Shuping's major law cases pertain primarily to organized labor efforts in North Carolina. Shuping had several cases with the Revolution Cotton Mills' Flannel Workers Union in Greensboro (1936-1939). In these suits Shuping represented the Flannel Workers Union against the Textile Workers Organizing Committee. In other suits he represented clients in cases of unpaid overtime being violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Other material concerns the Vick Chemical Company (1935-1936), for which Shuping appeared to be a lobbyist, and the drafting of Pure Food and Drug Legislation.
Other personal files pertain to the Guilford County Courthouse and Battleground restoration (1958-1974), a list of North Carolina banks that closed between October 1931 and April 1932, and invitations (1932-1939) to political events such as the Jackson Day Dinner, Jefferson Dinner, Victory Dinner, and White House receptions.
Printed materials include a copy of the
Women's Missionary Society Yearbook (1930) of the First Baptist Church of Greensboro, N.C.; bulletins of the West Market Street Methodist Church of Greensboro (1930, 1944, 1946); publications about the charter and amendments of the N.C. Railroad Company (1896), the Appalachian and Western North Carolina Railroad (1924), and the Southern Railway Company (1914-1915); a compilation of essays called
The War For Peace (March 1918); printed addresses given by Angus McLean (1925) and Charles Abernathy (1926), and Lee S. Overman's memorial address (1931); and publications about Tammany Hall.
Photographs in the collection are mainly World War II scenes at sea of the USS
LCI(L) 343, US 498, and US 418; of shipboard life; of Hampton Shuping; and of Bayeaux, France (September 1944). Other photographs are of the sinking of the USS
SUSAN B. ANTHONY, the Normandy Invasion, C. L. Shuping, and interior shots (1917-1919?) of the State Fuel Administration Office in the Southern Life and Trust Company Building in Greensboro, N.C.
Oversize items include a Josiah W. Bailey campaign poster (1930); the floor plan for Carolina Theater in Greensboro, N.C. (1928); N.C. maps that chronicle votes by county in the North Carolina senatorial election and primary (1930); lists of state senators by district (1931), state House members by county (1931), Federal Judicial Districts (undated), and the votes in the first of two Democratic Party primaries for governor (1932); a 1923 map of the N.C. State Highway System; a 1909 N.C. railroad map; newspapers; clippings; and a Guilford County (N.C.) Board of Elections Voters Registration Poster (1950).
Clarence Leroy Shuping (1886-1971) was born in Rowan County, N.C., and educated in the Salisbury, N.C., public schools. He studied law privately and was admitted to the N.C. Bar Association in 1912, after which he engaged in general civil practice in Greensboro. Involved early in state politics, Shuping canvassed as a volunteer for Furnifold Simmons in 1912. He managed the Guilford County, N.C., campaign for Robert N. Page in Page's unsuccessful bid for governor in 1920, and in 1924 was state campaign manager for Josiah Bailey in Bailey's unsuccessful bid for that office. In 1928 as chairman of the Guilford County Democratic Executive Committee, he supported Alfred E. Smith for president, and then managed Bailey's campaign for the U.S. Senate (1930). Shuping was North Carolina's finance committee chairman of the Democratic National Party (1931-1933), delegate-at-large to the 1932 Democratic National Convention, state campaign manager for the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidential campaign (1932), and Democratic National Committeeman for North Carolina (1934-1936). He was a member of the advisory committee of the N.C. Democratic Party (1932-1936). In other capacities, Shuping was executive secretary of the N.C. Fuel Administration (1917-1919), unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Commissioner of Revenue (1932-1933), and member and acting chairman of the State Board of the National Recovery Administration (1933-1934).
Shuping married Ruth Hampton in 1916 and had three children, Clarence Leroy, Jr., Hampton, and H. Brooks. Clarence Leroy "Roy" Jr., graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and attended two years of law school before being recruited by the F.B.I. in 1942. He was promoted to Special Agent but resigned from the FBI in November 1943 to join the Army. After being transferred to Military Intelligence, he worked in various offices in the Midwest (1944-1946), participated in the U.N. Drafting Conference in San Francisco (1945), and was part of the Manhattan District Intelligence Support Group (1944-1946), working with the atomic bomb project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hampton attended UNC-Chapel Hill several years, joined the Navy Reserves in 1943, participated in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, and served in the South Pacific (starting in January 1945), becoming skipper of LCI 343 in 1945. Called back to active duty in 1951 during the Korean War, he trained on LSTs at Mare Island, California, receiving command of LST 914. He saw action in Korea with Task Force 90 as part of Operation Spreadout. Brooks, the youngest son, entered UNC-Chapel Hill in June 1945. Correspondence from Roy and Hampton is found in the collection but none from Brooks.
March 2, 1988, 25 cubic feet; Personal files (1920-1969), including correspondence, reports, financial records, clippings, photographs, election returns, and other materials pertaining to North Carolina and national Democratic Party political campaigns including those of Al Smith, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Josiah W. Bailey, etc., and the work of the Democratic National Committee. Gift of Mr. Hampton Shuping and Mrs. Bobbie Clay Shuping, Greensboro, N.C., and Mr. J. Brooks Shuping, Wilmington, N.C.
December 6, 1993, 1 volume; Copy of "The Shuping Genealogy Collection" by J. Ross Shuping. Gift of Dr. J. Ross Shuping, Greenville, N.C.
August 29, 2000, (unprocessed addition 1); Biographical and bibliographical information on Clarence Leroy Shuping (6/10/2000) compiled by Jeff Shuping. Donor: Shuping, Jefferson B., Jr. (Mr.)
February 6, 2008, (unprocessed addition 2) 0.25 cubic feet, 1 volume, 149 pages; "Resource Guide (2006) to the Life and Accomplishments of Clarence Leroy Shuping," a noted Greensboro, NC attorney, state and national Democratic Party political leader, and government official, compiled by his grandson, Jefferson Shuping, Jr., including materials located in J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University; Dartmouth College Library; Duke University Special Collections Library; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Wilson Library, Southern Historical Collection; Salisbury, NC Main Library; Charlotte, NC Public Library; Greensboro, NC Public Library; & University of North Carolina-Charlotte, J. Murray Atkins Library. Donor: Mrs. Mary B. Shuping
Gift of Mr. Hampton ShupingGift of Mrs. Bobbie Clay ShupingGift of Mr. J. Brooks ShupingGift of Dr. J. Ross ShupingGift of Mrs. Mary B. Shuping
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Clarence Leroy Shuping Papers (#553), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
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