TABLE OF CONTENTS
Collection Summary
Historical Background
Contents of the Collection
Arrangement of the Collection
Restrictions
Index Terms
Administrative Information
Description of Series
General, 1976-1995
Legal Briefs, 1937-1990
Terry v. Adams Files, 1950-1954, 1977-1981
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Guide to the J. Edwin Smith Papers, 1937-1995
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Creator |
Smith, J. Edwin, 1911-2001 |
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Title |
J. Edwin Smith Papers |
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Dates: | 1937-1995 |
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Abstract |
J. Edwin Smith was a UT Law grad, Houston
attorney who was active in civil rights litigation and the liberal wing of the Democratic
party. His collection includes legal records and other materials from Terry v. Adams, as well as legal briefs filed by Smith in Texas and federal
appellate courts. |
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Size |
2.75 linear ft. |
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Repository |
Special Collections, Tarlton Law Library, The University of
Texas at Austin,
727 E. Dean Keeton St., Austin, TX 78705-3224, (512) 471-7263 |
A 1937 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, J. Edwin Smith began practicing
law in the Marshall-Longview area in 1937 in the law firm of Franklin "Soupy" Jones, and in
1942 moved to Houston where he was a general practitioner for close to 50 years. The most
notable cases Smith handled included civil rights, criminal defense, torts, and estates,
several of which went as far as the supreme courts of Texas and the United States. These
cases included Terry v. Adams (1953), where the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled in favor of Smith's African-American clients and ordered a stop to the
whites-only "Jaybird Primary" in Fort Bend County, Texas; and McClelland v. Texas (1966), where the Supreme Court outlawed a court of inquiry
procedure in Texas as a violation of due process. Smith was also active in the liberal wing
of the Texas Democratic Party, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Texas Supreme Court
in the 1958 Democratic primary. He frequently contributed articles to the Houston Post and the legal press on the legal profession, civil
liberties, and personal reminiscences.
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Terry v. Adams Files, 1950-1954, 1977-1981 (5 in.), contain
briefs, petitions, affidavits, transcripts, slip opinions and other legal records created
and gathered by J. Edwin Smith in his capacity as attorney for plaintiffs in Terry v. Adams (345 U.S. 461); news clippings on the case; and
speeches by Smith, ephemera, correspondence, and a master's thesis relating to
commemorations and historical studies of Terry v. Adams. Legal
Briefs, 1937-1990 (2.25 linear ft.) make up the bulk of the collection, and are mainly
appellate briefs filed by Smith in Texas and federal appellate courts for a wide variety of
cases, including McClelland v. Texas. The General series
(1976-1994) includes articles by Smith on a variety of legal, political, and personal
topics; legal memoranda Smith wrote for other attorneys; and correspondence containing
reminiscences.
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Arrangement of the Collection |
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Organized in three series: General, 1976-1994 (1 in.); Legal Briefs, 1937-1990 (2.25 linear
ft.), arranged alphabetically by case name; Terry v. Adams
Files, 1950-1954, 1977-1981 (5 in.), arranged chronologically. |
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Use Restrictions
The collection and any reproductions of the collection are made available for the purposes
of private study, scholarship, and research only.
Tarlton Law Library does not hold the copyright to the materials, unless it has been
transferred to the library by the creator. It is the researcher's responsibility to
determine the copyright status and to obtain permission from the copyright holder before
publishing any materials from the collection.
Some collections may contain sensitive or confidential information protected under federal
and state privacy laws. The researchers are encouraged to report any such information to
staff.
The University of Texas at Austin is not responsible for violations of intellectual
property rights and any other laws or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion
of privacy that result from unauthorized use of the collection by the researcher.
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Major Subjects |
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Smith, J. Edwin, 1911-2001--Archives. |
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Voting--Texas. |
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Jay Bird Democratic Association of Fort Bend County. |
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African Americans--Suffrage. |
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Segregation--Texas. |
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Fort Bend County (Tex.)--Politics and government. |
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J. Edwin Smith Papers, Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin.
Gift of J. Edwin Smith.
