Francis Donnell Winston (1857-1941) held several positions in North Carolina: he was a lawyer in Windsor, N.C.; clerk of the North Carolina superior court, 1881-1882; member of the North Carolina General Assembly, 1889-1900; a state senator from 1887 to 1889, and served again in the legislature in the late 1920s; a judge of the superior court, 1901-1902 and 1916; lieutenant governor, 1905-1909; United States district attorney, 1913-1916; a trustee of the University of North Carolina and president of the North Carolina Bar Association; and an active Mason and member of the Episcopal Church. Also represented in the papers are Winston's brothers George Tayloe Winston (1852-1932), Patrick Henry Winston (1847-1904), and Robert W. Winston, along with his sister Alice Spruill. The collection contains correspondence, speeches, and photographs of Francis Donnell Winson. The earliest papers are Winston and Kenney family letters, along with business papers, including a few related to the sale of slaves and merchandise in Bertie County, N.C., 1828-1830; as well as commissions, orders, and other material of Dr. S. B. Kenney, Winston's father-in-law, 1863-1882. The bulk of the papers date from the 1890s through the 1930s and consist of Francis Donnell Winston's correspondence relating to his law practice and experiences as a judge, Democratic Party politics and his own campaigns, Masonic and Episcopal Church activities, University of North Carolina alumni activities, Windsor and Bertie County community affairs and history, genealogical inquiries in connection with the Winston and other Bertie County families, speaking engagements, and miscellaneous writings. Other papers reflect Winston's interest in New Deal projects for North Carolina such as the Civilian Conservation Corps camps, Coastal Improvement Organization, the Governor's Farm Debt Adjustment Commission, the educaton of African American children in Bertie County, and his participation on committees for historical, culural, and patriotic celebrations. Also included are scattered letters relating to personal and family matters. Additionally, there are a number of mostly undated speeches given by Francis Donnell Winston, many of which were delivered while he was lieutenant governor of North Carolina. His speeches were given at Masonic groups, civic clubs, church groups, alumni groups at the University of North Carolina, as well as some radio speeches.
