Guide to the Armistead L. Boothe collection, 1920-1983

Armistead L. Boothe C0268

Biographical Information

Armistead Lloyd Boothe (1907-1990) was a lawyer and state legislator from Alexandria, Virginia. Boothe attended Episcopal High School, the University of Virginia, and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He and his wife, Elizabeth Peele Boothe, were married in 1934.

Boothe served as a Democratic Virginia state legislator from 1948-1963. He was a prominent member of a group of legislators known as the "Young Turks" who opposed the entrenched establishment politicians of Virginia government. As noted in a 1970 news release, "he became perhaps best known for his consistent political fight, from 1954 on, to keep the public schools of the State open" after Virginia threatened to eliminate the mandate for public schools in order to oppose the Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision requiring school integration.

Boothe also served as a trustee of Colonial Williamsburg. A lifelong Episcopalian, he left politics and the law in 1970 to serve as the Director of Development at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Boothe died in 1990.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content

The collection documents the life and political career of Armistead L. Boothe from his school days in Alexandria, Virginia, in the early 1920s to his role as Director of Development at Virginia Theological Seminary in the 1970s and his retirement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Included are certificates, a few photos, and a letter from Boothe's time as a student at Episcopal High School and the University of Virginia, travel and bank documents from his time in England in the 1920s and 1930s, and newspaper articles, speeches and writings, press releases, campaign materials, and correspondence from his days as a lawyer, politician, and director of development at Virginia Theological Seminary. Of particular interest is a 1969 letter to the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who was killed in the accident at Chappaquiddick in Ted Kennedy's car. Also included in the collection are Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia briefs dating from the 1940s to the 1960s, as well as correspondence, agendas, news articles, etc, from Boothe's role as a trustee of Colonial Williamsburg.

Return to the Table of Contents

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the order in which it was received. Photos and travel/school documents were grouped together by the processing archivist.

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the Armistead L. Boothe collection must be obtained from Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Return to the Table of Contents

Index Terms

Persons:

Geographical Names:

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Armistead L. Boothe collection, #C0268, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated to George Mason University Libraries before 2008.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in June 2015. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in June 2015.

Return to the Table of Contents

Related Material

The University of Virginia's Special Collections holds additional Armistead L. Boothe papers.

Return to the Table of Contents

Bibliography

Return to the Table of Contents

Contents List