Overview
Roscoe Conkling Simmons (born 1878 or 1881, died 1951) was an African-American orator, civic leader, journalist, and politician. He was an active member of the Republican party, a much sought-after public speaker, an advisor to three American presidents, and a journalist in Chicago during the first half of the 20th century. The Papers of Roscoe Conkling Simmons are a rich source for historical information not only on Roscoe Conkling Simmons' public role and life, but on American politics and life of during the first half of the 20th century, particularly regarding political activism and social networks of African-Americans.
Dates
- Creation: 1875-1951
Creator
- Simmons, Roscoe Conkling, 1881-1951 (Person)
Researcher Access
Permission is required for access to this collection. Contact the Harvard University Archives for details.
Extent
35 cubic feetThe Papers of Roscoe Conkling Simmons are a rich source for historical information not only on Roscoe Conkling Simmons' public role and life, but a source for American politics and life of during the first half of the 20th century, particularly the politicial activism and social networks of African-Americans.
The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts of speeches and writings, personal and financial papers, photographs, news clippings of stories and columns by and about Simmons, as well as public announcements and event programs for Simmons' speeches. The correspondence includes communications with individuals, organizations, and family members as well as correspondence relating to Simmons' work for the Republican National Committee.
Also included are various publications and printed materials collected by Simmons, personal memorabilia, and sound recordings.
Biographical Note
Roscoe Conkling Simmons (born 1878 or 1881, died 1951) was an African-American orator, civic leader, journalist and politician. He graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1899. He served as head of the Colored Division of the Speakers' Bureau of the Republican National Committee in 1920, 1924, and 1928. He was an advisor to three American presidents. He worked for the Chicago Defender from 1916 through the mid-1930s, and for the Chicago Tribune from the late 1940's until his death in 1951.
The date of his birth is uncertain. Obituaries state his age in 1951 as anywhere between Simmons' own assertion that he was sixty-three and his oldest friends' statements that place his age nearer to seventy-five. A birth date of June 20,1878 in Greenview Mississippi is listed in the earliest inventories of his papers produced by the Harvard University Archives. A passport appliction holds a 1918 certification of birth signed by his parents that state the year and place of his birth as 1881 in Macon, Mississippi. See Kaye, Andrew M. Roscoe Conkling Simmons and the Mechanics of Black Leaderhisp, 1899-1951 (Thesis, doctoral--University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2002), p. 23 for information on the evidence for various dates and places of birth.
Roscoe Conkling Simmons Chronology
- June 20, 1878
- Born in Greenview, Mississippi
- 1881
- Other possible birth date, Macon, Missiippi
- 1899
- Graduates from Tuskegee Institut
- 1903
- Works at United States Land Office
- 1910
- Makes campaign speech for Theodore Roosevelt
- 1913
- Becames editor-in-chief of the Memphis Sun
- 1916
- Runs Louisville News in Louisville Kentucky
- Joins staff of Chicago Defender
- 1920
- Director of the Colored Speaker's Bureau of the Republican National Committee for the presidential campaign
- 1924
- Director of the Colored Speaker's Bureau of the Republican National Committee for the presidential campaign
- 1928
- Director of the Colored Speaker's Bureau of the Republican National Committee for the presidential campaign
- 1930
- Runs unsuccessfully ran for Congress against Oscar De Priest
- 1932
- Seconds the nomination of Herbert Hoover at the Republican National Convention in Chicago
- Leads delegation to White House to confront Hoover on racial issues
- 1936
- Simmons active in Republican Party internal dispute over "lily-whitism"
- late 1940s
- Works at Chicago Tribune
- 1949
- Works at Washington Times-Herald
- 1950
- Campaigns for Maryland Republican John M. Butler's for Senate
- 1951
- Simmons is first African-American journalis from a white newspaper to be admitted to the Congressional press gallery
- April 27, 1951
- Simmons dies.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into fourteen groups:
- Individual correspondence
- Organizational correspondence
- Roscoe Conkling Simnons letter boxes
- Republican National Committee correspondence
- Family correspondence
- Correspondence with William M. Simmons
- Manuscripts of writings
- Personal and financial papers
- Speeches
- News clippings by and about Simmons
- Public announcements and event programs
- Photographs
- Artifacts
- Publications and printed materials
Acquisition information
Accession number: 12801; received 1993 December 2 from the Harvard College Library.
Inventory update
This document was last updated 2022 December 15.
Processing Information
The collection was organized, re-housed, and listed in the early- to mid-1990s.
In 2014, the inventory was converted to electronic text by Kate Bowers.
In 2015, Robert Burton re-processed the photograph series, providing identification where possible for the individuals and groups depicted in the images and upgrading the descriptions according to the DCRM(G) standard.
Creator
- Simmons, Roscoe Conkling, 1881-1951 (Person)
- Title
- Simmons, Roscoe Conkling, 1881-1951. Papers of Roscoe Conkling Simmons, 1904-1951: an inventory
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua13014
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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