Claude Kitchin Papers, 1879-1923.

Collection Number: 00406

Collection Title: Claude Kitchin Papers, 1879-1923.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.

Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Size	30,000 items (25.5 linear feet).
Abstract	Claude Kitchin (24 March 1869-31 May 1923) was a Democrat from North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1901-1923; chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; and House majority leader for the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses, 1915-1919. The collection includes Kitchin's office files while he served as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and House majority leader, particularly concerning his interests in the tariff; revenue bills, including war bonds and income tax; military defense; and opposition to United States entry into World War I. Correspondence documents committee issues and policy, constituent concerns, and local and state politics. There are a few earlier papers, mostly concerning North Carolina Populist-Democratic politics, 1896-1898, the Democratic Party in North Carolina, and prominent national figures. Also included are speeches and petitions, House bills, copies of the Congressional Record, clippings, letters of sympathy at his death, and notes and correspondence about Kitchin by Professor Alex Matthews Arnett (1888-1945).
Creator	Kitchin, Claude, 1869-1923.
Curatorial Unit	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language	English

Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access: No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice: Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], in the Claude Kitchin Papers, #406, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alternate Form of Material: Microfilm copy available.

Acquisitions Information: Received from Mrs. Claude Kitchin and Claude Kitchin Jr., 1933 (Acc. 101916).

Additional Descriptive Resources: A more complete finding aid and a guide to the microfilm for this collection is available at the Southern Historical Collection.

Sensitive Materials Statement: Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Amanda Loeb, October 2013; Nancy Kaiser, November 2020

Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Claude Kitchin (24 March 1869-31 May 1923), born in Scotland Neck, Halifax County, N.C., was a member of the Democratic party in the United States House of Representatives, 1901-1923; chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; and House majority leader for the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses, 1915-1919. His father, William Hodges Kitchin, was a United States Representative from North Carolina, 1880-1882, and his brother, William Walton Kitchin, was also a United States Representative from North Carolina, 1896-1908, and governor of the state, 1909-1913. Claude Kitchin graduated from Wake Forest College in 1888, where he studied law. He married Kate Mills and fathered nine children. He was admitted to the bar in 1890 and was interested in business, banking, and farming, as well as law and politics.

During his terms in Congress Kitchin focused on the tarrif, revenue bills, and funding the Unites States' efforts in World War I. He opposed the military preparedness measures of President Woodrow Wilson, and was one of fifty members of Congress to vote against declaring war on Germany in April 1917. Afterwards however, he threw himself into the war effort, arguing for an increase in taxes on excess corporate profits to fund the military, rather than selling Liberty Bonds and placing the financial burden of war on future generations. He suffered a stroke in 1920, but continued to serve in Congress until his death in 1923.

Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection includes Kitchin's office files while he served as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and House majority leader, particularly concerning his interests in the tariff, revenue bills, military defense, and opposition to United States entry into World War I. Series 1 Correspondence and Other Papers, 1878-1936 and undated, documents committee issues and policy, constituent concerns, and local and state politics. There are a few earlier papers, mostly concerning North Carolina Populist-Democratic politics, 1896-1898, the Democratic Party in North Carolina, and prominent national figures. Also included are speeches and petitions, letters of sympathy at his death, and notes and correspondence about Kitchin by Professor Alex Matthews Arnett (1888-1945). Notable correspondents include William Jennings Bryan, Josephus Daniels, William Gibbs McAdoo, and Woodrow Wilson. Series 2 U.S. House of Representatives Bills, 1916-1920, includes proposed bills to change the income tax, to institute a war income tax and a tax on war profits on government contracts, and to authorize issue of additional bonds to fund war expenditures. Series 3 Congressional Record consists of selected issuesof the publication, 1913-1921. Series 4 Clippings, 1892-1925 and undated, includes articles, editorials, pictures, and political cartoons concerning Kitchin, his actions in Congress, and World War I.

Contents list

Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

1. Correspondence, 1878-1936 and undated.
2. U.S. House of Representatives Bills, 1916-1920.
3. Congressional Record, 1913-1921.
4. Clippings, 1892-1925 and undated.
Microfilm.

Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1878-1936 and undated.

About 19,000 items.

