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Collection Number: 05402

Collection Title: Frank Caldwell Patton Papers, 1913-1980

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.


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Size 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 400 items)
Abstract Frank Caldwell Patton, Republican of Morganton, Burke County, N.C., was born in 1896. He served as Assistant United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, 1921-1931. In 1932, Patton was appointed to a one-year term as United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina by President Herbert Hoover. He also ran unsuccessfully for United States Senate in 1936, United States House in 1938, and governor of North Carolina in 1944. Patton practiced law in Morganton, N.C., campaigned for national and local Republican Party candidates, and was active in many local causes. He died in 1980. The papers of Frank Caldwell Patton include correspondence with prominent politicians including Jesse Helms, Sam Ervin, and Charles Jonas; letters from business associates; speeches made by Patton; scrapbooks containing photographs of Patton at Trinity College and as a soldier during World War I, family photographs, and newspaper clippings documenting a variety of public and personal accomplishments; ephemera from several Republican National Conventions; and other materials.
Creator Patton, Frank Caldwell, 1896-1980.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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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 Frank Caldwell Patton Papers #5402, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Gift from Maude Patton Cantrell in August 2008 (Acc. 100995).
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.
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Processed by: Megan Bricker, September 2008

Encoded by: Megan Bricker, September 2008

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expand/collapse 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.

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Frank Caldwell Patton, Republican of Morganton, Burke County, N.C., was born 27 April 1896. He attended Trinity College and graduated in 1916. Patton subsequently enlisted in the United States Army in 1917 where he served as an aerial observer in France. Following World War I, Patton received his law degree from Trinity Law School. From 1921 to 1931, Patton served as the Assistant United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In 1932, he was appointed to a one-year term as United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina by President Herbert Hoover. He also ran unsuccessfully for United States Senate in 1936, United States House from the 10th district in 1938, and governor of North Carolina in 1944. Patton practiced law in Morganton, N.C., for many decades; campaigned for national and local Republican Party candidates; and was active in many local causes. Patton died on 3 August 1980.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The papers of Frank Caldwell Patton of Morganton, Burke County, N.C., who was a lawyer, Republican Party politician, Assistant United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, and United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, include correspondence with prominent politicians, including Jesse Helms, Sam Ervin, and Charles Jonas; letters from business associates; speeches made by Patton; scrapbooks containing photographs of Patton at Trinity College and as a soldier during World War I, family photographs, and newspaper clippings documenting a variety of public and personal accomplishments; ephemera from several Republican National Conventions; and other materials.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Papers, 1913-1980.

About 400 items.
Folder 1

Correspondence, 1956-1969

Includes editorials from Morganton, N.C., and Charlotte, N.C., newspapers; letters discussing Terry Sanford as the president of Duke University, the Republican primary between Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon; a campaign letter from Richard Nixon; letters from various members of Congress including Jesse Helms, Sam Ervin, and Charles Jonas.

Folder 2

Correspondence, 1970-1980

Includes editorials; a letter discussing the Panama Canal Treaties; a letter concerning Frank Caldwell Patton's retirement from the Board of Trustees at Western Piedmont Community College; and letters from various members of Congress, including Jesse Helms, Sam Ervin, and Charles Jonas.

Folder 3

Burke County Schools Reorganization and Tax, 1967-1968

Editorials by Frank Caldwell Patton, letters to Patton from supporters, and other correspondence on the subject.

Folder 4

Newspaper Clippings: Burke County Schools Reorganization and Tax, 1967-1968

Folder 5

Jesse Helms Senatorial Campaign, 1972-1973

Correspondence with Jesse Helms, campaign material, legal documents concerning a racism accusation against Helms, correspondence with other politicians and campaigners.

Folder 6

Speeches

Includes Frank Caldwell Patton's personal notes and newspaper prints of speeches, among them a Republican rally speech criticizing John F. Kennedy, a Herbert Hoover era speech, a 1958 speech on Patriotism at the Gold Star Parents Banquet, and other speeches.

Folder 7

Other Materials

Campaign postcards/pictures from Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, newspaper clippings, awards from civic organizations, and certificates of membership for several professional organizations.

Folder 8

Western Piedmont Community College Materials

Materials concerning the naming of a building on the campus after Frank Caldwell Patton.

Oversize Box OB-5402/1

Scrapbooks

Scrapbooks containing photographs of Frank Caldwell Patton at Trinity College and during World War I, family photographs, and newspaper clippings.

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