Samuel James Ervin, Jr., was a BurkeCounty, N.C., attorney, North Carolina legislator, judge, United States senator, andlong-time champion of civil liberties. Ervin was first appointed to the NorthCarolina General Assembly in 1923, where he also served in 1925 and 1931. After thedeath of his brother Joseph W. Ervin (1901-1945), Ervin was appointed to the Houseof Representatives. In 1954, Ervin was appointed to the United States Senate, wherehe served on the Judiciary Committee, the Rackets Committee (Select Committee onImproper Activities in Labor Management), and the Watergate Committee (SelectCommittee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The Senate Records Subgroup coversErvin's 20-year career in the United States Senate. Significant series include:Series I, Correspondence, consisting chiefly of letters exchanged by Ervin and hisconstituents, colleagues, dignitaries, and various federal officials. Recurringsubjects include agriculture, the state and federal budgets, civil rights, commerce,education, foreign affairs, foreign aid, labor, railroads, social security,veterans, the Vietnam conflict, and the Watergate controversy; Series 2, SubjectFiles, containing printed materials, correspondence, and miscellaneous items ontopics such as agriculture, crime, defense, education, energy, foreign relations,labor, the national economy, the North Carolina economy, taxes, textiles, andWatergate; and Series 4, Political Campaign Files, including correspondence, namesof potential supporters, and financial records documenting Ervin's successfulsenatorial campaigns. Other significant groups include: Series 8, audio discs andpartial transcripts of Ervin's weekly radio program; Series 13, Military Files,consisting primarily of correspondence regarding assistance with military matters,including letters from servicemen and their families concerning discharges,transfers of assignment, combat duty, and medical treatment of veterans; Series 14,Prisoners Files, consisting of correspondence with prisoners in North Carolinaprisons and prisoners with North Carolina connections serving time in federalprisons, concerning parole, transfers, medical treatment, appeals, and prisonconditions; and Series 15, containing audio-visual materials including films andvideo tapes of interviews conducted in conjunction with the PBS documentary, Senator Sam.
