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Finding Aids >> MUM00082

Finding-Aid for the Ross A. Collins Collection. (MUM00082)

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This collection is stored at an off-site facility. Researchers interested in using this collection must contact Archives and Special Collections at least two business days in advance of their planned visit.


Descriptive Summary
PURL:
http://purl.oclc.org/umarchives/MUM00082/
Creator:
Collins, Ross Alexander, 1880-1968.
Title:
Ross A. Collins Collection.
Inclusive Dates:
1913-1940s
Bulk Dates:
1930-1939
Materials in:
English
Abstract:
The Ross A. Collins Collection contains one large scrapbook of photographs, certificates, and political cartoons dating primarily from the 1930s and 1940s. It also includes correspondence and clippings related to Collins role in passing legislation appropriating funds for the 1930 purchase of the Vollbehr Collection of Incunabula for the Library of Congress.
Quantity:
2 boxes (3 linear feet).
Number:
MUM00082
Location:
Library Annex
Repository :
The University of Mississippi
J.D. Williams Library
Department of Archives and Special Collections
P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848, USA
Phone: 662.915.7408
Fax: 662.915.5734
E-Mail: archive@olemiss.edu
URL: https://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/archives/
Cite as:
Ross A. Collins Collection. University of Mississippi Dept. of Archives and Special Collections.Ross A. Collins Collection. (MUM00082). The Department of Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library, The University of Mississippi.

 Collection Outline
Correspondence & Miscellaneous.
Scrapbook and Oversized Items.

Biographical Note
Ross Alexander Collins was born in Collinsville in Lauderdale County, Mississippi on 25 April 1880. He attended the public schools in Meridian and the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College in Starkville, Mississippi. In 1900, Collins graduated from the University of Kentucky at Lexington. One year after completing the law program at the University of Mississippi in 1901, he passed the state bar and opened a law practice in Meridian. Collins married Alfreda Grant of Meridian in 1904, and they had two children.
A Democrat, Collins served as the state's attorney general from 1912 to 1920. A biographical sketch from that period described Collins as "very active in enforcing the anti-trust laws, has always labored for the cause of Prohibition, and all measures that affect the good of the State." An unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1919, the fifth district of Mississippi elected the Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served from 1921 to 1935. In 1934, Collins ran an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senator against Theodore G. Bilbo. Collins returned to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1937 and remained until 1943. In 1941, he lost another senate race (this time to Wall Doxey), and he failed to gain the Democratic Party's nomination for that post in 1942 (James O. Eastland eventually won that race).
Collins became chairman of the House Subcommittee for War Department Appropriations and advocated greater funding for air power and weaponry mechanization rather than reliance on troop strength -- an agenda at odds with many military leaders at the time. He generally receives credit for passage of legislation that funded development of the Flying Fortress B-17 bomber. Although mild-mannered, Collins was a master of political satire. Of his battle with the War Department, Collins once stated "We couldn't get any money for research and prototypes, so I kept scratching around for loose funds. We found eight or 10 million dollars, most of it allocated for hay and fodder for Army mules. And we detoured that to the mechanization of the Army. Isn't that something? Hay and fodder."
A Presbyterian, Collins was also a member of the Freemasons, the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and Woodmen of the World. After completing his last term in the House of Representatives, Collins resumed his law practice. He campaigned unsuccessfully for Bilbo's senate seat in 1946, and four years later he lost his challenge for the seat of U.S. Representative Arthur Winstead. After his first wife died in the late 1950s, Collins married Lura Harrison, his secretary for twenty-seven years. She died in February of 1968. The former congressman died on 14 July 1968, and his grave is in Meridian's Magnolia Cemetery. Collins was survived by his daughter, Jane Corwin of Littleton, CO, and his son, Melville Collins of Washington, DC. Meridian named a vocational school and a stadium after the former politician.

Scope and Contents Note
The Ross A. Collins Collection consists of two boxes. Box 1 primarily contains copies of correspondence regarding Collins' role in the 1930 Library of Congress purchase of the Vollbehr Collection of Incunabula. Collins sponsored the legislation necessary for the $1,500,000 payment to German book dealer Otto Heinrich Friedrich Vollbehr for 3,000 books printed before 1500. Box 2 contains a scrapbook maintained by Collins that includes numerous inscribed photographs of presidents, congressmen, administrators, military men, businessmen, and inventors.

Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Open.
This collection is stored at an off-site facility. Researchers interested in using this collection must contact Archives and Special Collections at least two business days in advance of their planned visit.
phone: (662) 915-7408
e-mail: archive@olemiss.edu
Use Restriction
Users of the collections must fill out completely and abide by the conditions of the University of Mississippi Archives and Special Collections Researcher Registration Form.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Related Materials
Related Material at the University of Mississippi:
Ross A. Collins. Alaska: Speech of Hon. Ross A. Collins of Mississippi in the House of Representatives, June 29, 1942 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1942). Call number: F909 C65 1942.
____________. Congress Has Consistently Favored Increased Appropriations for National Defense: Speech of Hon. Ross A. Collins (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1942). Call number: UA23.6 C65 1942.