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General, 1976-1995 |
| box |
folder |
| M121 |
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Will Contest Litigation / J. Edwin Smith, 1978 |
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Liz Faulk to J. Edwin Smith : letter, 1987 Oct. 25 |
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NOTE: Discusses John Henry Faulk's illness, loan of apartment by attorney Dick
DeGuerin to Faulks. |
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Memorandum to W. T. Bennett, Huntsville, Tex., re Mexican Divorces, 1976 Sept. 1 |
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Creative Works of J. Edwin Smith, 1933-1995 |
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NOTE: Topics include judicial elections, politics, civil liberties, law practice,
Judge John R. Brown, Justice Thurgood Marshall, and personal reminiscences. |
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Correspondence re: personal reminiscences of J. Edwin Smith, 1994-1995 |
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Legal Briefs, 1937-1990 |
| box |
folder |
| M116 |
1 |
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A general, 1942-1971 & undated |
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2 |
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B general, 1947-1961 & undated |
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Bellefonte Underwriters Insurance Company et al v. Leon Brown et al, 1982 |
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Bellefonte Underwriters Insurance Company v. Leon Brown et al, 1982 |
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Bellefonte Underwriters Insurance Company v. Leon Brown et al, 1983-1984 |
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Bellefonte Underwriters Insurance Company v. Leon Brown et al, 1984 |
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B. S. Brown v. M. E. S. Scherck, 1963-1964 |
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folder |
| M117 |
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R. J. Butler v. R. L. Phinney, 1971 |
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Buxkemper v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company of Texas, 1954-1955 |
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C general, 1939-1973 & undated |
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P. L. Cochran v. J. Cochran, 1958-1959 |
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D general, 1974 |
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E general, 1952-1964 |
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J. Escobar v. United States of America, 1967-1968 & undated |
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F general, 1951-1957 |
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G general, 1938-1984 |
| box |
folder |
| M118 |
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D. R. Gerinson v. United States of America, 1965-1966 & undated |
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H general, 1942-1973 & undated |
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H general (cont'd), 1942-1990 & undated |
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A. L. Huckaby v. L. M. Huckaby, 1968-1969 |
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I-J general, 1969-1974 |
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K general, 1944-1953 |
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M. Kay v. S. K. Sandler, 1985-1986 |
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L. L. Kinsel v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company of Texas, 1946 & undated |
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L general, 1939-1958 |
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M general, 1942-1976 & undated |
| box |
folder |
| M119 |
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C. B. McClelland v. F. Briscoe, 1962 & undated |
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C. B. McClelland (cont'd) v. State of Texas, 1964-1966 |
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K. L. Musgrave et al v. United States of America, 1973 & undated |
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N general, 1947 |
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W. A. Nichols v. Red Arrow Freight Lines, 1956-1957 |
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P general, 1937-1973 & undated |
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P general (cont'd), 1955 & undated |
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D. R. Potter et al v. Southwestern Associated Telephone Company et al, 1952 & undated |
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R general, 1939-1965 & undated |
| box |
folder |
| M120 |
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S general, 1939-1957 & undated |
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S general (cont'd), 1951-1974 & undated |
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T general, 1939-1948 & undated |
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T general (cont'd), 1955 & undated |
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J. Terry et al v. A. J. Adams et al, 1950-1952 |
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U general, 1964-1976 & undated |
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V general, 1962-1976 & undated |
| box |
folder |
| M121 |
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W general, 1967-1974 |
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J. W. Williams v. United States of America et al, 1966-1972 |
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Y-Z general, 1975 & undated |
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Loose pages from briefs, undated |
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Federal Diversity Jurisdiction Over Certain Proceedings Related to Decedents
Estates : memorandum prepared for William T. Bennett / by J. Edwin Smith, 1976 |
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Terry v. Adams Files, 1950-1954, 1977-1981 |
| box |
folder |
| I207 |
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U.S. District Court case file, 1950 |
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U.S. Court of Appeals case file, 1950, 1952, & undated |
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U.S. Supreme Court case file, 1951-1953 |
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Clippings on Jaybird case, 1950-1952 |
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Correspondence, clippings, speeches & ephemera, 1954, 1977-1981 |
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The Jaybird Democratic Association of Fort Bend County -- A White Man's Union
/ by Nina Benware Margraves : unpublished master's thesis, University of Houston, 1955 |
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NOTE: Permission for extensive copying or publication must be obtained from the Dean
of Graduate Studies, University of Houston. |
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Duplicate items |
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