This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Purchased from Carolina Stamp Auctions, Raleigh Stamp Shop, Inc., Bryan Building, Cameron Village Shopping Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, May 20, 1983.
Unknown
[Identification of Item], William Alphonso Withers Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
William Alphonso Withers was born on May 31, 1864 in Riverview, North Carolina, near Davidson College. Withers was the son of William Banks Withers and Sarah L. Rutledge. He had seven siblings: Ida who married a Sloan, J.R., Jamie, Banks, Rosa, Victoria, and Mary B. who went by "Mamie".
He received his A.B. degree from Davidson College in June of 1883, and his A.M. from Davidson in 1885. From 1884 through 1888, he served as Assistant Chemist at the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station in Raleigh. From 1885 through 1902, and again from 1905 through 1915, he was the North Carolina State Statistical Agent for the United States Department of Agriculture. He did graduate work at Cornell University from 1889-1890, where he received the Sage Fellowship in Agricultural Chemistry during that time. In 1917 Davidson College awarded him an honorary ScD.
From 1889 until 1923 he was Professor of Pure and Agricultural Chemistry at the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. He served as the North Carolina State Chemist from 1897 to 1898. He was the Acting Director of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station from 1897 to 1899, where he was also a chemist until 1921. From 1916 through 1923, he served as Vice President of North Carolina State College. From 1917 through 1923, he was the Summer School Director for North Carolina State College.
In 1898 Withers was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Pure Food and Drug Congress, and in 1899, authored the North Carolina Pure Food Law. From 1899 through 1905 he was Chairman of the Committee on Pure Food and Drug Legislation of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations. He held leadership positions in many professional organizations. From 1901-1902 he was the President of the North Carolina section of the American Chemical Society. From 1909-1910 he was President of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists. From 1917-1918 he was President of the North Carolina Academy of Science.
Withers was active as an alumnus of Davidson College. In 1886 he was appointed Chairman of the committee preparing the Semi-Centennial Alumni catalog. He worked to secure memorials to General William Lee Davidson, a Revolutionary War hero, and General Francis Nash. Withers was also extremely active in the community. He was and elder of First Presbyterian church, a Grand Commander of the Knights Templar in 1896 and Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons the following year, President of the Rotary Club, President of the Raleigh YMCA, and President of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. William Withers died in Raleigh on June 20, 1924. On December 21, 1938 the Chemistry Building at North Carolina State College was named in his honor.
In June of 1896, William Alphonso Withers married Elizabeth (Bessie) Witherspoon Daniel, daughter of the Reverend Dr. Eugene Daniel and Susanna Tweed Witherspoon. Rev. Dr. Eugene Daniel was a Presbyterian minister in various churches in North Carolina and Virginia. Elizabeth Daniel was born in 1874 and died on August 20, 1905. After Elizabeth's death, Withers married Jane Hinton Pescud on July 20, 1909. William Withers had two children with his first wife, Elizabeth: Susanna Withers, (1897-1903) and Banks Withers, born October 2, 1901 and died in San Mateo, CA Apr 27, 1946. William Withers died in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina on June 20, 1924.
Most of the material in this collection dates from 1884-1908. It documents William Alphonso Withers' professional career, activities, and personal life. The Professional series includes material on his work at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, at various other North Carolina State Agencies, and external employment. The Personal Activities series includes information on Withers' participation in community organizations and on his personal interests. The Personal Correspondence series contains letters to and from friends and family. The Personal series contains various items and memorabilia, including calling cards, financial records, doctor's prescriptions, and souvenirs. The Friends and Family series is made up of items belonging to various friends and relatives that are not directly associated with Withers. The Photographs series contains images and negatives of friends, relatives, and buildings.
The collection is organized into six series: Professional, Personal Activities, Personal Correspondence, Personal, Friends and Family, and Photographs
This series includes professional correspondence, meeting minutes, and various other materials related to Withers' work at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, as the North Carolina State Chemist, the North Carolina State Statistical Agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and various other assignments. The series is organized alphabetically by subject, then chronologically.
This series includes materials on Withers' involvement in community organizations and his personal activities. Materials are mainly correspondence, but do include some certificates, membership forms, handbooks, notes, and other items. The series is organized alphabetically, then chronologically. It also contains oversize items, located in flat files.
This series is divided into two sub-series: correspondence from friends and correspondence from family. Major correspondents in the Friends sub-series include Charles Dabney, Jr., Alex Q. Holladay, Emily Jones, James Thomas, and Mary D. Thomas, as well as his future second wife, Jane H. Pescud. Additionally, at the end of this sub-series are folders containing correspondence on specific topics, including weddings, births, and deaths, and various correspondence, which are organized chronologically. Major correspondents in the Family sub-series include Elizabeth Daniel Withers (wife), Rev. Dr. Eugene Daniel and Susanna Witherspoon Daniel (parents of wife), Banks Withers (son), and Sarah L. Withers (mother). Due to the quantity of materials, correspondence between Mr. and Mrs. Withers is further divided into sent and received correspondence. Both sub-series are organized alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically.
This series contains various materials related to William Withers' personal life. Primary materials consists of calling cards, diaries, financial information, medical information, and speeches made by Withers.
This series contains various materials not directly to or from William Withers. It mainly consists of correspondence between other friends and family members. It also includes calling cards and financial records for Elizabeth Daniel Withers. It is organized alphabetically, then chronologically.
This series contains photographs and negatives of friends, family, and buildings. Most subjects are unidentified. The series is organized by general subject, such as buildings or children. Some photographs have corresponding negatives. For preservation purposes these are housed in a separate box (indicated on the folder containing the associated photographs).