____________. The Acropolis of America: An Address before the House of Representatives, April 4, 1940, by Ross Collins (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, [1940]). Call number: Z732 D62 C7.
____________. The Vollbehr Collection of Incunabula: Speech of Ross A. Collins of Mississippi in the House of Representatives, Friday, February 7, 1930 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1930). Call number: Z241 C6 V6
Edward L. Stone. The Great Gutenberg Bible (Roanoke, VA: Press of the Stone Printing and Manufacturing Company, 1930). Note: Forward by Ross A. Collins. Call number: Z241 G9.
James O. Eastland Collection, File Series 1, Subseries 19, Box 7, Folders 7-15 & 7-16 contain material related to the 1942 campaign race for the U.S. Senate seat between Collins and Wall Doxey.
Related Sources Held Elsewhere
The Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress holds the papers of Ross A. Collins. Largely documenting his congressional years, the sixty-seven containers of material date from 1880 to 1968.
Material related to Collins appears in the Theodore G. Bilbo Papers at the William David McCain Library and Archives at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Correspondence with Collins appears in the William Hoynes Papers at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
A collection entitled the "Vollbehr Collection of Incunabula: Information Related to Its Purchase by the Library of Congress" is at the Grolier Club in New York, NY. Collins sponsored the 1930 legislation permitting the Library of Congress to purchase the collection of 3,000 books printed before 1500 for $1,500,000 from Otto Heinrich Friedrich Vollbehr. This Grolier Club collection (one box) includes correspondence from Collins.
The Elisabeth Gilman Papers at Johns Hopkins University contains articles and speeches by Collins.
Material related to Collins is present in the Records of the Committee on Militarism in Education, 1925-1940, Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Scholarly Resources microfilm edition.

Collection History
Source of Collection
Ross A. Collins donated the collection to the University of Mississippi in 1962.
Processing Information
Leigh McWhite, Political Papers Archivist, revised the finding aid in 2006.

Bibliography
Associated Press. "Political Legend Dead at 88" Jackson Daily News (15 July 1968): A20.
Ross A. Collins. "Do We Want a Mass Army" Reader's Digest 38 (June 1941): 1-9.
____________. "Wanted for the American Army: Youthful Leadership and Promotion by Merit" Reader's Digest 38 (July 1941): 12-17.
Congressional Biographical Directory at http://bioguide.congress.gov.
"Ex-Congressman Collins Dies in Meridian at 88" Jackson Clarion Ledger (15 July 1968): 1 & 18.
Sam Dawson McDonald. "The Civil Thorn: Congressman Ross Collins and the American Military, 1921-1943" (M.A. Thesis; University of Southern Mississippi, 1995).
William J. Tehan, III. "Douglas MacArthur -- An Administrative Biography," (Ph.D. dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002), pp. 175 & 191.

Box and Folder List

Correspondence & Miscellaneous.
b1 f1
Copies of 1930 correspondence to and from Collins, re: Volbehr Collection. 28 items..
b1 f2
Copies of 1930 correspondence to and from Collins, re: Volbehr Collection. 40 items..
b1 f3
Copies of 1930 correspondence to and from Collins, re: Volbehr Collection. 37 items..
b1 f4
Copies of 1930 correspondence to and from Collins, re: Volbehr Collection. 28 items..
b1 f5
Copies of 1930 correspondence to and from Collins, re: Volbehr Collection. 53 items..
b1 f6
Photographic reproduction of handwritten inscription from H.H. Arnold, Chief of the Air Corps: "Dear Collins / You brought into / being the Flying / Fortress - with its / crew of 8 or 10 / Arnold.". 1 item.
b1 f7
Copy typed letter signed from L. Quincy Mumford, Librarian of Congress, to Collins, re: thanks for donation of scrapbooks documenting the purchase of the Volbehr Collection.. 1 item.
b1 f8
Typed manuscript entitled "Pictures at the Cabin," re: descriptions of pictures and photographs of airplanes and Collins; 2 pages. Typed letter signed dated 29 October 1962 from Collins to Professors Fortenberry & Willis at the University of Mississippi, re: same information as in above manuscript. 3 pages.
b1 f9
Newspaper clippings: Associated Press, "'Pay Good Teachers More Than Senators'"; Miami News (22 January 1963): A3; Dick Nellius, "Little Man's Vision Helped to Win a War"; Miami News (6 January 1963), re: Collins' fight to build the Air Corps, Collins writing a book, Volbehr Collection.. 3 items.

Scrapbook and Oversized Items.
b2
Scrapbook.
Scope Note: The scrapbook is 12 1/2" x 19 1/4" with ahinged and post binding. It contains 94 pages ofphotographs and ephemera attached with a glue adhesive andincludes handwritten notations by Ross Collins regarding thebackground of some of the srapbook's contents.
Listing of items on Scrapbook pages.
Item Description
Page 1: Black and white portrait photograph of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (8 ½ x 11; Harris & Ewing photographers; 1930s). Inscribed: "For Ross Collins / from his friend / Franklin D. Roosevelt."
