Z 0316.000
BILBO (THEODORE G.) PAPERS


Correspondence and papers of Theodore Gilmore Bilbo (October 13, 1877–August 21, 1947).

Bilbo was born and raised in Juniper Grove near Poplarville, Pearl River County, Mississippi (changed to Pearl River County in 1890). While the details of Bilbo's education both early and advanced are confusing and contradictory, it is known that he enrolled in Poplarville High School, briefly attended Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, around 1900, and entered Vanderbilt Law School in 1905. The exact years of his attendance at these schools is uncertain.

Between his stays in Nashville, Bilbo taught school in South Mississippi and in 1903 in his first political race, ran unsuccessfully for circuit clerk of Pearl River County. Four years later he was elected state senator from a district comprised of Pearl River, Lamar, Marion, Covington, and Simpson counties. Following his tenure as state senator, Bilbo served as Lt. Governor (1912–1916), Governor (1916–1920, 1928–1932) and United States Senator (1935 until his death in 1947).

The majority of correspondence in the collection is between Bilbo and John L. Smith, his research secretary, concerning Bilbo's successful campaign for reelection to the Senate against Hugh L. White during the spring and summer of 1940. In his letters, Smith, who lived in Jackson at the time, attempts to assess the political situation in Mississippi as it related to Bilbo and his campaign for reelection. There are references in Smith's letters to other political topics as well; among them, the feud between Bilbo and Sen. Pat Harrison and also to Fred Sullens, one of Bilbo's most vocal opponents. (This material is contained in folders 5, 6, and 7).

Other correspondence pertains to Smith's attempt to secure employment (with Bilbo's help) in 1940. (Folder 7). Letters in 1941 from Bilbo to Smith deal with the latter's illness during that year (Folder 8).

Also included in the collection are three speeches by Bilbo: March 11, 1930 presented before the Mississippi House of Representatives in favor of a State Printing Plant, a 1939 speech titled "Natural Resources of the South," and an undated speech delivered while Governor to an agricultural group meeting in Jackson, (Folder 3); an undated campaign broadside concerning Mike Conner and Hugh White, probably from their 1931 race against one another for Governor; an untitled one page paper about and unidentified person listed as Franklin, possibly Lester C. Franklin, unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 1923, 1935, 1939, and 1943; and an untitled speech given sometime in 1938 about agriculture (Folder 1).

Other items include a political announcement by J. S. Love and a speech also by Love, both in 1915, a dismissal certificate of Bilbo's from the "Independent Order of Odd Fellows" for non-payment of dues (1925), a reply of Bilbo's March 11, 1930 speech (Folder 3) by members of the Special Printing Plant Investigation Committee of which Walter Sillers, Jr., future Speaker of the House (1944–1966), was a member, (this reply appeared in the 1930 House Journal, pp. 403–405), and a 1930 political announcement by Lester C. Franklin for Governor in 1931, though he did not run that year (Folder 2).

Arrangement:

