Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice.
The Preston William Edsall Papers document Edsall’s family life, professional activity, and lifelong interest and activity in politics and the Democratic Party. The collection includes correspondence, class materials, reports, speeches, and other information on a wide variety of topics related to North Carolina and United States politics.
Preston William Edsall (1902-1972) was Professor of Political Science at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University) from 1947 to 1967, and head of the Department of History and Politics from 1948 to 1967.
Preston William Edsall (1902-1972) received his B.S. in History and Political Science from New York University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. After terms as Instructor of Politics and Political Science at Princeton, Rutgers University, and New York University, he served the United States Department of Justice as Special Attorney and was and Associate Editor at the National Archives for the National Research Project. He was Professor of Political Science at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University) from 1947 to 1967, and head of the Department of History and Politics from 1948 to 1967.
The Preston William Edsall Papers, 1941-1970, document Edsall’s family life, professional activity, and lifelong interest and activity in politics and the Democratic Party. The collection includes correspondence, class materials, reports, speeches, and other information on a wide variety of topics related to North Carolina and United States politics.
This collection has not been fully processed. It is roughly sorted into series: Personal Files; Class Materials; Manuscripts, Speeches and Reports; North Carolina and Wake County Government; North Carolina Legislative Building; North Carolina General Assembly; North Carolina Politicians; North Carolina Politics; Presidential Campaigns and Elections; Civil Rights; Ku Klux Klan; National Issues.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Preston William Edsall Papers, MC 00059, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Transferred, 1972
Processed by Special Collections staff; finding aid created by Kellie Strickland, 2009 June.
The collection is organized into twelve principal series:
Contains biographical information, family correspondence, and some of Katherine Edsall’s poetry
Includes class notes, records of the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity, 1958-1963, and correspondence with J. T. Caldwell.
Contains biographies of U.S. Attorneys General, manuscripts, speeches on political issues, information on political organizations, and manuscripts by other authors about state politics. This series also contains information on the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Judiciary Committees, and a Report to the People about North Carolina Government, 1955.
Contains floor plans, general information, and a State Survey questionnaire with both blank and completed questionnaires.
Includes information on capital punishment, the Constitution Study Commission, East Carolina College/University, gun legislation, and higher education.
Contains biographies of North Carolina politicians.
Documents a variety of important political issues of the 1940s-1950s, and includes information on the National Council of Am-Soviet Friendship, 1947, the AFL-CIO, 1951-1970, Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, and "Extremists". A great variety of information on the United States Congress, North Carolina Redistricting, Reapportionment, and International Affairs is also included in this series.
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111
Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], Preston William Edsall Papers, MC 00059, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.