Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm93081163
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Gerhard Alden Gesell, lawyer and judge, were given to the Library of Congress by Gesell in 1991. Several additions were sent to the Library between that time and 2014.
The papers of Gerhard Alden Gesell were arranged and described by Connie L. Cartledge with the assistance of John R. Monagle in 1993. The finding aid was revised in 2003. Additional material received in 1999 and 2014 was processed as an addition by Connie L. Cartledge with the assistance of Jake Bozza and Rosa Hernandez in 2018.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Thirteen original drawings of political cartoons have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Gerhard Alden Gesell Papers.
Other papers of Gerhard Alden Gesell can be found in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, Mass.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Gerhard Alden Gesell in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication of items in this collection. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for information concerning these restrictions.
Government regulations control the use of classified material in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish further information concerning access to and use of classified material.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Gerhard Alden Gesell Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Gerhard Alden Gesell (1910-1993) span the years 1913-2003, with the majority of the papers concentrated from 1962-1992. Documenting primarily Gesell's career as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and his career as a lawyer, the papers consist of eleven series: General Correspondence, Chronological File, Case File, Bench Books, Dockets, Sentencing File, Office File, Miscellany, 2018 Addition, Classified, and Oversize.
The General
Correspondence series, 1968-1992, consisting chiefly of incoming letters from
the public, pertains primarily to Gesell's Watergate cases,
Because of its location in the nation's capital and its jurisdiction over cases involving federal agencies, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is considered one of the most important venues in the country. Papers in the Chronological File, 1968-1993, reflect the wide range of civil and criminal cases Gesell heard as a district judge for this court: civil rights, constitutional law, antitrust matters, patent cases, and government regulations. This series consists of correspondence and memoranda, primarily between Gesell and judges, lawyers, prison officials, clerks, and staff, as well as an array of extensive legal papers such as opinions, orders, stipulations, and reports. Arranged by Gesell's staff, papers in the Chronological File relating to individual cases are scattered throughout the series rather than assembled in specific case files and provide some sense of the judge's day-to-day work. Although there is some overlap between the Case File series and this series, the Case File contains papers that are not included in the Chronological File. Also included are a few personal letters and notes, particularly concerning his farm near Arcola, Virginia. The docket sheets in the Dockets series may assist readers in locating specific documents of interest in the Chronological File, as they contain dated entries by the judge's staff documenting many details of each case. In order to use the docket sheets, a reader must know the document number for a case or know the year the case first appeared on the docket and search the docket sheets to locate it.
The Case File, 1956-1991,
consists of two subseries: General and Special
Case files. This series, also arranged by Gesell's staff, chronicles his
rulings in some of his most significant and complex cases. The General subseries,
1956-1990, containing chiefly memoranda and orders, documents a wide range of civil,
criminal, and miscellaneous cases. Arrangement is alphabetical by type of case and
therein alphabetical by case title. This subseries includes papers pertaining to the
riots at local universities in 1969 (
The Special Case File,
1969-1991, contains individual cases which were maintained in case files rather than in
the Chronological File or General case file. Many of the cases pertain to issues of
national and constitutional significance, such as a variety of First Amendment cases
(
The Bench Books series, 1968-1993, contains Gesell's notes about the cases which came before his court. Arrangement is chronological, except for three volumes that are alphabetical by topic or case title. Dates written by Gesell's staff on the cover of the bench books are not always accurate.
Papers in the Dockets series, 1959-1992, provide a record of the name and docket number of individual cases. Also included are brief notes by the judge's staff recording many of the legal documents issued and filed. Arrangement is alphabetical by type of case, civil or criminal, and therein chronological by year. The Dockets series may assist readers in locating entries to specific cases, particularly the chronological file and the bench books.
The Sentencing File, 1968-1992, constituting almost half the collection, includes correspondence, memoranda, presentence reports, orders and other papers relating to the sentencing process of Gesell's criminal cases. A presentence report was prepared by a probation officer to assist the judge in determining a defendant's sentence. It generally contains information on the offense, the defendant's prior criminal record, family history, marital status, education, employment, health, military service, and financial condition, and an evaluation and recommendation by the probation officer. Serving as a record of every person sentenced by Gesell, the file reflects the vast economic and demographic changes in the District of Columbia over a twenty-year period and contains valuable social data about families, crime, the judicial system, and race relations. Papers in the presentencing file are arranged into three chronological sequences, 1968-1979, 1980-1989, and 1990-1992. The earlier sequences contain more extensive background information, while the later files indicate the judgment and terms of the sentence. Also included in this series are two card files arranged by defendant's name, one recording the sentences and the other indicating the cases in which charges were dropped or the defendant was found not guilty.