Letters, petitions, speeches, notes, and office files, chiefly concerning Claude Kitchin's later years in Congress. Correspondence from 1881 to 1913 includes notes on the possibility of fusion of the Democratic and Populist parties in North Carolina, as well as bills and receipts from men working on Kitchin's land in North Carolina. Much of the collection consists of letters and petitions from Kitchin's constituents concerning appointments, government printed materials, free flower and vegetable seeds, personal favors, the draft, military preparedness, the war resolution in 1917, and the organization and campaigns of the Democratic party at the national and state level. Correspondence with contemporary political figures includes discussions of the arrangement of committee meetings, attendance, caucuses, roll calls, committee membership, and the establishment of policy. In correspondence with local and state leaders Kitchin dicussed governors, judges, and the political leaders from his district. Notable correspondants include William Jennings Bryan, Josephus Daniels, William Gibbs McAdoo, and Woodrow Wilson. Topics frequently mentioned include agriculture, banking, the economy, elections, foreign affairs, influenza epidemics, labor, militarism, newspapers, prohibition, rural credit systems, suffrage, the tariff, taxes, war profits,revenue bills, military defense, and opposition to United States entry into World War I.

Correspondence from 1920 to Kitchin's death in 1923 was chiefly carried out by Charles H. England, his secretary in Washington, D.C. Many letters that appear to be written by Kitchin, were actually written by one of his clerks in his name. Correspondence from 1923 to 1926 is largely composed of telegrams and letters of sympathy to the Kitchin family and notes by Kitchin's secretaries concerning various minor matters of unfinished business. Correspondence from 1935 to 1936 between the Kitchin family and Professor Alex Matthews Arnett (1888-1945), Kitchin's biographer, concerns the Kitchin family background, Kitchin's personality, and his political activities.

There are few personal or family letters.

