Walter F. White to Charles W. Chesnutt, 17 November 1930
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Yes, it was I who suggested to Elmer Adler2 that you be asked to write the article for the Colophon. You owe me no thanks, however, for the suggestion— if anyone is in debt to me, it is the Colpophon.
I wanted very much to see you when I was in Cleveland recently.3 I hoped to see you at the meeting. Unfortunately, I had to leave early the next morning and thus did not have time for our usual chat. I missed it.
I am glad to know your feeling about the election. I see that Harry Smith4 says that the N.A.A.C.P. had nothing to do with McCulloch's5 defeat and that my Ohio meetings were poorly attended.6 I really must get eyes examined because I came away from Ohio believing that I had seen packed houses. However, knowing Harry Smith, his animad-versions will cause me no sleepless nights.
With cordial regards to you and the family, I am
Sincerely yours Walter Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt 1646 Union Trust Building Cleveland, Ohio. WW:CTF ENDORSED BY THE NATIONAL INFORMATION BUREAU. 215 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORKCorrespondent: Walter Francis White (1893–1955) was a Black civil rights activist and writer. He began working at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1918, at its New York City headquarters, as assistant to James Weldon Johnson, the Association's first Black Executive Secretary. He investigated lynchings and riots, sometimes passing for White, and he became Executive Secretary in 1930. He helped desegregate the armed forces after WWII, and under his leadership the NAACP established its Legal Defense Fund. He nominally remained executive secretary until his death in 1955.
1. For readability, the remainder of the letterhead is not transcribed at the top of the letter but is included in this footnote as unformatted text. The letterhead can be seen in its entirety in the accompanying image of the letter. The text of the remainder of the letterhead is as follows: "NATIONAL OFFICERS PRESIDENT MOORFIELD STOREY VICE PRESIDENTS REV. JOHN HAYNES HOLMES BISHOP JOHN HURST ARTHUR B. SPINGARN OSWALD GARRISON VILLARD TREASURER J. E. SPINGARN EXECUTIVE OFFICERS JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, SECRETARY [on leave] WALTER WHITE, ACTING SECRETARY DR. W. E. B. DU BOIS, EDITOR OF THE CRISIS ROBERT W. BAGNALL, DIRECTOR OF BRANCHES WILLIAM PICKENS, FIELD SECRETARY DAISY E. LAMPKIN, REGIONAL FIELD SECRETARY HERBERT J. SELIGMANN DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman MARY WHITE OVINGTON New York Baltimore Bishop John Hurst Boston Joseph Prince Loud Charleston, W. Va. T.G. Nutter Chicago Jane Addams Clarence Darrow Cleveland Hon. Harry E. Davis Detroit Hon. Ira W. Jayne Indianapolis F. B. Ransom Los Angeles Dr. J. A. Somerville Memphis R.R. Church New Haven George W. Crawford New Orleans Dr. George W. Lucas New York Lillian A. Alexander Rev. Hutchens C. Bishop Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois Rev. John Haynes Holmes Florence Kelley Hon. Herbert H. Lehman Ella Rush Murray John E. Nail Arthur B. Spingarn J.E. Spingarn Charles H. Studin William English Walling Dr. Louis T. Wright Philadelphia Isadore Martin Richmond Maggie L. Walker Springfield Rev. G. R. Waller Topeka Hon. Arthur Capper Washington Nannie H. Burroughs Hon. James A. Cobb Prof. George William Cook Charles Edward Russell NATIONAL LEGAL COMMITTEE Chairman Arthur B. Spingarn Chicago Clarence Darrow Chambridge, Mass. Felix Frankfurter Charleston, W. Va. T.G. Nutter New York James Marchall Herbert K. Stockton Charles H. Studin." [back]
2. Elmer Adler (1884–1962) was a book collector and graphic designer as well as the editor of The Colophon: A Book Collector's Quarterly. [back]
3. Walter White was in Ohio in October 1930, meeting with the officers of the Cleveland and Cincinnati branches of the NAACP. [back]
4. Harry C. Smith (1863–1941) was a Black journalist, editor, and politician. Born in West Virginia, his family moved to Cleveland after the Civil War. While attending Cleveland's Central High School, he wrote for several newspapers. In 1883, along with three others, he founded the Cleveland Gazette, a weekly newspaper, and within three years became the sole proprietor. He edited the newspaper until his death. His political career included three terms in the Ohio General Assembly (1893–99). He introduced and played a major role in the passage of the Ohio Civil Rights Law (1894) and an anti-lynching law, the Smith Act (1896). He also sought other offices: Ohio Secretary of State (1920) and Governor (1926 and 1928). [back]
5. Roscoe Conkling McCulloch (1880–1958) was an Ohio State Representative (1915–1921), unsuccessful Republican candidate in the 1920 gubernatorial election, and attorney in Canton, Ohio. In 1929, McCulloch was appointed to fill an Ohio State Senate seat left vacant by the death of the incumbent. He failed to keep the seat when he lost a special election a month later. In his September 6, 1930, letter to Walter White, Chesnutt shared his views on McCulloch and his reccomendation that the NAACP not support McCulloch. [back]
6. On October 11, 1930, the Cleveland Gazette reported that the "Cleveland branches of the NAACP have voted to oppose U.S. Senator McCulloch" ("McCulloch-Bulkley Contest Hot!" Cleveland Gazette [October 11, 1930]: 1). [back]
