Jesse Spencer Bell papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0133

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Primarily correspondence, with letters from Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. Supreme Court justices William J. Brennan Jr. and Abe Fortas, and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Papers also reflect his interest in Confederate general T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Includes photograph of Judge and Mrs. Bell.

Dates

1936 - 1989

Creator

Bell, J. Spencer (Jesse Spencer) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Jesse Spencer Bell was born in Charlotte on April 1, 1906 to James A. and Jessie Spencer Bell. He was a graduate of Duke University (A.B., 1927) and UNC at Chapel Hill (LL.B., 1930). He was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1929 and practiced law in Charlotte following his graduation from law school. During World War II, he served to the rank of major in the field artillery. In 1943, he married Katherine "Kitty" Castellet. Bell was named to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. He died in Charlotte on March 19, 1967. [See also Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 1979, vol. 1:130.]

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Overview

Primarily routine correspondence of a state senator from Mecklenburg County and U.S. Circuit Court judge. Includes letters from presidents Kennedy and Johnson and from members of the federal judiciary. Also includes items relating to his attempt (1957) to establish the North Carolina Stonewall Jackson Memorial Fund.