West Virginia and Regional History Center
Charles DiSalvo, WVU School of Law Professor and Gandhi Scholar, Papers
A&M 5284
Archival Resource Key
/repositories/2/resources/7036
20 Linear Feet
20 ft. (16 record cartons, 15 in. each)
1893-1997
1893-1914
1982-1997
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Charles DiSalvo via the WVU George R. Farmer Jr. Law Library, 2021-2023.
Biographical / Historical
Charles DiSalvo is the Woodrow A. Potesta Professor of Law at West Virginia University where he teaches one of the few law school courses in the United States on civil disobedience. He has represented civil disobedients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, written widely on the subject of civil disobedience and the law, and lectured on the subject here and abroad. He is an expert on Mohandas Gandhi's law practice. (Before he took up the cause of Indian independence from British rule, Gandhi served as an attorney in South Africa from 1893 to 1911 – a time during which Gandhi invented and experimented with his philosophy of nonviolence.) Professor DiSalvo has published what has been called a landmark book,
M.K. Gandhi, Attorney at Law: The Man Before the Mahatma (2012), on Gandhi's life as a lawyer. In it, he argues that Gandhi was led into civil disobedience by the failures of the South African legal system. Professor DiSalvo was educated at St. John Fisher College (B.A., history, 1970), Claremont Graduate School (M.A., East Asian studies, 1971), and the University of Southern California (J.D, 1974), where he was a member of the Southern California Law Review. Upon his graduation from law school, he was awarded a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship to practice poverty law for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky.
He came to West Virginia University after serving as a Bigelow Teaching Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School from 1978-1979. In addition to teaching a course on civil disobedience and the law, he teaches courses on civil procedure and trial advocacy. He has won college, university, state, and national awards for his teaching.
He is the co-founder of the West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest.
Source: Charles R. DiSalvo | College of Law | West Virginia University. www.law.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-information/charles-r-disalvo.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Charles DiSalvo, WVU School of Law Professor and Gandhi Scholar, Papers, A&M 5284, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains twenty years of documented research for DiSalvo's well received biography on Gandhi's time as an attorney in South Africa:
M.K. Gandhi, Attorney at Law: The Man Before the Mahatma (2012). Notable materials include facsimiles of rare South African newspaper articles collected from libraries and repositories around the world. DiSalvo and his team read over 10,000 issues in all to put together this valuable resource for anyone studying Gandhi's time at law. The collection also includes materials from DiSalvo's tenure as a member of the WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee, ca. 1980s to 1990s, including meeting minutes and proposals for new courses, as well as notable records from the West Virginia Supreme Court Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee, ca. 1995-1997, of which DiSalvo served as vice-chair. Highlights include early drafts of the committee's revisions to the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure, which could be of significant interest to legal historians.
Series include:
Series 1. Gandhi Biography Research, 1893-1914 (boxes 1-14):
Research includes facsimiles of rare, historical newspaper articles and handwritten notes by DiSalvo and his graduate assistants.
Series 2. WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee Records, 1982-1997 (box 15):
Assorted records from DiSalvo's time serving as a member of the WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee, including meeting minutes and proposals for new courses.
Series 3. WV Supreme Court Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee Records, 1995-1997 (boxes 14 and 16):
Materials, including meeting minutes, proposal drafts, and correspondence between members, from the West Virginia Supreme Court Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee, of which DiSalvo served as vice-chair. The committee was appointed by the West Virginia Supreme Court in the 1990s to make recommendations about possible revisions to the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Law -- Study and teaching
South Africa -- History
Supreme Court of West Virginia
West Virginia University College of Law Archives
Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948
Series 1. Gandhi Biography ResearchArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2264801893-1914Scope and ContentsResearch includes facsimiles of rare, historical newspaper articles and handwritten notes by DiSalvo and his graduate assistants.
