Papers of Norborne Berkeley 1918-1964

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968

Summary

Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The papers, 1918-1964, of Norborne Berkeley consist of about 47,000 items or forty-seven shelf feet of personal, legal, business, and financial papers of his career as an executive with Bethlehem Steel Company. These include family and business correspondence, business papers, and personal investment, financial, and legal papers.

The largest group in the papers is the correspondence. Although Bethlehem Steel Company retained all correspondence that dealt strictly with the day to day business, there is a mixing of business and family material in the files. There is also a great deal of family correspondence since Berkeley apparently preferred to dictate all letters. The files include letters and carbons of replies. In the rare instances where he wrote a letter by hand, there is generally a copy. Among the more interesting letters are those written by Berkeley to his wife during his tour of duty overseas.

Another large portion deals with Berkeley's private investments and finances. These include reports on oil and gas drilling in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Colorado and the sales of the raw material. Among the financial papers are check stubs, stock investment reports, trust reports and income tax returns. The rest of the collection includes material intended to be placed in scrapbooks, papers pertaining to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, and photographs. Papers pertaining to Berkeley's affiliation with Episcopal High School have been sent to that school.

Biographical / historical:

Norborne Berkeley was born in Danville, Virginia on 13 May 1891. After graduating from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, he entered law school at George Washington Law School in Washington, D.C. After his first year, he transferred to the Law School of the University of Virginia, from which he graduated in 1916. While at the University, Berkeley played football and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Eli Banana Society. Berkeley was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1916, but went to New York to join the firm of Cravath and Henderson.

When the United States entered World War I, he left New York to become a captain in the Field Artillery of the United States Army. While in France he graduated from the General Staff College and attended Oxford University and Inns of Court. Shortly before his discharge in 1919, Berkeley was made a major. Just before leaving for his tour of duty overseas in May 1918, he married Dorothea Winslow Randolph.

Upon his discharge, Berkeley joined the legal department of Bethlehem Steel Company. In 1922 he was promoted to Assistant Secretary, in 1930 Assistant to the President, and in 1935 he assumed directorship of the holding company, Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He became vice-president in 1845 and retained the title until his retirement in December 1962.

Although he lived in Pennsylvania during most of his adult life, Berkeley donated both time and money to several Virginia schools. He served as a Trustee to Episcopal High School and donated a dormitory that bears his name, the organ in the chapel, and other undesignated funds. In honor of his ancestor Norborne Berkeley, Lord Botetourt, a Royal Governor of Virginia, he revived and endowed an award given at the College of William and Mary. To the University of Virginia Berkeley gave funds for athletics and the law school, as well as his time when he was appointed to the Board of Visitors in 1955. He served until the end of his term in 1963.

Berkeley is survived by a daughter Dorothea Berkeley Brush and a son Norborne, Jr.

Acquisition information:
The collection was originally Deposited by Norborne Berkeley, Jr through Francis L. Berkeley on 20 August 1964. The collection was made a gift to the Library by Jennifer Berkeley (Mrs. Norborne Berkeley, Jr.) on October 10, 2010.
Arrangement:

The papers have, in general, been kept in the original order and groups in which they were received. Therefore much of the correspondence will be found in reverse order, i.e. December 31- January 1 rather than the usual January 1- December 31 arrangement. Whenever possible, the original labelling, chronology, and divisions have been retained. The papers are arranged in chronological order by year and in alphabetical order within the year, with the exception of Oil and Gas Investments. This group is arranged chronologically under the name of the drilling operations.

The collection is divided into five series with sub-headings when necessary. They are: Series I: General Correspondence, Boxes 1-78 Series II: Papers of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia, Boxes 79-87 Series III: Business Papers a. Bethlehem Steel Company, Boxes 88-90 b. Oil and Gas Investments, Boxes 91-105 Series IV: Financial Papers a. Personal Accounts and Papers, Boxes 106-109 b. Checkbooks from Morgan, Guaranty, and Trust of New York, Box 110 c. Checkbooks from First National Bank of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Boxes 111-113 Series V: Miscellaneous a. Scrapbook Material, Boxes 114-116 b. Photographs - Storage Box

Physical description:
This collection consists of about 47,000 items or 47 shelf feet.