Folder 1	1879-1899
Folder 2	1900-1909
Folder 3	1910
Folder 4	1911-1912
Folder 5	1913-June 1914
Folder 6	1914: July-September
Folder 7	October 1914
Folder 8-16 Folder 8 Folder 9 Folder 10 Folder 11 Folder 12 Folder 13 Folder 14 Folder 15 Folder 16	November 1914-March 1915
Folder 17-32 Folder 17 Folder 18 Folder 19 Folder 20 Folder 21 Folder 22 Folder 23 Folder 24 Folder 25 Folder 26 Folder 27 Folder 28 Folder 29 Folder 30 Folder 31 Folder 32	1915: April 1915-July
Folder 33-46 Folder 33 Folder 34 Folder 35 Folder 36 Folder 37 Folder 38 Folder 39 Folder 40 Folder 41 Folder 42 Folder 43 Folder 44 Folder 45 Folder 46	1915: August-18 October
Folder 47-58 Folder 47 Folder 48 Folder 49 Folder 50 Folder 51 Folder 52 Folder 53 Folder 54 Folder 55 Folder 56 Folder 57 Folder 58	1915: 18 October 1915-20 November
Folder 59-71 Folder 59 Folder 60 Folder 61 Folder 62 Folder 63 Folder 64 Folder 65 Folder 66 Folder 67 Folder 68 Folder 69 Folder 70 Folder 71	1915: 21 November-9 December
Folder 72-86 Folder 72 Folder 73 Folder 74 Folder 75 Folder 76 Folder 77 Folder 78 Folder 79 Folder 80 Folder 81 Folder 82 Folder 83 Folder 84 Folder 85 Folder 86	10 December 1915-5 January 1916
Folder 87-100 Folder 87 Folder 88 Folder 89 Folder 90 Folder 91 Folder 92 Folder 93 Folder 94 Folder 95 Folder 96 Folder 97 Folder 98 Folder 99 Folder 100	1916: 6-31 January
Folder 101-117 Folder 101 Folder 102 Folder 103 Folder 104 Folder 105 Folder 106 Folder 107 Folder 108 Folder 109 Folder 110 Folder 111 Folder 112 Folder 113 Folder 114 Folder 115 Folder 116 Folder 117	1916: 1-20 February
Folder 118-134 Folder 118 Folder 119 Folder 120 Folder 121 Folder 122 Folder 123 Folder 124 Folder 125 Folder 126 Folder 127 Folder 128 Folder 129 Folder 130 Folder 131 Folder 132 Folder 133 Folder 134	1916: 21 February-11 March
Folder 135-150 Folder 135 Folder 136 Folder 137 Folder 138 Folder 139 Folder 140 Folder 141 Folder 142 Folder 143 Folder 144 Folder 145 Folder 146 Folder 147 Folder 148 Folder 149 Folder 150	1916: 12 March-20 April
Folder 151-170 Folder 151 Folder 152 Folder 153 Folder 154 Folder 155 Folder 156 Folder 157 Folder 158 Folder 159 Folder 160 Folder 161 Folder 162 Folder 163 Folder 164 Folder 165 Folder 166 Folder 167 Folder 168 Folder 169 Folder 170	1916: 21 April-20 June
Folder 171-187 Folder 171 Folder 172 Folder 173 Folder 174 Folder 175 Folder 176 Folder 177 Folder 178 Folder 179 Folder 180 Folder 181 Folder 182 Folder 183 Folder 184 Folder 185 Folder 186 Folder 187	1916: 21 June-31 July
Folder 188-205 Folder 188 Folder 189 Folder 190 Folder 191 Folder 192 Folder 193 Folder 194 Folder 195 Folder 196 Folder 197 Folder 198 Folder 199 Folder 200 Folder 201 Folder 202 Folder 203 Folder 204 Folder 205	1916: August
Folder 206-224 Folder 206 Folder 207 Folder 208 Folder 209 Folder 210 Folder 211 Folder 212 Folder 213 Folder 214 Folder 215 Folder 216 Folder 217 Folder 218 Folder 219 Folder 220 Folder 221 Folder 222 Folder 223 Folder 224	1916: September-October
Folder 225-242 Folder 225 Folder 226 Folder 227 Folder 228 Folder 229 Folder 230 Folder 231 Folder 232 Folder 233 Folder 234 Folder 235 Folder 236 Folder 237 Folder 238 Folder 239 Folder 240 Folder 241 Folder 242	1916: November-December
Folder 243-257 Folder 243 Folder 244 Folder 245 Folder 246 Folder 247 Folder 248 Folder 249 Folder 250 Folder 251 Folder 252 Folder 253 Folder 254 Folder 255 Folder 256 Folder 257	1917: January
Folder 258-275 Folder 258 Folder 259 Folder 260 Folder 261 Folder 262 Folder 263 Folder 264 Folder 265 Folder 266 Folder 267 Folder 268 Folder 269 Folder 270 Folder 271 Folder 272 Folder 273 Folder 274 Folder 275	1917: February-16 March
Folder 276-292 Folder 276 Folder 277 Folder 278 Folder 279 Folder 280 Folder 281 Folder 282 Folder 283 Folder 284 Folder 285 Folder 286 Folder 287 Folder 288 Folder 289 Folder 290 Folder 291 Folder 292	1917: 17 March-9 April
Folder 293-305 Folder 293 Folder 294 Folder 295 Folder 296 Folder 297 Folder 298 Folder 299 Folder 300 Folder 301 Folder 302 Folder 303 Folder 304 Folder 305	1917: 10 April-6 May
Folder 306-321 Folder 306 Folder 307 Folder 308 Folder 309 Folder 310 Folder 311 Folder 312 Folder 313 Folder 314 Folder 315 Folder 316 Folder 317 Folder 318 Folder 319 Folder 320 Folder 321	1917: 7 May-18 June
Folder 322-337 Folder 322 Folder 323 Folder 324 Folder 325 Folder 326 Folder 327 Folder 328 Folder 329 Folder 330 Folder 331 Folder 332 Folder 333 Folder 334 Folder 335 Folder 336 Folder 337	1917: 19 June-7 August
Folder 338-354 Folder 338 Folder 339 Folder 340 Folder 341 Folder 342 Folder 343 Folder 344 Folder 345 Folder 346 Folder 347 Folder 348 Folder 349 Folder 350 Folder 351 Folder 352 Folder 353 Folder 354	1917: 8 August-15 September
Folder 355-373 Folder 355 Folder 356 Folder 357 Folder 358 Folder 359 Folder 360 Folder 361 Folder 362 Folder 363 Folder 364 Folder 365 Folder 366 Folder 367 Folder 368 Folder 369 Folder 370 Folder 371 Folder 372 Folder 373	1917: 16 September-30 November
