| |
Home > Art & History Home > Oral History Homepage > Jesse R. Nichols | |
| |
| |
| Jesse R. Nichols |
| Government Documents Clerk and Librarian |
|
The first African American hired as a clerical staff member of the Senate, Jesse Nichols served as government documents clerk for the Senate Finance Committee from 1937 to 1971. Previously, black men and women had worked as messengers, grounds keepers, and in service positions, but had been excluded from the clerical staff. When Nichols started work, most restaurants and other services on Capitol Hill were still segregated, and he recounts the transition to integration. Appointed by Senator
Pat Harrison
, a Mississippi Democrat, Nichols' career extended through the chairmanships of several Southern senators, including
Walter George
,
Harry Byrd
, and
Russell Long
. Jesse Nichols died on February 18, 2005.
|
|
|  |
| Citation:
Scholarly citation: "Jesse R. Nichols, Government Documents Clerk and Librarian, Senate Finance Committee, 1937-1971," Oral History Interviews, Senate Historical Office, Washington, D.C.
|
| |
| Deed of Gift:
I, Jesse R. Nichols, do hereby give to the Senate Historical Office the tape recordings and transcripts of my interviews between March 26 and April 12, 1994.
I authorize the Senate Historical Office to use the tapes and transcripts in such a manner as may best serve the educational and historical objectives of their oral history program. I also approve the deposit of the transcripts at the Library of Congress, National Archives, Senate Library, and any other institution which the Senate Historical Office may deem appropriate.
In making this gift, I voluntarily convey ownership of the tapes and transcripts to the public domain.
Jesse R. Nichols
April 12, 1994
Accepted on behalf of the Senate Historical Office by:
Richard A. Baker
April 12, 1994
|
| |
|
|
