Manuscript Division Alexander Jeffrey McKelway Papers

Alexander Jeffrey McKelway Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS32235

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Alexander Jeffrey McKelway (1866-1918) span the years 1814-1942, with the bulk of the material concentrated from 1900 to 1918. The collection includes correspondence, telegrams, speeches, articles, notes and drafts of a biography of St. Clair McKelway, longtime editor of the Brooklyn Eagle and uncle of Alexander, financial papers, printed matter, and a scrapbook of obituary notices and condolence letters.

The papers relate primarily to child labor reform, particularly McKelway's role as Southern secretary of the National Child Labor Committee. Other topics include women's suffrage, prohibition, national political affairs, the Hoke Smith-Georgia Historical Association correspondence of 1917, and McKelway family matters. Correspondents include Carrie Chapman Catt, Josephus Daniels, Norman Hapgood as editor of Harper's Weekly , Florence Kelley, Henry F. Keenan, Amos Pinchot, Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph P. Tumulty, and Woodrow Wilson. In the family correspondence are boyhood letters of Benjamin Mosby McKelway, editor of the Washington Star , and other papers pertaining to the life of St. Clair McKelway.

Dates

Creation: 1814-1942
Creation: Majority of material found within 1900-1918

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

Access and Restrictions

The papers of Alexander Jeffrey McKelway are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Copyright Status

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Alexander Jeffrey McKelway is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Biographical Note

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1866, 6 Oct.: Born, Salisburyville, Pa.
circa 1870: Moved to Charlotte County, Va.
1886: Graduated, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va.
1891: Graduated, Union Theological Seminary; Ordained by the Albemarle Presbytery in North Carolina; Married Lavinia Rutherford Smith
1892: Became minister of First Presbyterian Church, Fayetteville, N.C.
1898 - 1905: Editor, North Carolina Presbyterian (later Presbyterian Standard )
1902: Became active in support of child welfare legislation
1903: Became editor of Charlotte News , Charlotte, N.C.
1904: Became Southern secretary of the National Child Labor Committee
1907 - 1911: Lived in Atlanta, Ga.
1911: Moved to Washington, D.C.
1918, 16 Apr.: Died, Washington, D.C.

Extent

5,600 items
9 containers
3.4 linear feet

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Additional Description

Abstract

Clergyman, reformer, and Southern secretary of the National Child Labor Committee. Correspondence, telegrams, speeches, articles, notes and drafts of a biography of St. Clair McKelway, longtime editor of the Brooklyn Eagle and uncle of Alexander, family papers, financial material, printed matter, a scrapbook, and other papers relating mainly to child labor legislation and to the McKelway family.

Arrangement of the Papers

The collection is organized by type of material.

Additional Guides

An index to the Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson letters within the general correspondence and indexes to parts of the speech, article, and book file are available for use in the Manuscript Reading Room. All are available in a PDF document.

Catalog Record

https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82032235

Acquisition Information

The papers of Alexander Jeffrey McKelway, clergyman, reformer and Southern secretary of the National Child Labor Committee, were deposited in the Library of Congress by his widow, Lavinia Rutherford McKelway, in 1931 and converted to a gift in 1947.

Processing History

The McKelway collection was processed in 1963. The finding aid was revised in 2011. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.