Folder 374-390 Folder 374 Folder 375 Folder 376 Folder 377 Folder 378 Folder 379 Folder 380 Folder 381 Folder 382 Folder 383 Folder 384 Folder 385 Folder 386 Folder 387 Folder 388 Folder 389 Folder 390	1 December 1917-17 January 1918
Folder 391-408 Folder 391 Folder 392 Folder 393 Folder 394 Folder 395 Folder 396 Folder 397 Folder 398 Folder 399 Folder 400 Folder 401 Folder 402 Folder 403 Folder 404 Folder 405 Folder 406 Folder 407 Folder 408	1918: 18 January-28 February
Folder 409-424 Folder 409 Folder 410 Folder 411 Folder 412 Folder 413 Folder 414 Folder 415 Folder 416 Folder 417 Folder 418 Folder 419 Folder 420 Folder 421 Folder 422 Folder 423 Folder 424	1918: 1 March-14 April
Folder 425-441 Folder 425 Folder 426 Folder 427 Folder 428 Folder 429 Folder 430 Folder 431 Folder 432 Folder 433 Folder 434 Folder 435 Folder 436 Folder 437 Folder 438 Folder 439 Folder 440 Folder 441	1918: 15 April-31 May
Folder 442-456 Folder 442 Folder 443 Folder 444 Folder 445 Folder 446 Folder 447 Folder 448 Folder 449 Folder 450 Folder 451 Folder 452 Folder 453 Folder 454 Folder 455 Folder 456	1918: 1 June-13 August
Folder 457-474 Folder 457 Folder 458 Folder 459 Folder 460 Folder 461 Folder 462 Folder 463 Folder 464 Folder 465 Folder 466 Folder 467 Folder 468 Folder 469 Folder 470 Folder 471 Folder 472 Folder 473 Folder 474	1918: 14 August-31 October
Folder 475-488 Folder 475 Folder 476 Folder 477 Folder 478 Folder 479 Folder 480 Folder 481 Folder 482 Folder 483 Folder 484 Folder 485 Folder 486 Folder 487 Folder 488	1918: November-December
Folder 489-509 Folder 489 Folder 490 Folder 491 Folder 492 Folder 493 Folder 494 Folder 495 Folder 496 Folder 497 Folder 498 Folder 499 Folder 500 Folder 501 Folder 502 Folder 503 Folder 504 Folder 505 Folder 506 Folder 507 Folder 508 Folder 509	1919: January-February
Folder 510-528 Folder 510 Folder 511 Folder 512 Folder 513 Folder 514 Folder 515 Folder 516 Folder 517 Folder 518 Folder 519 Folder 520 Folder 521 Folder 522 Folder 523 Folder 524 Folder 525 Folder 526 Folder 527 Folder 528	1919: March-May
Folder 529-545 Folder 529 Folder 530 Folder 531 Folder 532 Folder 533 Folder 534 Folder 535 Folder 536 Folder 537 Folder 538 Folder 539 Folder 540 Folder 541 Folder 542 Folder 543 Folder 544 Folder 545	1919: June-August
Folder 546-564 Folder 546 Folder 547 Folder 548 Folder 549 Folder 550 Folder 551 Folder 552 Folder 553 Folder 554 Folder 555 Folder 556 Folder 557 Folder 558 Folder 559 Folder 560 Folder 561 Folder 562 Folder 563 Folder 564	1919: September-December
Folder 565-579 Folder 565 Folder 566 Folder 567 Folder 568 Folder 569 Folder 570 Folder 571 Folder 572 Folder 573 Folder 574 Folder 575 Folder 576 Folder 577 Folder 578 Folder 579	1920: January-February
Folder 580-600 Folder 580 Folder 581 Folder 582 Folder 583 Folder 584 Folder 585 Folder 586 Folder 587 Folder 588 Folder 589 Folder 590 Folder 591 Folder 592 Folder 593 Folder 594 Folder 595 Folder 596 Folder 597 Folder 598 Folder 599 Folder 600	1920: March-November
Folder 601-618 Folder 601 Folder 602 Folder 603 Folder 604 Folder 605 Folder 606 Folder 607 Folder 608 Folder 609 Folder 610 Folder 611 Folder 612 Folder 613 Folder 614 Folder 615 Folder 616 Folder 617 Folder 618	December 1920-March 1921
Folder 619-632 Folder 619 Folder 620 Folder 621 Folder 622 Folder 623 Folder 624 Folder 625 Folder 626 Folder 627 Folder 628 Folder 629 Folder 630 Folder 631 Folder 632	1921: April-June
Folder 633-650 Folder 633 Folder 634 Folder 635 Folder 636 Folder 637 Folder 638 Folder 639 Folder 640 Folder 641 Folder 642 Folder 643 Folder 644 Folder 645 Folder 646 Folder 647 Folder 648 Folder 649 Folder 650	July 1921-May 1922
Folder 651-674 Folder 651 Folder 652 Folder 653 Folder 654 Folder 655 Folder 656 Folder 657 Folder 658 Folder 659 Folder 660 Folder 661 Folder 662 Folder 663 Folder 664 Folder 665 Folder 666 Folder 667 Folder 668 Folder 669 Folder 670 Folder 671 Folder 672 Folder 673 Folder 674	1922: June-December
Folder 675-694 Folder 675 Folder 676 Folder 677 Folder 678 Folder 679 Folder 680 Folder 681 Folder 682 Folder 683 Folder 684 Folder 685 Folder 686 Folder 687 Folder 688 Folder 689 Folder 690 Folder 691 Folder 692 Folder 693 Folder 694	1923
Folder 695	1924-1926
Folder 696	1935-1936
Folder 697-714 Folder 697 Folder 698 Folder 699 Folder 700 Folder 701 Folder 702 Folder 703 Folder 704 Folder 705 Folder 706 Folder 707 Folder 708 Folder 709 Folder 710 Folder 711 Folder 712 Folder 713 Folder 714	Undated
Folder 715	Notebook of legislative references
Folder 716-736 Folder 716 Folder 717 Folder 718 Folder 719 Folder 720 Folder 721 Folder 722 Folder 723 Folder 724 Folder 725 Folder 726 Folder 727 Folder 728 Folder 729 Folder 730 Folder 731 Folder 732 Folder 733 Folder 734 Folder 735 Folder 736	Miscellaneous printed materials