  • Folder 1: Undated (6)
    1. Poem, "The Closing Year" by George D. Prentice, 3 pp.
    2. Untitled paper on marriage, signed by John L. Smith, 9 pp.
    3. Paper, "New Investigations Rumored", a satirical view of the Mississippi House of Representatives, 1 p.
    4. Untitled paper, partially typed and handwritten, concerning "Franklin", (possibly Lester C. Franklin, one of Bilbo's opponents for Governor in 1923 and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 1935, 1939, and 1943) 1 p.
    5. Campaign broadside relating to Mike Conner and Hugh White, (probably from their 1931 race against one another for Governor) 2 pp.
    6. Speech, untitled, concerning agriculture
  • Folder 2: Speech, Political Announcements, Committee Reply to Bilbo, Certificate (5)
    1. J. S. Love, "To the Democratic Voters of the Second District of Mississippi" 5 May 1915, 1 p. (Political Announcement)
    2. J. S. Love, speech, "One Year of State Bank Supervision in Mississippi", 1915, 6 pp.
    3. T. G. Bilbo, Dismissal certificate from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 18 March 1925, 1 p.
    4. J. B. Snider, Leon F. Hendrick, and Walter Sillers, Jr., "To The House of Representatives", 18 March 1930, 2 pp. (This item concerns Bilbo's speech in folder 3, dated 11 March 1930). (Appeared in House Journal, 1930, pp. 403–405).
    5. Lester Franklin, "To the People of Mississippi", 1930, 1 p. Political Announcement). (NOTE: Franklin did not run for Governor in 1931).
  • Folder 3: Bilbo Speeches (3).
    1. Undated Speech by Bilbo to agricultural convention, 3 pp.
    2. Speech, 11 March 1930, to House of Representatives, 7 pp.
    3. Speech, "Natural Resources of the South", 1939, 9 pp.
  • Folder 4: Correspondence, Dec. 1933–Jan. 1940 (7).
    1. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 8 Dec. 1933, 1 p.
    2. TLS, Katherine ? to John L. and Kate Smith, 14 September 1939, 1 p.
    3. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 11 Oct. 1939, 1 p.
    4. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 14 Oct. 1939, 1 p.
    5. TLS, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 10 Jan. 1940, 4 pp.
    6. TLS, Theodore Bilbo and Mattie ? to Mrs. John L. (Kate) Smith, 13 Jan. 1940, 1 p.
    7. TLS, Virginia M. Zimmerman to John L. Smith, 17 Jan. 1940, 1 p.
  • Folder 5: Correspondence, Feb. 1940–April 1940 (15)
    1. TN, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 17 Feb. 1940, 1 p.
    2. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 21 Feb. 1940, 3 pp.
    3. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 23 Feb. 1940, 1 p.
    4. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 26 Feb. 1940, 26 Feb. 1940, 1 p.
    5. TN, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 21 Mar. 1940, 4 pp.
    6. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 27 Mar. 1940, 5 pp.
    7. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to R. L. Bradley, 1 Apr. 1940, 1 p.
    8. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 6 Apr. 1940, 3 pp.
    9. TLS, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 11 Apr. 1940, 2 pp.
    10. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 11 Apr. 1940, 3 pp.
    11. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 26 Apr. 1940, 3 pp.
    12. TL, W. W. Ramsey to Theodore G. Bilbo, 26 Apr. 1940, 2 pp.
    13. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 30 Apr. 1940, 3 pp.
  • Folder 6: Correspondence, May 1940–Aug. 1940 (13).
    1. AN, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 2 May 1940, 1 p.
    2. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 18 May, 1940, 2 pp.
    3. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 21 May 1940, 3 pp.
    4. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 28 May 1940, 2 pp.
    5. TN, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 3 June 1940, 1 p.
    6. TN, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 3 June 1940, 1 p.
    7. TLS, Virginia M. Zimmerman to John L. Smith, 5 June 1940, 1 p.
    8. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 6 June 1940, 3 pp.
    9. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 19 June 1940, 2 pp.
    10. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 2 July 1940, 3 pp.
    11. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 6 July 1940, 3 pp.
    12. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 31 July 1940, 1 p.
    13. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 3 Aug. 1940, 1 p.
  • Folder 7: Correspondence, Sept. 1940–Dec. 1940 (10)
    1. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 30 Sept. 1940, 1 p.
    2. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 4 Oct. 1940, 2 pp.
    3. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 4 Oct. 1940, 3 pp.
    4. TLS, George F. James to John L. Smith, 16 Nov. 1940, 1 p.
    5. TL John L. Smith to Addison Foster, 30 Nov. 1940, 2 pp.
    6. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 30 Nov. 1940, 1 p.
    7. TLS, Addison G. Foster to John L. Smith, 3 Dec. 1940, 1 p.
    8. TL, Addison G. Foster to John L. Smith, 3 Dec. 1940, 1 p. (This letter is a copy of the 3 Dec. 1940 TLS.)
    9. TL, John L. Smith to Theodore G. Bilbo, 5 Dec. 1940, 1 p.
    10. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 7 Dec. 1940, 1 p.
  • Folder 8: Correspondence, Feb. 1941–May 1941 (7).
    1. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 19 Feb. 1941, 1 p.
    2. TN, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 26 Feb. 1941, 1 p.
    3. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to John L. Smith, 9 March 1941, 1 p.
    4. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to Mrs. John L. (Kate) Smith, 9 March 1941, 1 p.
    5. TLS, Mattie (?) to John L. Smith, 26 March 1941, 1 p.
    6. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to Mrs. John L. (Kate) Smith (This letter was written in April 1941 though no date appears on the letter. The Sen. Sheppard mentioned in paragraph 4 is Morris Sheppard of Texas who died April 9, 1941.)
    7. TLS, Theodore G. Bilbo to Mrs. John L. (Kate) Smith, 1 May 1941, 1 p.