Papers arranged in four series: Public Papers, Personal Papers, Clippings, and Audiovisual materials. majority of the collection consists of Public Papers from 1953 through 1966 when Morrah served in the South Carolina State Senate. Personal Papers chiefly document Morrah's political campaigns, notably his pursuit of a circuit judgeship, 1961 to 1962, and his 1966 bid for the U. S. Senate. Clippings touch upon his WWII years and cover his 1966 Senate race in depth. Public Papers are consist of General Papers and Topical Files. General Papers chiefly consists of correspondence with constituents, colleagues, and Greenville's municipal managers relating to politics, pending legislation, and other matters, including one of Morrah's earliest successes, the financing and development of the Greenville Spartanburg Airport, one of the state's first regional facilities serving commercial and corporate jet aircraft. Included are early planning documents and correspondence, 1957 to 1966, documenting the fight between the airport's backers and foes. Public Papers also documents the purchase of Donaldson Air Force Base from the United States government and its conversion into an industrial park occupied by private businesses and industrial plants. Correspondence and management committee reports from 1960 to 1966 illustrate the process; other topics discussed include Local Option, 1953-1966 (term used for allowing voters to determine the sale of alcohol on a county by county basis), to election law, education, and voting reform. Constituent correspondence reflects impact of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity in Greenville County, as well as the social changes and the growing influence of the civil rights movement. The Correctional Facilities file provides insight into the links between Greenville County's system of prison camps and chain gangs and the local highway department. Letters in the file also document citizens' concerns with the conditions under which the prisoners lived. Personal Papers are chiefly composed of campaign records, from 1952, 1960, 1962, 1966, and 1968. The 1952 file contains campaign speeches in draft and finished forms, a large amount of opposition research, clippings, and visual materials. The elections of 1962 and 1966 are the most extensively documented campaigns. Files reflect Morrah's desire to be elected to two very different positions, the first, election by his fellow Senators to a Circuit judgeship in 1962, and the second, election by South Carolina's citizens to the United States Senate. Both efforts ultimately failed. The 1966 campaign file contains documentation of campaign strategy, fund raising tactics, and stump schedules. Of particular interest is extensive opposition research on Strom Thurmond's Senate voting record and lively speculation as to how brief Thurmond's Senate career was likely to be. Personal papers also contain notes relating to a trip to Antarctica made by Morrah and other public figures in 1960, and a limited quantity of family papers, 1947-1966, and Citadel correspondence, 1949-1966. Clippings, 1941-1983, document Morrah's military service in World War II and political career; audiovisual material consists of an audiotape of John Culbertson, Morrah's opponent in the 1966 primary election; a 1959 speech by Bob Jones, Sr.; and small collection of photos [contact SC Political Collections for details].
