- unitid
-
{"value"=>"21220", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 378", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b15028451", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1915-1990", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1915/1990"}
{"value"=>"1961-1989", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1961/1989"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Franklin H. Williams papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"74 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"24.7 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Franklin H. Williams Papers document the career of an African-American civil rights lawyer, diplomat, and foundation president. The collection is divided into six chronological series representing Williams' career paths; a seventh series is comprised of his writings, speeches, and other miscellaneous material."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Williams, Franklin Hall, 1917-1990", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Franklin H. Williams was an African-American civil rights lawyer, diplomat, and foundation president who worked towards fostering better relations between the black and white communities in the U.S. and between the African-American community and Africa. Williams' forebears came from the confluence of Algonquin Indians, black freedmen, runaway slaves, and Dutch and English immigrant populations that characterized the people of color living on Long Island, New York in the early nineteenth century. Williams was born a century later in Flushing, Queens, New York. After his mother's death in 1919, he was raised by his maternal grandparents. He attended local schools and in his formative years demonstrated the leadership skills that would characterize his adult achievements.</p> <p>Williams graduated from Lincoln University as salutatorian in 1941. After service in the U.S. Army, he completed Fordham University Law School in 1945, passing the New York State bar examination before receiving his degree. In the fourteen years that followed, Williams worked at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, first as assistant special counsel to Thurgood Marshall where he argued cases before the Supreme Court, and later as the West Coast regional director. During his tenure in the latter post, Williams conducted drives for legislation on minority employment, won the first judgment in a case involving school desegregation, and successfully fought for the removal of restrictive covenants in real estate. His performance led California's Attorney General to appoint him Assistant Attorney General. In that position he created the state's first Constitutional Rights Section within the Department of Justice. In this capacity, Williams organized a 1960 voter registration drive among African-Americans that helped to elect John F. Kennedy to the Presidency.</p> <p>In 1961, Sargent Shriver invited Williams to join the Kennedy administration as his special assistant at the newly established Peace Corps. Later he became the organization's African Regional Director. In 1962, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Williams to serve as U.S. Representative to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and in 1965, Johnson named him U.S. Ambassador to Ghana. Though Williams' tenure in foreign service was fairly brief, he maintained a deep interest in Africa and its possibilities until the end of his career.</p> <p>Returning from Ghana in 1968, Williams assumed directorship of the Urban Center at Columbia University. From 1970-1990 he served as president of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, an organization established to enhance educational opportunities for Africans, African-Americans, and American Indians. Williams was named to the boards of many corporations including Consolidated Edison, Chemical Bank, and the American Stock Exchange. He also served as vice chairman of the New York City Board of Higher Education, and as Chairman of the New York State Judicial Commission on Minorities, and on the boards of Lincoln University, the Boys' Choir of Harlem, and the Barnes Foundation, among others.</p> <p>Franklin Williams died in 1990 from cancer. He is survived by his wife, the former Shirley Broyard, and two children, Franklin Jr., and Paul Anatole, and two grandchildren.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>Franklin H. Williams Papers document the career of an African-American civil rights lawyer, diplomat, and foundation president. The collection is divided into six chronological series representing Williams' career paths; a seventh series is comprised of his writings, speeches, and other miscellaneous material.</p> <p>Very little of the material in the collection, with the exception of the first series, can be considered to be of a private nature. While there is scattered correspondence with family members and close friends, the vast majority of the collection deals with Williams' public life and work.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Franklin H. Williams papers are arranged in nine series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315309'>Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1917-1944</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.8 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The small collection of documentation in this Personal Papers series provides brief glimpses into Williams' background and youth. It begins with Education Employment, 1915-1936, which covers Williams' years at Flushing High School, including several campus newspapers edited by Williams, as well as a scrapbook, and brief correspondence. His years at Lincoln University, 1937-1941, are documented by a yearbook, two scrapbooks, several report cards, invitations and programs, as well as some scattered correspondence. Williams' service in World War II, 1942-1943 is chronicled by army records, correspondence, and ephemera. Finally, his years at Fordham University, 1944-1945, are sketched with limited correspondence and ephemera.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315329'>National Association of The Advancement of Colored People</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1945-1959</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2.5 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series is comprised of papers covering the years that Williams worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), including three scrapbooks. The first subseries Special Attorney, New York, 1945-1950, covers Williams' work with Thurgood Marshall and the legal department of the NAACP. It is comprised chiefly of legal briefs on a variety of cases as well as a substantial collection of clippings and some correspondence and testimony relating to Walter Lee Irvin's appeal of his death sentence for the murder and rape of a woman in Groveland, Florida (Groveland Case). Marshall argued the appeal, winning Irvin a sentence of life imprisonment which was later commuted. The second subseries, Western Region Director, California, 1951-1959, is comprised of press releases, reports, correspondence, and ephemera from the 1957 Freedom Fund Dinner.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315343'>California Assistant Attorney General</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1959-1961</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>.4 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series is comprised of correspondence, legal material and reports covering Williams' tenure as Assistant Attorney General. It provides limited information about the Non-Partisan Crusade to Register 1,000,000 Negro Voters and other projects under Williams' direction.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315349'>Peace Corps</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1961-1963</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.0 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Consists largely of correspondence with Sargent Shriver and other Peace Corps officials, reports, and press releases regarding Williams' role as African Regional Director.