Charles Orville Whitley Papers
Charles Orville Whitley (1927-2002) was a Wake Forest alumnus, lawyer, Democrat, and N.C. Congressional representative from 1977-1986. This collection documents Whitley's work in Congress. Materials include agency files, consitutent correspondence, event invitations and appointment records, and subject files.
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Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- Charles Orville Whitley Papers
- Date
- circa 1977-1986 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 117.0 linear feet / 90 record cartons
- ID
- MS354
Biographical and Historical Note
Charles Orville Whitley was born on January 2, 1927, in Siler City, N.C. A graduate of Siler City High School (1943), he served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946 before attending Wake Forest University. Whitley remained in the Army Reserve until 1952. At WFU, he earned Bachelor of Arts (1948) and Bachelor of Laws (1950) degrees; he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Whitley also holds a Master of Arts degree from George Washington University (1974).
In 1961, Whitley became the town lawyer for Mount Olive, N.C. After serving on the staff of fellow Democrat and then-Congressman David N. Henderson, Whitley ran for that seat in 1976 and was elected. He served in Congress from January 3, 1977 to December 31, 1986 and upon retiring from office became a political consultant.
On June 11, 1949, Whitley married Audrey Kornegay. Together they had three children: Charles Orville, Martha, and Sara. He died on October 27, 2002, in Durham, N.C., and is buried in Mount Olive, N.C.
Collection Overview
This collection documents Whitley's work in Congress. Materials are similar to those found in other congressional collections: agency files, possibly related to committee work as well as his district; constituent correspondence; event invitations and appointment records; subject files; etc. Constitutent correspondence may contain personal information related to the letter writer's individual circmstances or may be issue-based.
This collection has been minimally processed, meaning that archivists have done minimal description and arrangement work on the collection.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Finding aid prepared by Minimally processed by Stephanie Bennett, 2018 April
- Access Restrictions
- Collection is open for researchers.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Charles Orville Whitley Papers (MS354), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.