John William Harden (1903-1985) of Greensboro, N.C., was a journalist, newspaper editor, author, advisor to North Carolina governors and textile executives, and founder of the state's first full-service public relations company. The collection contains materials, 1914-1986, including business records, correspondence, writings, speeches and speech materials, administrative records, newspaper clippings, diaries, scrapbooks, photograph albums, family papers, sound recordings, and videocassettes relating to John Harden. Business records of John Harden Associates include information about businesses and other organizations in North Carolina and the South and the public relations services Harden provided to them. Major clients included North Carolina National Bank (NCNB), the North Carolina Fish Processors Association (promoting the menhaden fishing industry), Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, and the Tryon Palace. Other files document Harden's employment as a public relations executive with Burlington Industries, Inc., and Cannon Mills Company. Many of the Cannon Mills files reflect Harden's efforts to improve the company's image in the light of its opposition to union organizing activities. Also included are files related to Harden's political activities as a Democrat; his work as secretary to Governor Robert Gregg Cherry; his work in Hugh Morton's 1972 gubernatorial campaign; and his work promoting North Carolina businesses, especially during the administration of Governor Luther H. Hodges. Harden's work as a journalist and his interest in North Carolina folklore and ghost stories and his collection and publication of (1949) and (1954) are also documented. Harden's personal papers include correspondence about his experiences as a student at the University of North Carolina in the 1920s and about his work with the Episcopal Church in North Carolina. The Devil's Tramping Ground, and Other North Carolina Mystery Stories Tar Heel Ghosts