Page 2: Black and white portrait photograph of President Harry S. Truman (8 ½ x 11; 1930s). Inscribed: "Kindest regards to Ross A. Collins / Harry Truman."
Page 3: Black and white portrait photograph of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (8 x 10; 1950s). Inscribed: "To the Honorable Ross Collins / with best wishes / Dwight D. Eisenhower."
Page 4: Black and white photograph of Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, walking toward an armored vehicle with A.P. Burger, a Scotland Yard agent, and two unidentified men in the background (13 x 10, 1941). Inscribed: "Scotland Yard Agent"; "A.P. Buguor"; and "London Blitz / 1941 / To / Hon. Ross A. Collins / from / Your friend / A.P. Buguor."
Page 5: Black and white portrait photograph of Cordell Hull, Secretary of State in the Roosevelt Administration (8 x 10; Harris & Ewing photographers). Inscribed: "To Hon. Ross A. Collins, / with high personal esteem / Mar. 4, 1937 Cordell Hull." Handwritten notation in scrapbook below.
Page 6: Black and white portrait photograph of Harry H. Woodbury, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt administration (7 ½ x 11 ½). Inscribed: "Cordial good wishes for one I have / come to know as a friend -- / the Hon. Ross A. Collins -- / Harry H. Woodbury -- / May 1 - 1937." Handwritten notations in scrapbook above and below.
Page 7: Black and white portrait photograph of Henry L. Stevenson, Secretary of War (8 x 11 1/2; 1940s). Inscribed: "To Hon Ross A Collins / with best wishes from / Henry L. Stevenson." Handwritten notations in scrapbook below.
Page 7: Black and white portrait photograph of Claude R. Wickard, Secretary of Agriculture (8 x 11 1/2; 1940s). Inscribed: "To my friend, Ross Collins / With Sincere Regards / Claude R. Wickard." Handwritten notations in scrapbook below.
Page 8: Black and white portrait photograph of Harry Hopkins, Administrator of the Works Progress Administration (8 x 11; 1930s). Inscribed: "To Ross Collins / with my highest / regard / Henry Hopkins." Handwritten notations in scrapbook below.
Page 8: Black and white portrait photograph of Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior (7 ¼ x 9 ¾ ). Inscribed: "With regards to my friend, / Congressman Ross A. Collins. / Harold Ickes." Handwritten notations in scrapbook below.
Page 9: Black and white photograph of four sitting men identified in handwriting on the photograph as (left to right): Delano, Farley, Charles Michelson, and "Chip" Roberts (11 x 14). Inscribed: "Election __ Conference / 11-2-36 ____ / Chip Robt."
Page 10: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative Joseph Byrns of Tennessee and Speaker of the House for the 74th Congress (7 x 10). Inscribed: "To my dear friend, / Hon. Ross. Collins, / with affectionate regard, / Joseph Byrns / Speaker 74th Congress." Handwritten notations on scrapbook below.
Page 10: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative William B. Bankhead of Alabama and Speaker of the House for the 74th & 75th Congresses (9 ¼ x 11 ¾ ; Harris & Ewing photographers). Inscribed: "To my friend and comrade of many years in / the House Ross Collins with affectionate regard, / Aug. 1937 / Wm. B. Bankhead." Handwritten notations on photograph.
Page 11: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative Joseph W. Martin, Jr. of Massachusetts and Speaker of the House for the 80th & 83rd Congresses. (8 x 10; Greystone Studios Inc. in New York; 1940). Inscribed: "To my good friend / Ross Collins / With my good wishes / Joseph W. Martin Jr." Handwritten notations on scrapbook below.
Page 11: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative John W. McCormack of Massachusetts and Speaker of the House for the 87th - 91st Congresses (7 x 9 ½). Inscribed: "To Ross Collins - A Great American -- / From his friend John W. McCormack." Handwritten notations on scrapbook below.
Page 12: Black and white portrait photograph of unknown (7 x 10 ½; Ewing & Harris photographers). Inscription: illegible.
Page 12: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative John Q. Tilson of Connecticut and Speaker of the House for the 69th -71st Congresses (7 x 9). Handwritten notations above and below in scrapbook including "Inscription on mat of this picture was 'To Ross Collins, my esteemed friend and colleague in Congress - John Q. Tilson.'"
Page 13: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Senator Pat Harrison from Mississippi (7 x 9). Inscribed: "To my good friend / and colleague, Ross / Collins - with / every good / wish. / Pat Harrison." Page 13: Black and white portrait photograph of Ross Collins (7 x 9). Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 14: Black and white portrait photograph of U.S. Representative Dan McGehee of Mississippi (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To my good friend / Ross Collins. / from / Dan R. McGehee." Handwritten notation on bottom of photograph.
