Stephen Jones, Compiler, Senator Chapman Revercomb Research Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3357
Papers and records of Stephen Jones and Senator Chapman Revercomb, collected and created for the writing and publication of biography A Conspiracy of Events: Senator Chapman Revercomb and West Virginia Politics, Immigration Reform, and the Eisenhower-Taft Conflict, which Jones co-authored with Ann Bradly. Collection includes historical records of Revercomb and related political records, as well as collected secondary sources and papers from the writing and publication of the book.
Materials include original and xerox copies of: correspondence; newspaper articles; congressional records; personal appointment books; notes; ephemera; photographs; and a cassette tape of Jones’ notes. Materials predominantly originate from Jones and Revercomb, but include a variety of sources, such as from the Presidential Libraries of Truman, Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
This collection has three sets of material. The original collection, donated in 2000, consists of two copies of the uncorrected manuscript copy of A Conspiracy of Events, one bound and one unbound. The 2018 addendum represents the majority of the collection. The most recent addendum consists of an unbound copy of the published work, as well as a few volumes of Congressional records and some photographs.
The 2018 addendum includes a mix of historical and research materials, including both originals and photocopies. The papers in this addendum relating to Revercomb’s political career regard issues such as immigration (including the Displaced Person’s Program); labor (including the Taft–Hartley Act); Civil Rights; and communism and socialism. Related materials created by or about Revercomb include bound volumes of his congressional remarks, as well as voting records; policy statements and public speaking notes; correspondence; and newspaper articles. Of particular note are the two “Speech Kits” for 1954 (box 9) and 1956 (box 5); original volumes published by the Republican Party containing notes, facts, and outlines to guide speech writing that aligned with Republican policy. There is a significant collection of newspaper clippings on a variety of topics relating to Revercomb and West Virginian politics. There are also records of Revercomb’s daily affairs, including his original “Daily Reminder” books (1942-1960, box 10). Other highlights of political materials include an original letter from Robert C. Byrd mentioning his participation in the Ku Klux Klan (1946, box 5, folder 32).
The 2018 addendum also contains the papers of Stephen Jones, primarily relating to the research, writing, and publication of A Conspiracy of Events. These materials include several drafts of the books, as well as notes and correspondence about editing and acquiring materials which are often intermixed with historical records. There is also a significant collection of secondary sources, predominantly photocopies of articles, theses, and books.
Researchers may note that Revercomb's name is sometimes abbreviated as "WCR" or just "CR" within this collection.
The cassette tape in box 3 must be digitized for research access. Researchers must contact the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
A Conspiracy of Events: Senator Chapman Revercomb and West Virginia Politics, Immigration Reform, and the Eisenhower-Taft Conflict is a biography coauthored by Stephen Jones and Ann Bradley. Jones began researching the book in the 1980s and completed a first draft in 1999. Jones continued to edit the book until self-publication in 2017.
Stephen Jones practiced as a lawyer in Enid, Oklahoma for over 50 years. Notably, he was appointed principal defense counsel to Timothy McVeigh, eventually charged in the Oklahoma City bombing. Jones is a graduate of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma Law School (1966). He served as Richard Nixon’s personal research assistant in 1964, and as legal counsel to the Governor of Oklahoma in 1967. Jones was the Republican nominee for Attorney General of Oklahoma in 1974, and a Republican nominee for US Senate in 1990.
Ann Bradley graduated from the University of Texas prior to graduating from Georgetown University Law School. While she was a student, she served as Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the Texas State Senate. Bradley assisted Jones in the McVeigh case and has co-authored several articles with him.
William Chapman Revercomb (1895-1979) was a Republican U.S. Senator from 1943-1949 and 1956-1959. Born in Covington, Virginia, Revercomb practiced law there from 1919 until he moved to Charleston, West Virginia in 1922. Revercomb was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1942. He was strongly opposed to Truman’s foreign and domestic policies, including the United States joining the United Nations. Revercomb was also a supporter of Civil Rights, voting in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. His support of Civil Rights policies contributed to his defeat in the 1948 and 1952 elections. He returned to the Senate in 1956 after winning a special election to replace Harley M. Kilgore following his death. In 1958, he was again defeated by Congressman Robert C. Byrd in a landslide election. After losing the Republican nomination for governor in 1960, Revercomb retired from politics and returned to his law practice.
5.63 Linear Feet (4 small flat storage boxes, 3 in. each; 2 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each; 4 document cases, 5 in. each; 2 record cartons, 15 in. each; 2 oversize folders, 0.6 in. total)
English
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center
Gift from Jones, Stephen, 2000 June 06.
Addendum gift from Jones, Stephen, circa 2018.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository