SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference records > Office of the Vice President records

Series 3
Office of the Vice President records, 1956-1977
Boxes 168 - 196

Historical Note

The position of Executive Vice President was created in 1965 as Vice President at Large, and was first held by Ralph David Abernathy. The Vice President reported directly to the President, and the duties of the office were primarily administrative. Three men served in the position between 1965 and 1977, when the office was eliminated: Ralph David Abernathy (1965-1968), Andrew J. Young (1968-1970), and Bernard S. Lee (1973-1977). The position was recreated in the late 1990s and occupied by E. Randel T. Osburn, who also served as National Administrator and whose records can be found in Subseries 4.6.

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of the records of the Office of the Executive Vice President from 1958-1977. It includes records from three Vice Presidents, including Vice President at Large Ralph David Abernathy (1965-1968), and Executive Vice Presidents Andrew J. Young (1968-1970), and Bernard S. Lee (1973-1977). The records contain correspondence; office files, including memoranda, meeting minutes and agendas, reports, and other administrative and subject files; and writings by each man. The series reveals the organizational foci of the SCLC during the apex of the Civil Rights Movement and into the 1970s, and also chronicles the financial hardships faced by the organization during this period.

Arrangement Note

Organized into three subseries: (3.1) Ralph David Abernathy files, (3.2) Andrew J. Young files, and (3.3) Bernard S. Lee files.

Description of Subseries

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