Maxwell, A. J. (Allen Jay), 1873-1946

Allen Jay Maxwell was born January 24, 1873 in Duplin County, N.C. He held a position on the "Goldsboro Argus" and was editor of the "Columbus County News" in Whiteville and of the "Anglo Saxon" in Rockingham before being appointed to a clerkship in the Corporation Commission in 1910. He served as the commissioner of revenue (1929-1942), chairman of the State Tax Commission (1927-1932), member of the Local Government Commission (1931-1942), member of the Constitutional Commission (1931-1932), president of the National Tax Association (1940-1941), and director of the North Carolina Department of Research (1942-1946). He actively campaigned for governor in 1932 and 1940. Maxwell died December 9, 1946.

From the description of Allen Jay Maxwell papers, 1929-1942 [manuscript]. (East Carolina University). WorldCat record id: 285981516

A. J. (Allen Jay) Maxwell (1873-1946), a native of Duplin County, N.C., was a newspaper editor, politician, and state official. He worked in various capacities for multiple publications including the Goldsboro Argus, Wilmington Messenger, Columbus County News, Senate Journal, and the Rockingham County Rocket and Republic, whose name he changed to the Anglo-Saxon . As a public official, he served in numerous agencies and commissions including the Corporation Commission, 1910-1929; State Tax Commission, 1927-1932; Constitution Commission, 1931-1932; Local Government Commission, 1931-1942; Classification Amendment Commission, 1937-1938; National Tax Association, 1940-1941; and North Carolina Department of Tax Research, 1942-1946. He was a prominent member of the Democratic party and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1932 and 1940. In his early journalistic and political endeavors he advocated white supremacy and suffrage disfranchisement. His later political interests included issues of taxation and spending allocation. Maxwell married Della Ward in 1892, and after her 1933 death, Minnie Bradshaw.

From the guide to the A. J. Maxwell Papers, ., 1927-1946, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

North Carolina Commissioner of Revenue, 1929-1942, and director of Department of Tax Research, 1942-1946.

From the description of A. J. Maxwell papers, 1927-1946 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 24997446