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315373'>United States Ambassador to The Economic And Social Council Of The United Nations</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1963-1965</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.0 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series is comprised largely of correspondence and a limited amount of notes and reports.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315391'>Ambassador to Ghana</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1964-1968</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.2 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Consists of correspondence, clippings, itineraries, agendas, and the guest book for the U.S. Embassy to Ghana during Williams' tenure. Some coverage of the coup that overthrew Kwame Nkrumah is provided in this subseries, as is material dealing with American relations with Ghana and several other African nations.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315421'>Columbia University Urban Center</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1968-1970</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.6 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Includes correspondence, clippings, reports and programs which provide insight into Williams' efforts to bridge the cultural gap between Columbia University and the residents of Harlem through University programs. It includes a good deal of correspondence regarding Williams' hiring and resignation, as well as a scrapbook of the Center's activities presented to him upon his resignation.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315448'>Phelps Stokes Fund Years</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1970-1990</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>13.4 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This is by far the largest series, this group has been divided into subseries reflecting some of Williams' many interests during his tenure as President of the Phelps-Stokes Fund. General Correspondence, 1970-1990, organized chronologically, covers Williams' personal appearances and networks as well as the internal and external business of the Fund. Williams' participation in the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1971-1987 is covered in a separate subseries, mostly comprised of bound transcripts of hearings held by the Commission on equal opportunity, housing and construction. The third subseries includes correspondence, reports, and minutes from the many Boards and Organizations, 1968-1990, Williams participated in. These organizations run the gamut from Con Edison to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, and demonstrate Williams' interest in African-American and African culture as well as his determination to force major corporations to provide equal opportunities for African-Americans. His involvement with the NAACP Task Force on Africa, 1976-1978, a fact-finding trip, is documented by correspondence, scrapbooks, and the report and recommendations which came from the trip. Williams' eventually successful efforts to construct a Ralph Bunche Memorial, 1972-1979 to honor the statesman are amply documented in correspondence covering the construction, funding, and design of the monument, as well as drawings, financial reports, and programs. His continuing interest in foreign policy is represented in correspondence, minutes, and other reports documenting his participation in the Council on Foreign Relations, 1976-1981. Several Phelps Stokes Fund Publications, 1973-1979, regarding Native Americans and relations with Africa are part of this collection. Williams' work for the National News Council, 1979-1981, is chronicled in several bound volumes of correspondence and reports.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/21220#c1315739'>Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1965-1990</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>5.6 linear feet</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Consists of material written by Williams and a selection of published material about him. Speeches, 1965-1989, contains drafts and final versions of speeches on civil rights, education, and foreign policy, many made at commencements and other educational forums. Writings, 1946-1989, includes interviews, published articles, drafts, letters to the editors, and a series of editorials Williams wrote, entitled Commentaries. Included is correspondence, press releases, legal records, and clippings related to the editorials written between 1978-1984 on current events, racism, and education. About Franklin H. Williams, 1946-1990, includes clippings and articles mentioning Williams which formed part of his personal collection. A large selection of clippings are included in this series, as well as press releases, Williams' FBI file, and documents regarding his memorial. In Memorabilia and Miscellany 1966-1980s, are collected souvenirs such as Ghanaian newspapers covering the coup, an oversized Jackie Robinson commemorative stamp, a large collection of clippings from 1900-1970s, drafts, and other research materials for a study on lynching, and a large box of certificates and awards, including honorary doctorates and appointments to boards, given to Williams spanning most of his professional career.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>A large percentage of the material in this collection was bound in hardcover volumes before arrival at the Schomburg Center. When practical, these volumes were disassembled and their contents interfiled in the appropriate series. In certain instances material that could have been moved to another series has been left in bound volumes (particularly speeches and writings).</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Franklin Hall Williams, 1984-1986 (SCM84-5, SCM85-34, SCM86-8).</p> <p>Donated by Shirley Williams, 1990 (SCM90-26, MG 378).</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>The item(s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.</p> <p>Schomburg Photographs and Print Division:</p> <p>17 BW photographs from \"1957 NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner\", NYC (note: some photos are stuck together); 40 BW and 7 color photographs from \"1970s\" (includes negative); 31 BW photographs 1 color photo from the \"1960s, other;\" 17 BW photographs, 12 passport-sized pictures, 8 color pictures from \"1980s-1991;\" 8 BW photographs 1 color photograph from \"Ralph Bunche Memorial Project;\" 17 BW photographs \"pre-1960;\" 44 BW color photographs from \"1960s, Ambassador to Ghana\" (includes photos of President Johnson); 43 BW photographs \"1960s Peace Corps\"(includes photos of President Kennedy memorial service.)</p> <p>Arts and Artifacts:</p> <p>1 Ghanian coin (two shillings)</p> <p>Schomburg Library:</p> <p>Primitive Negro Sculpture, Paul Guillaume Thomas Hacker (New York: Art Books, 1968); Twenty Years of the Peace Corps, Gerald T. Rice, (Washington: Peace Corps, 1981); Bound to Violence, Yambo Ouologuem (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1969); Howard Law Journal, Spring 1965, Vol. 11, No. 2.; Native Son, Richard Wright (New York: Harper Brothers Publishers, 1940. 11 assorted Ghanian newspapers. Crisis Magazine, 1960.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Cathy Moran Hajo and Dr. Enid Gort, 1995.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Phelps Stokes Fund Records, Schomburg Center.</p> <p>National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Collection, The Library of Congress.</p> <p>National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Western Regional Branch Records, University of California, at Berkeley. The Bancroft Library, Manuscripts Division.</p>"}
- sponsor
-
{"value"=>"This collection was processed with funding from Mrs. Shirley Williams, the Exxon Corporation, Equitable Capital Management Corporation and Dr. Enid Gort. "}
- date_start
-
1915
- keydate
-
1915
- date_end
-
1990
- date_inclusive_start
-
1915
- date_inclusive_end
-
1990
- date_bulk_start
-
1961
- date_bulk_end
-
1989
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"[Item], Franklin H. Williams papers, Sc MG 378, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}