Page 14: Black and white portrait photograph of Mississippi Governor J.P. Coleman (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To my good / friend / Hon. Ross A. / Collins, with / the good wishes / of J.P. Coleman." Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 15: Black and white portrait photograph of Dr. B. F. Ward, advisor to Mississippi Governor James K. Vardaman (9 x 11). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 15: Black and white photographic replication of a painted portrait of U.S. Representative Edward T. Taylor of Colorado and Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in 75th - 77th Congresses. Typed statement with handwritten signature "To my friend and colleague of the Appropriations Committee, Ross A. Collins, with all good wishes, and a replica of a painting hanging on the wall of our office in the U.S. Capitol Building. Edward T. Taylor. August 5, 1939. Chairman, 75th & 76th Congresses.
Page 16: Black and white portrait photograph of Lane Powers, U.S. Representative from New Jersey (8 x 10). Handwritten notations above and below on scrapbook including "Inscription on mat of the picture: 'To Ross Collins - a good friend, a fine legislator. D. Lane Powers '40."
Page 16: Black and white portrait photograph of Alfred K. Nippert, a benefactor of the University of Mississippi (8 x 10). Inscribed: "Cincinnati - Ohio / March 1940 / To my good & true friend / Ross A. Collins / from his old Ohio admirer / Alfred K. Nippert." Handwritten notation on photograph.
Page 17: Black and white portrait photograph of General George Marshall (8 x 10 ½). Inscribed: "To the Honorable Ross A. Collins, with warm regards, / April 3, 1940 / G. Marshall." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 17: Black and white portrait photograph of General Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff to the Allied Chiefs of Staff in World War II (8 x 10). Inscribed: "For my ______ / friend Ross A. Collins / affection and ____ / ____ / Bedell Smith." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 18: Black and white portrait photograph of General Malin Craig, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To the Honorable Ross Collins / with every good wish / Malin Craig." Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 18: Black and white photograph of General H.H. "Hap" Arnold, Chief of U.S. Air Forces, dressed in flight suit on top of a plane (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To / Hon. Ross A. Collins / with best regards. / H.H. Arnold / Brig. Gen. A.C. / 5-20-38." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 19: Black and white portrait photograph of General B.D. Foulois, Chief of U.S. Air Corps (7 x 9 ½). Inscribed: "To the Advocate of a / Modern Army!! / B.D. Foulois / Major General Air Corps / Chief of Air Corps / U.S. Army / May 1933." Handwritten notations above in scrapbook.
Page 19: Black and white portrait photograph of General Frank M. Andrews of the U.S. Air Corps. Inscribed: "To Mr. Ross A. Collins / Best regards/ Sincerely / Frank M. Andrews / Maj. Genl. A.C. / July 1, 1937." Handwritten notation on photograph.
Page 20: Black and white portrait photograph of General George Leach, commander of the 34th Division in World War I, Chief of the U.S. National Guards, and mayor of Minneapolis (7 x 9). Inscribed: "To the Honorable Ross A. Collins a distinguished / ________ and my friend. / George C. Leach / Chief of the Militia _____"
Page 20: Black and white portrait photograph of General William Porter, Chief of Chemical Warfare Service (8 x 10). Inscribed: "For Ross Collins / The Army's good friend / -- and mine. / William Porter -- / Major General / Chief of the Chemical / Warfare Service / 1942." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 21: Black and white portrait photograph of General John Gulick, Chief of Coast Artillery (8 ½ x 11 ½). Inscribed: "For Hon. Ross A. Collins - with / best wishes -- / John W. Gulick / Maj. Genl. Chief C.A. / 4-28-33." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 21: Black and white portrait photograph of General Brehon B. Somerville (11 ½ x 7). Inscribed: "For Ross Collins M.C. / With best regards / Brehon Somerville." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 22: Black and white portrait photograph of General Fredrick Coleman, Chief of Finance (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To my good friend / Ross Collins with my / sincere regards / Frederick _. Coleman / Chief of Finance / 25. Dec. 1933."
Page 22: Black and white portrait photograph of unidentified general (8 ½ x 11). Inscribed: "To the / Hon. Ross A. Collins / -- a strong friend of the / Chemical Warfare Service / _____ _____ / Maj. Gen. Chief C.W.S."
Page 23: Black and white portrait photograph of General John H. Williams ( 7 ½ x 9 ½; Signal Corps, U.S. Army). Page 23: Black and white portrait photograph of C.J.A. Mackenzie-Kennedy, an aviation pioneer in Russia and Britain. Inscribed: "To The Honorable Ross A. Collins / from his sincerely / C.J.A. Mackenzie-Kennedy. / 4th December, 1935." Handwritten notation on top of photograph.
Page 24: Black and white portrait photograph of Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Mississippi Choctaw, with Ross A. Collins (7 x 9; c.1945). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 24: Black and white portrait photograph of Robert Fleming, President of Riggs National Bank in Washington, DC (8 x 10; Underwood & Underwood in Washington, DC). Inscribed: "To my friend Hon. Ross A. Collins with warmest / regards of Robert Fleming."
