A Guide to the Executive letter books of Governor James L. Kemper, 1874-1877

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

For preservation purposes, please use microfilm (Misc. reel 6193)

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Executive letter books of Governor James L. Kemper, 1874 Jan. 5-1877 Dec. 28. Accession 35358, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
2 v. (689 p.)
Creator:
Virginia. Governor (1874-1877 : Kemper)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Executive letter books of Governor James L. Kemper, 1874 Jan. 5-1877 Dec. 28. Accession 35358, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Executive letter book contains the outgoing correspondence of Governor James L. Kemper between 1874 and 1877, arranged chronologically. Letters were written by Governor Kemper, clerk P. F. Howard, Secretary of the Commonwealth James McDonald, and personal secretaries Meade C. Kemper, S. Bassett French, Baker P. Lee, and Charles Rutledge Whipple. Governor Kemper corresponded with a variety of individuals in federal and state government as well as important private indiviudals,on issues including the state war debt, prisoners and the Penitentiary, the volunteer militia, the Petersburg city government bill veto, requests for patronage, the Centennial Exhibition, the Virginia Military Institute, boundary disputes with West Virginia and Maryland, and the Foley statue of Stonewall Jackson. The letter book also includes a number of messages addressed to the Senate and House of Delegates of Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

James Lawson Kemper was born 11 June 1823 at "Mountain Prospect" in Madison County, Virginia, to William Kemper (1776-1853) and Maria E. Allison Kemper (1787-1873). He attended the Locust Dale Academy, then Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, graduating in 1842. He read law under George W. Summers (1804-1868) of Kanawha County, (West) Virginia, and received a master's degree from Washington College. Admitted to the bar 2 October 1846, Kemper returned to Madison County to practice law. When the Mexican War began, Kemper was appointed captain in the First Virginia Regiment and served until the end of the war. In 1853, Kemper was elected to the House of Delegates and served until 1863. He was Speaker of the House from 1861 to 1863. Kemper also was appointed a general in the Virginia militia in 1858. When the Civil War began, Kemper was appointed colonel of the 7th Virginia Infantry. Due to his performance at the battle of Seven Pines, Kemper was promoted to brigadier general. He was wounded in Pickett's Charge on 3 July 1863, and was captured by Union troops a few days later. Exchanged in September 1863, he returned to his command. Kemper was put in command of the reserve forces of Virginia in 1864.

After the war ended, Kemper returned to his law practice in Madison County and pursued business interests. He was elected governor of Virginia in 1873 and served from 1874 to 1878. Much of his term was spent in dealing with Virginia's debt. On 12 March 1874, Kemper created controversy and angered his Conservative contemporaries by vetoing a bill to transfer control of the city government of Petersburg from elected Republican officials to a board of commissioners appointed by a city judge. Governor Kemper also played an integral part in the unveiling of John Henry Foley's statue to Stonewall Jackson on Capitol Square.

After he left the governor's office, Kemper returned to Madison County, then moved to Orange County in 1882. Kemper married Cremora Conway Cave (ca. 1837-1870) 4 July 1853 in Madison County, and they had seven children. Kemper died 7 April 1895 in Orange County and buried at the family cemetery at "Walnut Hills" in Madison County.

Acquisition information:
Acquisition information unknown
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series: I. Executive letter books of Governor James L. Kemper, 1874-1877.

Arranged chronologically.

