Campaigns documents the political campaigns Strom Thurmond was involved in during the gubernatorial period. Each of the three sub-subseries contains files relating to a particular campaign: the 1946 gubernatorial campaign, where Thurmond survived a primary election with ten other candidates and then won the run-off election against Dr. James C. McLeod; the 1948 States’ Rights campaign for President of the United States against Harry S. Truman and Thomas E. Dewey; and the 1950 senatorial campaign against incumbent Olin D. Johnston. Related material can be found in Official, Personal and Speeches.

The 1946 Governor’s Race sub-subseries (1924–1949) consists of correspondence (most enclosures are missing); election returns; expense summaries; form letters to various groups; lists arranged by county and for particular groups; notes on the activities of the “Barnwell Ring”; political advertisements and brochures with examples dating back to 1924 (these include material from James F. Byrnes, Herbert Hoover, Olin D. Johnston, A. Frank Lever, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Benjamin Ryan Tillman); postcards; receipts; speech drafts; and telegrams. They are arranged alphabetically by folder-title, usually a subject or document type.

The Correspondence files are arranged chronologically within each folder, with incoming letters filed first; although there are some out-of-state letters, most are from South Carolina. While most are either to or from Thurmond, there are also letters to and from James J. Reid (Thurmond’s campaign manager) and T. K. (Thomas K.) Strom. In addition to congratulatory and thank-you letters, there are letters from Thurmond asking for support; invitations, including those for speaking engagements; reports on political conditions in various towns and counties and on Dr. McLeod’s campaign; requests for appointments, information and jobs; and suggestions on contacts and the content of speeches. Some of the correspondence touches on Thurmond’s service in World War II.

Correspondents in the Governor’s Race sub-subseries include Joe F. Anderson, G. H. Aull, R. E. (Earle) Atkinson, J. Perrin Anderson, Benjamin A. Bolt, John Commins, John Bolt Culbertson, W. W. Dukes, F. M. Easterlin, Annie Mae Fields, Wil Lou Gray, W. G. (“Grady”) Hazel, F. Mildred Huggins, J. Carl Kearse, John D. Lane, Cliff Langford, Samuel A. Libater, James J. (“Jimmie”) Lever, John R. McCravy, Lester J. Moody, J. F. (“Jess”) Ouzts, James P. Nickles, Paul Nicholson, W. H. Nichol-son, Charles M. Pace, Robert F. Poole, Paul Quattlebaum, Paul Quattlebaum, Jr., Leon L. Rice, I. A. Smoaks, John M. Spratt, Herman Talmadge, E. W. Taylor, Allen George Thurmond, John William Thurmond, Grady L. Wade, B. O. Williams, Rosamonde Wimberly, Caldwell Withers and J. H. (“Jake”) Woodward.

The 1948 States’ Rights Campaign sub-subseries (1944–1954) contains articles; clippings; correspondence (most enclosures are missing); form letters; invitation; legal documents; pamphlets; petitions; postcards; press releases; resolutions and drafts; speeches and drafts; statements; telegrams; and teletypes. Most of the material in this subsection concerns the South Carolina States’ Rights Democratic Party, although there are some items relating to the national States ’ Rights Party headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. This sub-subseries is further subdivided into six subsections: Civil Rights, Subject File, States’ Rights Papers, County Correspondence, Out-of-State Correspondence and States’ Rights Correspondence.

The bulk of the Civil Rights material (1947–1949) is from the period encompassing the Southern Governor’s Conference in February 1948 at Wakulla Springs, Florida to the Democratic National Convention in July 1948 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is arranged alphabetically by folder title (correspondence alphabetically by name) and chronologically within each folder. Most of these files relate to the southern governors’ stand against President Harry S. Truman’s civil rights program, his nomination at the Convention and the South Carolina Democratic Party’s reaction to these events.

Subjects include African–American voting; anti-communism; anti-lynching legislation; anti-Semitism; civil rights; colonization of African–Americans; attempts to “draft” Harry Byrd, Dwight Eisenhower and Thurmond as the Democratic Party presidential nominee instead of Truman; electoral college reform; the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC); poll taxes; suggestions for southern strategy at the Convention, including bloc voting; states’ rights; and third parties. Also included in this subsection are numerous replies from southern congressmen, governors, senators, South Carolina Democratic Party officers and state Democratic Party chairmen to form letters concerning the actions of the Southern Governor’s Conference and Thurmond’s opposition to Truman’s policies.

The Subject File (1944–1952) is arranged alphabetically by folder title and chronologically within each folder. There is material concerning finances (including balance sheets, lists of contributions and expenditures), getting Thurmond on the ballot in various states, presidential electors, publicity, the South Carolina Demo-cratic Party (which contains Thurmond’s resignation as a national committeeman), the South Carolina States’ Rights Democratic Party headquarters, Truman’s “snub” of Thurmond at the 1949 presidential inauguration and the establishment of a women’s division. Also in this subsection is a file of correspondence and one of teletypes between the South Carolina and national headquarters which includes letters to and from Thurmond, L. Mell Glenn (State Director of the South Carolina campaign), David H. Kennedy (Research Assistant 1947–1948 and Acting Executive Secretary, 1948–1949), George MacNabb (Research Secretary 1948–1951), Merritt H. Gibson (National Campaign Director), Glenn Saunders (Assistant National Campaign Director), George C. Wallace (National Treasurer of the States’ Rights Party) and W. W. Wright (National Treasurer).