Page 25: Black and white portrait photograph of B.H. Liddell Hart, British advocate of a modern military system (4 x 6 1/2; Lafayette). Inscribed: "Sincerely yours / B.H. Liddell Hart / 7.2.33." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook. Page 25: Black and white portrait photograph of John Vance, Law Librarian for the Library of Congress (7 x 9; Chase in Washington, DC). Inscribed: "To Ross Collins/ from his old friend and admirer / John Vance / Dec 1942 / Washington." Handwritten notation on top of photograph.
Page 26: Black and white photograph of Robert Craig, Assistant Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration (7 ½ x 9 ½). Inscribed: "To / Judge Ross C. / whose friendship / is one of my / treasures/ Sincerely / "Bob" C." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 26: Black and white portrait photograph of A.P. Buquor, inventor of the chassis for French 75 millimeter gun (3 x 7; Harris & Ewing). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 27: Black and white portrait photograph of Bernard Rodins, businessman and philanthropist (8 x 10; Chase in Washington, DC). Handwritten notations above and below on scrapbook including "The inscription on mat of this picture was: 'To my good friend, Ross Collins - 1948 'Bernard Rodins.'"
Page 27: Black and white portrait photograph of Robert N. Montgomery, businessman and founder of Fairchild Garden in Coconut Grove, Florida (9 x 6). Handwritten notations above and below including "The inscription on mat of this picture was: 'To Hon. Ross A. Collins, with warmest regards. Robt N. Montgomery. April 5, 1940.'"
Page 28: Black and white photograph of seven seated men around a conference table described in notation as "War Policies Commission of which I was a member" (9 ½ x 7 ½). Handwritten notation below in scrapbook.
Page 29: Black and white photograph of five seated men described in notations as "An Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, House of Representatives" (7 x 9). Handwritten notation below in scrapbook.
Page 30: Black and white photograph of twelve men seated around a conference table described in notations as "A War Department Appropriations Subcommittee, House of Representatives" (8 x 10). Handwritten notation below in scrapbook.
Page 31: Black and white photograph of men around a conference table, printed on photograph as "House Sub-Committee on Army Appropriations, Starting Hearings June 15, 1942, on $42,000,000,000 for Fiscal Year 1943, (Left to right) First 10 Members of my Committee. Lt. Gen. J.T. McNarney, Deputy Chief of Staff. Lt. Gen. Brehon B. Somervelt, Commanding General Army Service Forces" (8 x 10; 1942).
Page 32: Black and white photograph of three standing men (left to right): Roy Woodruff (U.S. Representative from Michigan), Ross A. Collins, and L.R. Lohr (President of NBC) (6 ½ x 10). Handwritten notations on photograph.
Page 32: Black and white photograph of men in a conference room with Ross Collins and Al Key (pilot who flew one of the first Flying Fortress bombers to the Pacific during World War II) probably a meeting of the House War Appropriations Subcommittee (6 ½ x 10). Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 33: Black and white photograph of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy standing at attention with General Conner and Ross A. Collins (6 x 8). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 33: Black and white photograph of three men in front of a helicopter (left to right): Ross A. Collins, Buell Snyder (U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania), & George Herman Mahon (U.S. Representative from Texas) (8 x 10). Handwritten notation on photograph: "The new Pitcarin auto-Gyro in Bolling Field, Feby 5, 1941. Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 34: Black and white photograph of General Porter, Ross A. Collins, and others reviewing troops at Edgewood Arsenal, Chemical Warfare (7 ½ x 10). Handwritten notation on bottom of photograph.
Page 34: Black and white photograph of General Porter, Ross A. Collins, and others reviewing troops at Edgewood Arsenal (7 ½ x 10). Handwritten notations on photograph.
Page 35: Black and white photograph of men, including Jim Farley and Ross A. Collins, standing outside a building; described in notations as "With the Farley Party in Mississippi" (7 ½ x 10). Handwritten notations on photograph and above on scrapbook.
Page 35: Black and white photograph of men standing in front of a car with a crowd in the background (left to right): A.C. Griffin, N.T. Pate, Ross A. Collins, J.A. Farley, Walter Lee, Tom Brady, Dan McGehee, S.W. ________ (7 ½ x 10). Handwritten notations on photograph and above on scrapbook.
Page 36: Black and white photograph of Collins inscribing a book (8 x 10).
Page 36: Typed Victory Book Campaign press release, re: Ross A. Collins presenting an autographed copy of Winston Churchill's Blood, Sweat, and Tears to the book campaign, Collins as military expert and author of military manuals, Collins as recipient of an honorary membership in the American Library Association.
Page 37: Black and white photograph of Collins presenting Blood, Sweat, and Tears to Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith, Executive Chairman of the Victory Book Campaign of the District of Columbia (8 x 10).
Page 37: Typed Victory Book Campaign press release, re: duplicate of above press release with addition of description of photograph of Mrs. Smith receiving the book.
Page 38: Newspaper clipping of editorial cartoon with caption "Every Twenty-Five Years?," re: war in Europe. Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 38: Newspaper clipping of editorial cartoon with caption "Courage" by Orr at the Chicago Tribune (1943), re: women on the homefront.
