Governor J. Millard Tawes, 1976 August 24
Abstract
John Millard Tawes (1894-1979) was a prominent Maryland politician who served as Governor from 1959 to 1967. Throughout his career, he held various key positions including comptroller, Bank Commissioner of Maryland, and secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. In this oral history interview, Tawes reflects on his personal and professional relationship with Governor Theodore R. McKeldin (1900-1974). He discusses McKeldin’s character, his commitment to civil rights, and his impact on the Black community in Maryland. Tawes provides an overview of his own career, detailing the public offices he occupied. He shares insights into his interactions with civil rights leader Lillie May Carroll Jackson (1889-1975), discussing issues within the Black community and different matters within the NAACP. Tawes then delves into Governor McKeldin’s political career, highlighting his excellence in public speaking, his administration’s priorities, his methods of garnering support, and the causes he supported. Tawes recalls his own time as Governor, emphasizing his efforts during the civil rights movement to enforce new civil rights laws and persuade businesses and individuals to comply. He also reflects on the Baltimore riots, their impact, and his memories of the events. Finally, Tawes offers his perspective on other influential civil rights figures and identifies Governor McKeldin’s most significant contributions to civil rights.
Dates
- 1976 August 24
Creator
- Tawes, J. Millard, 1894-1979 (Narrator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Extent
63 Minutes (Audio recording)
29 Pages (Transcript)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Processing Information
There are an additional 5 pages of supplementary material (tape index, biographical data, and interview evaluation) included after the transcript.
Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of 87 oral history interviews and 4 other related items. Materials available for the interviews include audio recordings, transcripts, tape indexes, newspaper clippings, biographical information, and interview evaluations. Each item record indicates whether a complete transcript or an uncorrected transcript is available for an oral history.
All recordings within the collection are digitized and continue to be added to MCHC's Digital Collections portal.
Interviews were conducted from 1975-1977, with some earlier recordings made prior to the project added to the collection. Narrators range from leaders in the Maryland civil rights movement and local activists, to people opposed to the movement. Narrators include Lillie May Carroll Jackson’s children: Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Virginia Jackson Kiah, and Bowen Keiffer Jackson; Parren Mitchell, U.S. Congressman, 1971-1987; Donald G. Murray, the first African American admitted to the University of Maryland Law School; Verda Welcome, one of the first Black women to be elected to a state Senate; Thomas J. D’Alesandro III, mayor of Baltimore, 1967-1971; Clarence Mitchell, Jr., chief lobbyist to the NAACP; Vernon Naimaster, Great Titan of the Maryland Ku Klux Klan; and Dr. J.E.T. Camper, a prominent physician who also devoted his career to seeking racial justice and equality.
In addition to these oral history interviews, there are four items related to the project that are included with the collection. There is an audio recording of a radio program on which narrators David Glenn and Judge Robert Watts appeared to discuss the McKeldin-Jackson project with host Alan Christian. There is an audio recording as well as textual materials from the colloquium and exhibition held at the Maryland Historical Society to commemorate the McKeldin-Jackson project on November 16, 1976. There is also a research paper written by a Goucher College student on Theodore R. McKeldin and the civil rights movement in Maryland and a binder containing information on the development and progress of the McKeldin-Jackson project.
Creator
- Tawes, J. Millard, 1894-1979 (Narrator, Person)
- Lanman, Barry Allen (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org