The Office File series, 1965-1993, relates to Gesell's administrative and professional duties as a district judge. The majority of the papers chronicle his activities with various committees and his sitting by designation with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The final series, Miscellany, 1945-1993, includes speeches and writings by Gesell, reminiscences written by his law clerks, photographs and political cartoons, and tributes to Gesell after his death. One of the more important items in this series is a notebook containing Gesell's memoirs, "My Jealous Mistress," and background memoranda about significant cases and events.
The 2018 Addition, 1913 to 2003, complements the initial portion of the collection and includes material relating to Gesell's career as a lawyer with the firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., his work with the Securities and Exchange Commission, his tenure as a federal judge, his work with government committees and presidential campaigns, and his management of his farm in Loudon County, Va. Most of the correspondence relates to Gesell’s work as an attorney for Covington & Burling from 1941 to 1967. Correspondence after 1967 pertains mainly to Gesell’s judicial career. The early correspondence also documents Gesell’s personal activities and includes correspondence with family and friends with references to current events and local issues relating to the District of Columbia. Other material chronicling Gesell’s tenure as a lawyer in private practice is located in the Covington & Burling files.
Featured in the 2018 Addition are files, chiefly newspaper
clippings, relating to his tenure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While
with the Commission, he investigated the New York Stock Exchange arising out of the
Richard Whitney scandals and was responsible for investigations into the life insurance
industry as special counsel to the Temporary National Economic Committee. Also present
are files relating to Gesell’s judicial career, chiefly press articles and a trial
transcript summary pertaining to
The 2018 Addition also contains a few files relating to Gesell’s work for the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack and the President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services. A letter in the Armed Services committee’s file indicated that Gesell had donated most of his files about it to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Material of a more personal nature in the 2018 Addition are financial ledgers and papers documenting Gesell’s personal finances, farm ledgers and other files pertaining to Gesell’s cattle farm, and political files documenting his work for the Democratic Party in the presidential campaigns of 1956, 1960, and 1964. Also featured are writings by Gesell containing other versions of his memoir, “My Jealous Mistress ” and condolence letters to Gesell’s wife from judges, lawyers, government officials, the public, and friends after Gesell's death in 1993.
Among the most significant and frequent of Gesell's correspondents are Dean Acheson, Harding F. Bancroft, Howard C. Bratton, Warren E. Burger, Joseph M. Fitzpatrick, John M. Harlan, Hubert H. Humphrey, Lyndon B. Johnson, Irving R. Kaufman, J. Edward Lumbard, John Lord O'Brian, Frank T. Remington, John J. Sirica, Potter Stewart, Lawrence E. Walsh, Earl Warren, and Frank W. Wilson.
The collection is arranged in eleven series:
Correspondence, primarily incoming, between Gesell and lawyers, judges, friends, acquaintances, and the general public relating to his activities as a federal district court judge.
Arrangement is chronological.
Correspondence, memoranda, orders, opinions, interrogatories, stipulations, reports, schedule sheets, and other legal papers pertaining to Gesell's professional activities.
Arrangement is chronological.
Correspondence, memoranda, orders, briefs, transcripts, notes, and printed matter for civil, criminal, and miscellaneous cases.
Arrangement is alphabetical by type of case and therein alphabetical by case title.
Correspondence, memoranda, opinions, orders, stipulations, transcripts, dockets, background information, notes, lists, a diary, and printed matter.
Arrangement is alphabetical by case title.
Bound volumes containing Gesell's notes about the cases that came before his court.
Arrangement is chronological, except for three volumes that are alphabetical by topic or case title.
Docket sheets for civil and criminal cases.
Arrangement is alphabetical by type of case, then chronological by year, and therein numerical by docket number.
Correspondence, memoranda, presentence reports, orders, card files, and related sentencing information for Gesell's criminal cases.
Arrangement is alphabetical by type of material or topic and therein alphabetical by name of defendant, except the presentencing file which is arranged chronologically and therein alphabetically by name of defendant.
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, background information, agendas and minutes of meetings, notes, press files, and printed matter.
Chiefly speeches and writings by Gesell and his clerks. Also included are slides, photographs, political cartoons, and tributes to Gesell after his death.
Arrangement is alphabetical by topic or type of material.
Correspondence, memoranda, case files, family papers, financial papers and ledgers, farm ledgers, reports, maps, speeches and speech material, writings, college class papers, memorials and tributes, certificates, newspaper clippings, printed matter, and other material.
Arranged alphabetically by name or organization, topic, or type of material.
Government classified documents containing sensitive security information.
Presentencing material organized and described according to the series, boxes, and folders from which the items were removed.
Oversize certificates relating to Gesell's professional career.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.