Page 39: Black and white photograph of five framed portrait photographs of Chairmen of the War Department Appropriations Subcommittee: D.R. Anthony, Jr. (U.S. Representative from Kansas and Chairman from 1921 to 1927), H.E. Barbour (U.S. Representative from California and Chairman from 1928 to 1930), Ross Collins (Chairman from 1931 to 1934), Tilman B. Parks (U.S. Representative from Arkansas and Chairman from 1935 to 1937), J. Buell Snyder (U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania and Chairman from 1937 to 194-). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 40: Black and white photograph of artillery weapon, printed on photograph "Ordnance Department, A.P.G. / 29464 - 10/20/32. / 75 m/m Gun Carriage, / Model 1897, MI, E7." (9 ½ x 7 ½; 1932). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook: "The Buquor Adapter, our first mechanized weapon."
Page 41: Black and white photograph of a tank (9 x 7). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook: "The Christie Tank. And it took a long time - several years to put it in the Army."
Page 42: Black and white photograph of a Christie tank (9 x 7). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 43: Black and white photograph of a Christie tank (10 x 13 ½). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 44: Black and white photograph of American troops marching over hills in North Africa (8 x 10). Handwritten notation above in scrapbook.
Page 45: Black and white photograph of Collins in front of a map of the Pacific Theater during a World War II press conference (7 x 9). Handwritten notation above in scrapbook.
Page 46: Black and white photograph of Collins and Al Key in uniform on the steps of the Capitol upon Key's return from the Pacific (8 x 10). Handwritten notation below in scrapbook.
Page 47: Black and white photograph of Collins and other men seated at a banquet table (12 ½ x 9).
Page 48: Black and white photograph of groundbreaking ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Washington, DC (left to right): John H. Overton, Collins, and two unidentified men (11 x 14). Handwritten notations on photograph.
Page 49: Black and white photograph described in print on the photograph as "Congressman Colmer's Shrimp Luncheon Sponsored by the City of Biloxi, Miss., and the Biloxi Seafood Association. Speaker's Dining Room, U.S. Capitol Building, Apr. 27. 1938" (10 x 18; Capitol Photo Service; 1938).
Page 50: Black and white photograph described in print on the photograph as "Mississippi Congressional Delegation Luncheon Given in honor of Gov. Paul B. Johnson and party, Carlton Hotel, January 19, 1941, Washington, D.C." (9 x 12; Tenschert Photo; 1941).
Page 51: Black and white photograph of Pat Harrison, Collins, and other Mississippians on Ship Island in the Gulf Coast (9 x 12). Handwritten notation on photograph.
Page 52: Black and white photograph of David P. Kahanamoku on sufboard. Inscribed: "'Aloha Nui Loa' / To: / Honorable Ross A. Collins / From / David P. Kahanamoku / Honolulu, T. H. / July 12, 1935." Handwritten notation on photograph.
Page 53: Copy of a sketch of the Washington Public Library by A.L. Kundzin (June 1940). Attached below with staples is a typed document: "Transmitted to Representative Ross A. Collins by the trustees of the Washington Public Library with grateful appreciation of his sympathetic, vigorous and effective advocacy, to which the new central public library building owes its birth."; Signed by Theodore W. Noyers.
Page 54: Black and white photograph of Collins and others at a City League baseball game (8 x 10). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook: "My old friend Tom O'Donnell of O'Donnell's Restaurants in Washington, D.C. asked me to pitch the first ball in the City League of which his restaurants was a member. This is a picture of O'Donnell, some of his friends, and me as I was about to pitch a very fast curve - R.A.C."
Page 55: Black and white portrait photograph of D. McCoach, Jr. (8 x 11; Shelburne in New York). Inscribed: "To my friend / Hon. Ross Collins, M.C. / D. McCoach Jr. / Engineer Commissioner, D.C."
Page 56: Paper reproduction of a portrait photograph of Melvin C. Hayes, member of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia. Inscribed: "To my good friend / Ross A. Collins / with best wishes / Melvin C. Hayes / May 24-38." Handwritten notation below in scrapbook.
Page 56: Black and white portrait photograph of General Dan Sulton, Engineer Commissioner in DC (8 x 10). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook includes "Sultan was originally from Mississippi.
Page 57: Black and white portrait photograph of Dan Donovan, Auditor and Budget Officer of DC (7 x 9). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 57: Black and white portrait photograph of Elwood Real [?], Corporation Counsel in DC (8 x 10; Underwood & Underwood in Washington, DC). Inscribed: "With sincere good wishes / to my friend Ross Collins / April 4 1939 Elwood Real." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 58: Black and white portrait photograph of Ed. Dent, District of Columbia Tax Assessor (7 x 10 ½; Harris & Ewing). Inscribed: "With best wishes to my good friend / Ross Collins / from / Dumb-Berry Ed. Dent." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 58: Black and white portrait photograph of Ronald Hart, D.C. Corporation Counsel & attorney (7 x 10 ½; Harris & Ewing). Inscribed: "To my true friend / Hon. Ross A. Collins / Ronald Hart." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 59: Black and white portrait photograph of George F. Bowerman, former Librarian of the District of Columbia (8 x 10). Inscribed: "To the Honorable Ross A. Collins / Best friend of libraries / and my very good friend / 21 March 1939 George F. Bowerman." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 59: Black and white portrait photograph of Carr Collins, Chairman of the Board of Fidelity Union Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas (8 x 10; Gittings). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 60: Black and white photograph of five guests at President Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthday (8 x 10; circa late 1930s). Inscribed: "Yours truly / C.C. Pettijohn"; "Hello Ross / Eleanor Powell"; "To Ross Collins / Dearly / ??"; "For Ross Collins / ???? / Carter J. Barron"; and "To Melville / Sincerely / Andrea Seeds." Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 61: Black and white portrait photograph of Maureen O'Hara; her husband, Will Price; their baby; and a dog (8 x 10; circa 1940s). Faint, illegible inscription.