Indexed terms

Subjects:
State governments -- Virginia -- Officials and employees.
African Americans -- History -- 19th century.
Convict labor -- 19th century. -- Virginia
Extradition -- 19th century -- Virginia
Flour -- Inspection -- Virginia.
Governors -- Virginia.
Indians of North America -- 19th century -- Virginia
Jackson-Hope Medal.
Mattaponi Indians
Medals -- Virginia
Monuments -- Virginia -- Richmond.
National cemeteries -- Virginia.
Oyster industry -- Chesapeake Bay (Md. and Va.)
Pamunkey Indians
Pardons -- Virginia.
Prisoners -- 19th century. -- Virginia
Statues -- Virginia -- Richmond
Tobacco -- Inspection -- Virginia.
Letter books.
State government records. -- Virginia.
Names:
Anderson, Joseph R. (Joseph Reid), 1813-1892.
Armstrong, S. C. (Samuel Chapman), 1839-1893.
Barbour, John Strode, 1820-1892
Beauregard, G. T. (Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893
Belknap, William W. (William Worth), 1829-1890.
Benet, S. V. (Stephen Vincent), 1827-1895.
Bennett, James Gordon, 1841-1918
Beresford Hope, A. J. B. (Alexander James Beresford), 1820-1887.
Bigger, John Bell, 1829-1899.
Blair, Montgomery, 1813-1883
Brogden, C. H. (Curtis Hooks), 1816-1901
Cadwalader, John L. (John Lambert), 1837-1914.
Cameron, J. D. (James Donald), 1833-1918.
Corcoran, W. W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888
Carrington, W. C. (William C.)
Carroll, John Lee, 1830-1911.
Daniel, Raleigh T. (Raleigh Travers), 1805-1877.
Early, Jubal Anderson, 1816-1894
Ezekiel, Moses Jacob, 1844-1917.
Garland, A. H. (Augustus Hill), 1832-1899
Gildersleeve, Basil L. (Basil Lanneau), 1831-1924.
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
Groome, James Black, 1838-1893
Hardin, Charles H. (Charles Henry), 1820-1892
Hart, Joel T. (Joel Tanner), 1810-1877
Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrews), 1819-1885
Ingalls, Rufus 1818-1905
Jackson, Mary Anna, 1831-1915
Jackson, Stonewall 1824-1863.
Jacob, John Jeremiah 1829-1893
Johnson, Bradley T. (Bradley Tyler), 1829-1903
Kemper, James Lawson, 1823-1895.
Lamb, William, 1835-1909.
Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905.
Mahone, William, 1826-1895
Mann, A. Dudley (Ambrose Dudley), 1801-1889
Maury, Matthew Fontaine, 1806-1873
McCaw, James B. (James Brown), 1823-1906.
McCulloch, Hugh, 1808-1895
Michelbacher, M. J. (Maximilian J.), 1811?-1879
Peyton, Jesse Enlows, 1815-1897.
Phelps, John S. (John Smith), 1814-1886
Pickett, George E. (George Edward), 1825-1875.
Porter, James D. (James Davis), 1828-1912
Richardson, William H. (William Harvie), 1795-1876.
Ruffin, Frank G.
Smith, James M. (James Milton), 1823-1890
Smith, Francis H. (Francis Henney), 1812-1890
Smith, William, 1797-1887
Stribling, Francis T. (Francis Taliaferro), 1810-1874
Strother, George French, 1783-1840.
Stuart, Alexander H. H. (Alexander Hugh Holmes), 1807-1891
Stuart, Jeb, 1833-1864
Valentine, Edward Virginius, 1838-1930.
Vance, Zebulan Baird, 1830-1894.
Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones), 1814-1886.
Venable, Charles S. (Charles Scott), 1827-1900.
Vincent, Thomas M. (Thomas MacCurdy), 1832-1909.
Ward, Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1834-1906
Yuengling, D. G. (David Gottlieb), 1806-1877
Van Lew, Elizabeth, 1818-1900
Wise, Richard A. (Richard Alsop), 1843-1900.
Places:
Arkansas. -- Politics and government -- 19th century
Maryland. -- Politics and government -- 19th century
Louisiana -- History -- 19th century.
Maryland -- Boundaries -- Virginia.
Missouri -- Politics and government -- 19th century.
North Carolina -- Politics and government -- 19th century.
Petersburg (Va.) -- History -- Reconstruction, 1865-1877
Tennessee -- Politics and government -- 19th century.
United States -- Centennial celebrations, etc.
United States. -- History -- Reconstruction, 1865-1877
Virginia -- Boundaries -- Maryland.
Virginia -- Capital and capitol.
Virginia -- History -- 19th century.
Virginia -- Militia -- History -- 19th century.
Virginia -- Politics and government -- 19th century.
West Virginia. -- Politics and government -- 19th century.