Title: James P. Pope Papers

Date/Date Range :   1935-1954 (Bulk 1939-1951)

Extent: 10.5 linear feet

Abstract:

The papers of James P. Pope principally cover the time period of his service on the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Call number: MS-0324

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

These papers were presented by ex-Senator James P. Pope to the University of Tennessee Special Collections in 1963.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], James P. Pope Papers, MS-0324. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of thirteen boxes divided into three series: Individual Correspondence, Subject Correspondence, and Subject Files.

James Pinckney Pope (1884-1966), a Louisiana native, was a one-term senator from Idaho and served on the three-man board of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Born on a farm in Jackson Parish, Pope was in his youth a champion cotton picker. After graduating in 1906 from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, Pope entered the University of Chicago Law School. After getting his law degree, Pope signed on as a cow puncher aboard a cattle boat going to Europe. Once in Europe, Pope bicycled through several countries. Upon returning to the United States, he decided that he wanted to see the West. His money ran out in Boise, Idaho and so he joined the bar there and became active in Democratic Party politics. In 1932, Pope ran for the Senate and was swept into office in the Roosevelt landside. In 1938, the ardent Roosevelt supporter lost in the Democratic primary; as consolation, President Roosevelt appointed him to the TVA Board. There he served until his retirement in 1951. Pope also served on the Board of the Knox County Library System, as a director of the Red Cross, as president of the English Speaking Union, and on the Civil Service Appeals Board. In 1963, he moved to Virginia to be closer to family and died there three years later.

The papers of James P. Pope consist of correspondence, articles, speeches and activities. Nearly all of the papers in the collection date from 1939 to 1951, the period Senator Pope served as Director of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Included in the correspondence are Senator Pope's Reading Files (1945-1951), which give a comprehensive look into his life during that period. Letters from persons of note can be found throughout the collection. Presidents Roosevelt and Truman head the list, although most of these letters are of a personal nature and do not deal with TVA from the working viewpoint. Being concerned with the public relations of TVA, Senator Pope spoke frequently on varying subjects. As a senator he became interested in foreign affairs and continued this interest while with TVA. Many of his activities centered around the United Nations as well as other world peace and brotherhood organizations.

• Pope, James Pinckney, 1884-1966.
• Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Tennessee Valley Authority. Board of Directors.