Page 62: Black and white photograph of Ross Collins seated in front of NBC microphone as he spoke on national radio about Army mechanization and defense on 30 June 1941 (8 x 10; 1941).
Page 62: Copy of a black and white photograph of Jed Johnson shaking hands with a seated Franklin D. Roosevelt; inscribed "To Jed Johnson / from his friend / Franklin D. Roosevelt" (4 x 6). Copy inscribed: "To my good friend, Ross Collins - Jed Johnson / 1940."
Page 63: Black and white photograph of Ross Collins standing with "Wild Bill" Sullivan of Sullivan's Hollow near Mize, Mississippi; photograph taken at a picnic in Lingle, Mississippi in northern Smith County (7 x 9 ½). Handwritten notation on photograph: "Kodak photo / by Marion Clifton / Forest, Miss. Enlarged / in Wash., D.C." Handwritten notation to the right on scrapbook. Pasted to the left on the scrapbook is a typed transcript of newspaper article "King of Sullivan's Hollow, Victor in Many Feuds, Dead"
Page 64: Black and white photograph of a "Flying Fortress" flying over a mountain range. Handwritten notation below on scrapbook (8 x 10; circa 1940s).
Page 65: Black and white photograph of a Major General H.H. Arnold, Chief of the Air Corps card: "Dear Collins / You brought into / being the Flying / Fortress - with its / crew of 8 or 10 / Arnold."
Page 66: Black and white portrait photograph of Ross A. Collins (8 x 10 ½; circa 1930s). Handwritten notation to the right on scrapbook.
Page 67: Black and white portrait photograph of Ross A. Collins (8 x 11; Harris & Ewing; circa 1940s). Handwritten notation to the right on scrapbook.
Page 68: Black and white portrait of four men in coats outside identified from left to right as unknown, Congressman Frank Hamilton Funk of Illinois, Collins, and Congressman William Turner Logan of South Carolina on a trip from New York City to the Great Lakes via the Hudson River and canals (8 x 10; circa 1922). Handwritten notations above and below on scrapbook. Portions along all edges of the photograph are torn and missing.
Page 69: Black and white photograph of a soldier standing on a hill in Africa during World War II (8 x 10; circa 1940s). Handwritten notation to the right on scrapbook.
Page 70: Typed clipping of "Biographical Sketch of Ross A. Collins" by Dunbar Rowland (from 1917 Mississippi Official and Statistical Register).
Page 70: Copy of black and white portrait photograph of Collins with his wife and daughter Jane (3 ½ x 4 ½; 1919). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 71: Black and white photograph of Collins and Aaron Ford, U.S. Representative from Mississippi, both holding fish (7 x 9). Handwritten notations above and below on scrapbook.
Page 72: Black and white photograph of Collins with a large catch of fish caught at Ten Thousand Islands, Florida (8 x 10). Handwritten notations above on scrapbook.
Page 73: Black and white photograph of Collins with General Cox and three other friends behind fish caught in the Gulf Stream out from Wilmington, North Carolina (9 x 6 ½). Handwritten notations above on scrapbook.
Page 74: Black and white photograph of Collins playing horseshoes with Mel Sharp at the annual Board of Trade shad bake in Washington, DC (8 x 10; circa 1940s). Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 75: Black and white photograph of old Courthouse in Meridian, Mississippi where Collins had his first law practice (8 x 10). Handwritten notations below on scrapbook.
Page 76: Black and white photograph of Collins during his college years (round with 3 ½ diameter; circa 1895). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 77: Black and white photograph of Collins as a young attorney seated at an office desk (5 x 7; circa 1910). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 78: Black and white photograph of Alfreda Collins with their daughter Jane as a young girl (6 x 8; circa 1918). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 78: Black and white portrait photograph of Jane Collins while at Sweet Briar (3 ½ x 5 ½). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 79: Black and white portrait photograph of Collins' mother, Rebecca Jane Etheridge Collins (7 x 9). Handwritten notation below on scrapbook.
Page 79: Print of Richard W. Wallace's poem "A Red Rose."