Four bound volumes of addresses, “questions and answers”, speeches and statements comprise the States’ Rights Papers (February 7–November 3, 1948). Most of the material in this subsection appears in the Speeches subseries. A list of the contents of these volumes is appended to this description; this list also indicates whether there is a copy in the Speeches. Also appended is a list of states’ rights speeches that appear only in the General File of Speeches.

The County Correspondence (1948–1950) is arranged alphabetically by county name and chronologically within each folder. It contains correspondence to and from Thurmond, L. Mell Glenn, David H. Kennedy and George MacNabb. In addition to congratulatory, thank-you and request letters, this subsection includes correspondence concerning anti-semitism; civil rights; contributions and fund-raising; future of the states’ rights movement; local and national political situations affecting the 1948 election, including the identification of potential opponents and supporters; the 1950 senatorial campaign; the 1948 Democratic National Convention; post-1948 politics and need for the South Carolina Democratic Party to “stay the course”; suggestions on conduct of campaign and tactics; Harry S Truman, including his “snub” of Thurmond at the 1949 presidential inauguration; voting rights; and Judge J. Waites Waring. There is correspondence with most of the county campaign chairmen and finance directors.

The Out-of-State Correspondence (1948–1951) is arranged alphabetically by state name and chronologically within each folder, preceded by an index to the U.S. correspondence (c. 1949) and with correspondence from other countries filed at the end. There is some correspondence with national party headquarters and the National States’ Rights Committee in the Mississippi files. There is also correspondence with states’ rights organizations in various states, especially Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas. Subjects covered in this subsection are similar to those in County Correspondence. In addition, there is correspondence concerning the FEPC and the Ku Klux Klan; requests to have Thurmond release his electors to Truman or attempts to compel electors to do so; anti–communism; colonization of African–Americans; electoral college reform; the 1952 presidential election; the formation of a new third party; and reactions to campaign appearances.

The States’ Rights Correspondence (1951–1954) covers the period after Thurmond’s term as governor but before his election to the Senate and is arranged chronologically. This material includes reports on the states’ rights movement in other states, especially Alabama and Louisiana; possible courses of action for the South in the 1952 Presidential election; a court case in Alabama that would allow the election of presidential electors in the primaries; the possible 1952 presidential candidacy of James F. Byrnes as either a Democratic or States’ Rights party nominee, the effect of Richard B. Russell, Jr.’s decision to run on Byrnes’ candidacy and the understanding that Russell would “bolt” if Truman were nominated; complaints about federal actions, especially in the area of civil rights; states’ rights; attempts to persuade Thurmond to endorse or work for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential campaign; and a few letters reacting to the Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

Correspondents in the States’ Rights sub-subseries include John U. Barr, William P. Baskin, Orval W. Baylor, Eugene S. Blease, Palmer Bradley, J. K. Breedin, Edgar Brown, Walter Brown, Joseph R. Bryson, J. Fred Buzhardt, James F. Byrnes, William Jennings Bryan Dorn, Robert McC. Figg, Jr., Cedric Foster, Mrs. Nathaniel (Christine) Gist Gee, Merritt H. Gibson, John Temple Graves, James H. Hammond, R. Lea Harris, James M. Hinton, James C. Kinard, R. J. Maclean, James L. Martin, Jr., Gessner T. McCorvey, Thomas R. Miller, E. W. Montgomery, Lloyd E. Price, Paul Quattlebaum, E. H. Ramsey, Nowlin Randolph, J. P. Richards, John J. Riley, Richard B. Russell, Jr., M. L. Sharpley, Hugo S. Sims, E. W. Taylor, Allan George Thurmond, John William Thurmond, William M. Tuck, George Warren and Horace C. Wilkerson.

The 1950 Senatorial Campaign sub-subseries (1936–1950) is arranged alphabetically by folder title. It consists of affidavits, clippings; county and out-of state correspondence, mainly to and from Thurmond and J. Ernest Craig, Thurmond’s campaign manager (most enclosures are missing); financial records, including a check stub book, contracts, a ledger and reports; form letters (including examples from other campaigns); lists; memos; notes; political advertisements; postcards; resolutions; speeches, speech material and drafts; statements; and telegrams. Some of the files and letters in this sub-subseries appear to have originally been in the Official subseries but were put here because of political ramifications.

In addition to providing information about the campaign itself, subjects covered by this sub-subseries include the African–American vote, federal aid to education, the labor vote, the Taft–Hartley Act, national politics and states’ rights. There are a number of files relating to Thurmond’s opponent, Olin Johnston, including clippings files that date back to 1935 and a group of files relating to accusations that Johnston was involved in a “pardons for pay” scheme. Also part of this sub-subseries are clippings files on various public figures, such as James F. Byrnes, Burnett R. Maybank and Hugo Sims, Jr.

Correspondents in the 1950 Senatorial Campaign sub-subseries include Joe F. Anderson, J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., Frank W. Campbell, Charles E. Daniel, John Drake, Sherman Drawdy, Champion McD. Davis, Annie Mae Fields, Robert McC. Figg, Jr., T. J. Gasque, Leon W. Harris, Bob Jones, Bob Jones, Jr., M. L. Love, Charles W. McTeer, Thomas R. Miller, Fred J. Pearman, Paul Quattlebaum, Leon L. Rice, Norma F. Shannonhouse and E. A. Tarver.