Johannesburg Star binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226481February 1903-December 19031Johannesburg Star binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226482December 1903-March 19041Johannesburg Star binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226483September 1905-February 19061Johannesburg Star binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226484March 1906-September 19061Johannesburg Star binder 5Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226485November 1906-April 19071Johannesburg Star binder 6Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226486April 1907-December 19071Johannesburg Star binder 7Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226487January 2, 1908-January 18, 19082Johannesburg Star binder 8Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226488January 23, 1908-July 8, 19082Johannesburg Star binder 9Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226489July 13, 1908-September 19082Johannesburg Star binder 10Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226490October 1908-January 19092Johannesburg Star binder 11Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226491February 1909-August 19092Johannesburg Star binder 12Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226492December 1909-May 19102Johannesburg Star binder 13Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226493May 1910-July 19103Johannesburg Star binder 14Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226494July 1910-October 19103Natal Law Reports binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2264951893-19143Natal Law Reports binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2264961894-19033The Press (Pretoria) binderArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226497February 1893-November 19843Natal Witness binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2264981893-18964Natal Witness binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2264991897 part 14Natal Witness binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265001897 part 24Natal Witness binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22650118984Natal Witness binder 5Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265021899-19014Natal Advertiser binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226503April 1893-June 18965Natal Advertiser binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226504January 1897-December 18975Natal Advertiser binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226505January 1898-December 18985Natal Advertiser binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226506January 1899-December 18995Natal Advertiser binder 5Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226507January 1900-December 19005Natal Advertiser binder 6Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226508January 1901-February 19035Natal Mercury binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226509May 1893-December 18956Natal Mercury binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226510January 1896-June 18986Natal Mercury binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226511June 1898-December 18996Natal Mercury binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226512December 1899-September 19016Times of London binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226513January 1908-June 19086Times of London binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226514June 1908-December 19086Indian Opinion binder, June 1903-May 1904Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226515June 1903-May 19047Indian Opinion binder, May-December 1904Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226516May-December 19047Indian Opinion binder, 1905Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22651719057Indian Opinion binder, January-July 1906Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226518January-July 19068Indian Opinion binder, August-December 1906Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226519August-December 19068Indian Opinion binder, 1907Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652019078Indian Opinion binder, January 5, 1907-June 15, 1907Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652119078Indian Opinion binder, January 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652219089Indian Opinion binder, February 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652319089Indian Opinion binder, March 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652419089Indian Opinion binder, April 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652519089Indian Opinion binder, May 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652619089Indian Opinion binder, June 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/22652719089Indian Opinion binder, July-December 1908Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226528190810Indian Opinion binder, 1909Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226529190910Indian Opinion binder, January-June 1910Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226530191010Indian Opinion binder, July-December 1910Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226531191010Indian Opinion binder, 1911Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226532191111Indian Opinion binder, 1912Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226533191211Indian Opinion binder, 1913-1914Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226534191311Transvaal Leader binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226535February 1903-December 190511Transvaal Supreme Court Cases binderArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265361908-190911Transvaal Leader binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226537190612Transvaal Leader binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226538190712Transvaal Leader binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226539January 1908-June 190812Transvaal Leader binder 5Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226540July 1908-December 190812Rand Daily Mail binder 1Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265411903-190613Rand Daily Mail binder 2Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226542190713Rand Daily Mail binder 3Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226543January 1908-March 190813Rand Daily Mail binder 4Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226544March 1908-December 190813Rand Daily Mail binder 5Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226545190914Rand Daily Mail binder 6Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/226546191014Series 2. WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee Records and EphemeraArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265471982-1997Scope and ContentsThis series contains assorted records from DiSalvo's time serving as a member of the WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee, including meeting minutes and proposals for new courses.
WVU School of Law Academic Planning Committee RecordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265481982-1984, 1989-199715Series 3. West Virginia Supreme Court Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee RecordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265491995-1997Scope and ContentsMaterials, including meeting minutes, proposal drafts, and correspondence between members, from the West Virginia Supreme Court Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee, of which DiSalvo served as vice-chair. The committee was appointed by the West Virginia Supreme Court in the 1990s to make recommendations about possible revisions to the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure.
Rules of Civil Procedure Revision Committee recordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265501995-199714Rules of Civil Procedure Committee recordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/2265511995-199716