Elmer W. Henderson papers, 1937-2001.

ArchivalResource

Henderson, Elmer W., 1913-2001. Elmer W. Henderson papers, 1937-2001.

Elmer W. Henderson papers, 1937-2001.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/173693872

Papers, 1937-2001, of Elmer Henderson, a Baltimore native and lawyer who served on Roosevelt's Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) (1941-1948) which was responsible for integrating black workers into war industries. The bulk of the collection relates to Henderson's work with the FEPC, principally his role as a regional director in Chicago (1942-1946). Also included are materials from Henderson's work with the Illinois State Commission on the Condition of the Urban Colored population, the American Council on Human Rights (ACHR), and political involvement with the Democratic National Committee and Stevenson's 1956 presidential campaign with regard to African-American issues. While on assignment for the FEPC, Henderson was denied service in a Southern Railways dining car. He complained to the Interstate Commerce Commission and, with the backing of the NAACP, appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1950 the court ruled that segregated dining cars violated the Interstate Commerce Act. In addition to working for the FEPC, Henderson was the executive director of the Illinois State Commission on the Urban Colored Population (1940-1941), the executive director of the American Council on Human Rights (1948-1955) and legal council to the Committee on Government Operations of the U.S. House of Representatives (1955-1982). Henderson taught political science at Howard University and sociology at Dillard University and was an adviser to Adlai Stevenson during his 1956 presidential campaign. The FEPC material includes correspondence, field instructions, press releases, publicity clippings, national minutes, reports, and files of cases with which Henderson was involved. Additionally there is personal and professional correspondence, personal clippings, speeches and writings (including research done for "Black Metropolis"), and reflections on Henderson v. Southern Railways. The photographs depict Henderson's work with the FEPC, portraits of Henderson, and the 40th anniversary celebration of the Henderson v. Southern Railways decision.

3.5 c.f. and16 photographs.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project