Expand/collapse Series 2. U.S. House of Representatives Bills, 1916-1920.

About 100 items.

Copies of selected House bills with scattered annotations, 1916-1920. Includes several bills proposing changes to income tax, a bill to institute a war income tax, a bill to authorize the issue of additional bonds to fund war expenditures, and a proposal for a tax on war profits on government contracts. There are also proposed drafts of the 1918 revenue bill and copies of the 1920 Transportation Act.

Folder 737-741

Folder 737

Folder 738

Folder 739

Folder 740

Folder 741

House bills, 1916-1918

Folder 742-745

Folder 742

Folder 743

Folder 744

Folder 745

House bills, 1919-1920

Expand/collapse Series 3. Congressional Record, 1913-1921.

10 items.

Selected copies of the Congressional Record with scattered annotations, 1913-1921.

Folder 746-747

Folder 746

Folder 747

Congressional Record, 1913-1921

Expand/collapse Series 4. Clippings, 1892-1925 and undated.

About 10,000 items.

Clippings from North Carolina and national newspapers related to the political career of Claude Kitchin. Includes articles, editorials, pictures, and political cartoons. Many clippings are annotated. Topics include Kitchin's election to Congress; his role as House floor leader; Democratic party politics; national defense, military preparedness, the War Tax bill, and World War I; taxes, the Tariff Act, and the Revenue Bill; Kitchin's relationship with Woodrow Wilson; and Kitchin's illness, stroke, and death.

Folder 748-752 Folder 748 Folder 749 Folder 750 Folder 751 Folder 752	Clippings, 1892-1914
Folder 753-765 Folder 753 Folder 754 Folder 755 Folder 756 Folder 757 Folder 758 Folder 759 Folder 760 Folder 761 Folder 762 Folder 763 Folder 764 Folder 765	Clippings, 1915-1917
Folder 766-775 Folder 766 Folder 767 Folder 768 Folder 769 Folder 770 Folder 771 Folder 772 Folder 773 Folder 774 Folder 775	Clippings, 1918-1925
Folder 776-780 Folder 776 Folder 777 Folder 778 Folder 779 Folder 780	Clippings, undated

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Collection Number: 00406 Collection Title: Claude Kitchin Papers, 1879-1923.

Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Expand/collapse Information For Users

Expand/collapse Processing Information

Expand/collapse Subject Headings

Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Contents list

Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1878-1936 and undated.

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Collection Number: 00406

Collection Title: Claude Kitchin Papers, 1879-1923.