Page 80: Black and white portrait photograph of Collins' father, Nathaniel Monroe Collins (7 x 9). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 81: Black and white portrait photograph of Jane Collins after her marriage to Thomas P. Corwin (4 ½ x 6 ¼ ). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 81: Black and white portrait photograph of Thomas P. Corwin in U.S. Army uniform (8 x 10). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 82: Black and white portrait photograph of M.R. Grant, Collins' father-in-law (7 x 9). Handwritten notations above on scrapbook.
Page 82: Black and white portrait photograph of Frances Pitts Grant, Collins' mother-in law (4 x 5). Handwritten notations above on scrapbook.
Page 82: Typed transcript of obituary for M.R. Grant in
Page 83: Partly printed document "Last Will and Testament" with handwritten addition of name "Charles Lounsbury."
Page 84: Original political cartoon "Speaking of Backseat, Driving!" by C.K. Berryman for the
Page 85: Original political cartoon "He Can't Stand Mechanized Transportation -- He's an Old Cavalryman!" by Hersh Berger for NEA Service, Inc. in 1943 (numbered "4-5").
Page 86: Original political cartoon "Cheer up, Charlie -- We can't be far from civilization! There goes a bomber!" by Clyde Lewis (numbered "11-18").
Page 87: Original political cartoon "Haven't Ya Got Any Mechanized Equipment?" for NEA Service, Inc. but not signed by illustrator (numbered "5-12").
Page 88: Black and white photograph of West Point military cadets in uniform on review (6 x 8; circa 1930s or 1940s). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 89: Certificate of Appreciation for Ross Collins from the Teachers' Union of Washington, DC.
Page 90: Partly printed invitation dated 1 March 1939 from Georgetown University to Ross Collins to attend the institution's Sesquicentennial Anniversary celebration.
Page 91: Black and white photograph of the Gutenberg Bible in the Library of Congress (8 x 10; circa 1930). Handwritten notation above on scrapbook.
Page 92:
Page 93: Black and white photograph of Collins, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and James Roosevelt at the lighting of the community Christmas tree ceremonies (6 2/3 x 9 ½). Note: Collins introduced Roosevelt at this internationally radio broadcast event. Handwritten notation below on scrapbook and on photograph.
Page 93: Black and white photograph of typed press release dated 24 December 1938 entitled "Speech of Honorable Ross A. Collins at Community Christmas Tree" (10 x 7).
Page 94: Black and white photograph of Jane Collins (age 11) and Melville Collins (age 7) in carriage on the streets of Peking, China (3 ½ x 5 ¼ ; October 1927).
 
Oversized Items .
b2
Partly Printed Certificate dated 23 May 1935 admitting Collins to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia..
b2
Partly Printed Certificate dated 16 December 1918 admitting Collins admitting and qualifying him as an attorney and counselor of the U.S. Supreme Court..
b2
Partly Printed Certificate dated 9 January 1912 certifying election of Collins to the office of Attorney General of Mississippi..
b2
Page with drawings, photographs, diagrams, and handwriting, re: 1935 U.S. warplanes and Kennedy Tail-Gun Warplanes..
b2
Original political cartoon "Is Our War Department Preparing for Yesterday?" by Fitzpatrick and inscribed "To Hon. Ross A. Collins. / D.R. Fitzpatrick / May, 25, 1941.".
b2
Colored black and white photograph of the Gutenberg Bible in the Library of Congress (15 ¾ x 20; Tenschert of Washington, DC)..
b2
Black and white photograph of military plane (16 x 20)..
b2
Black and white photograph of Braunberger Carbine 9 m/m automatic sub-machine gun (8 x 10; 16 December 1941)..
b2
Copy of newspaper clippings regarding Collins and the Vollbehr Collection of Incunabula: Dan Rose, "Stuff and Nonsense" Public Ledger (15 June 1930); Peterson, "Rare Gutenberg Bible Purchased by Nation" Morning Call (28 June 1930); "Our Sibylline Books" New York Times (13 December 1929); "Readers and Writers" New Freedom (25 April 1930); "Magician Faustus Was Bible Peddler: One of Books He Printed May Be Sold to United States Government" Washington Evening Star (16 April 1930); "Honor to Mississippi" Columbia, SC Sunday Record (March [year illegible]); "Fame of Faustus" Philadelphia Inquirer (3 February 1930); "Congress and Incunabula" Commonweal (7 May 1930); "Incunabula" Chicago Tribune (30 May 1930); fragment with unknown title and unknown source..
b2
Program. "The Lighting of the National Community Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C." (24 December 1938). Note: Collins listed as making the "Introductory Remarks"; President Franklin D. Roosevelt lit the tree..
b2
Photograph copy of typed press release entitled "Speech of Honorable Ross A. Collins at Community Christmas Tree" (24 December 1938)..
b2
Typed letter signed dated 21 November 1958 from Collins in Meridian, MS to Sykes Hardin, Librarian at the University of Mississippi, re: enclosed. Attached: Broadside. "Official Ballot. Democratic Primary Election August 1, 1911," re: lists Collins as candidate for state attorney general as well as Leroy Percy and James K. Vardaman for U.S. Senator and Theodore G. Bilbo for Lieutenant Governor..