Prologue: Pieces of History

Today’s guest post was written by Jim Zeender, senior registrar in Exhibits at the National Archives in Washington, DC. This post continues the story of Jefferson as Governor, began in Part I.

Thomas Jefferson. Charcoal drawing. (59-PP-3)

Jefferson’s term as Governor ended on June 2, 1781, a dangerous and chaotic time for Virginia. General Cornwallis had heard of the General Assembly’s move to Charlottesville and quickly dispatched Lt. Col. Banastre Tarlton’s calvary unit to capture members. Jefferson had already retired to nearby Monticello. In the confusion and disruption of normal government activity, the Assembly was unable to elect a new Governor, and so the state remained leaderless for almost a week.

When the Assembly did meet, it initiated an official inquiry into Governor Jefferson’s actions. Ultimately, the inquiry would go nowhere, but the criticism would shadow Jefferson for the rest of his life.

* * *

After Benedict Arnold’s attack on Richmond in January, Jefferson remained worried about the limited state resources and growing British threats.

He wrote to Congress: “The fatal want of arms puts it out of our power to bring a greater force into the field than will barely suffice to restrain the adventures of the pitiful body of men they have at Portsmouth. Should any others be added to them, this country will be perfectly open to them by land as well as by water.” (Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Huntington, February 8, 1781. Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.)

In late April 1781, Jefferson and Virginia faced an uncertain future. The militia was proving difficult to organize, and so the British found little opposition. General Cornwallis received orders to move east and join Generals Phillips and Arnold’s force of 3,000 based at Portsmouth in southeast Virginia. Arnold moved toward Richmond on the south side of the James River. The British expected Richmond to be undefended as it had been in January, but the Marquis de Lafayette had raced his 1,200 soldiers from Alexandria to meet them.

On the evening of April 29, the two armies were separated only by the width of the James River. At dinner, an American soldier from Connecticut identified Phillips and Arnold, who were on the beach across the river surveying the landscape with a spyglass. Nearby Virginia riflemen saw them too and asked for Lafayette’s permission to fire at them. Lafayette refused, “declaring that he would meet the enemy openly in the field but would authorize nothing like assassination.”

Marquis de Lafayette. Engraving by George E. Perine (19-N-4581)

Jefferson wrote to Washington, reporting that the armies of Cornwallis and Arnold had come together. He pleaded with Washington for his “personal aid”:

We are too far removed from the other scenes of war, to say whether the main force of the Enemy be within this State, but I suppose they cannot any where spare so great an Army [together, Arnold and Cornwallis had about 7,000 troops] for the operations of the field: Were it possible for this Circumstance to justify in Your Excellency a determination to lend us Your personal aid, it is evident from the universal voice that the presence of their beloved Countryman, whose talents have been so long successfully employed in establishing the freedom of kindred States, to whose person they have still flattered themselves they retained some right, and have ever looked up as their dernier resort in distress, that your appearance among them I say would restore full confidence of salvation, and would render them equal to whatever is not impossible. Letter from Jefferson to George Washington, May 28, 1781. Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers

While Jefferson was appealing to Washington to make a bold strategic move towards the south, Cornwallis had learned that the Virginia General Assembly had moved to Charlottesville and Jefferson had gone to Monticello. Cornwallis dispatched Lt. Colonel Tarleton’s calvary on a secret expedition to capture Jefferson and members of the Assembly.

Fortunately for the Virginians, Jack Jouett of the militia thwarted the British plan by riding 40 miles through the night to give warning, allowing Jefferson and his family to escape to Poplar Forest. Only seven Assembly members were captured. The Assembly reconvened on June 7 in Staunton, VA.

Jefferson’s term had expired on June 2, but the Assembly had not yet had an opportunity to choose a replacement. Some members did not realize what had happened, and others felt that Jefferson should have stayed in place until his successor was named. Forced to move for the second time in a matter of weeks and with no defense ready to protect the state, many were upset, and Jefferson was an obvious target for  their anger.

On June 8, Benjamin Harrison of Virginia, who had been staying at Monticello at the time of Tarleton’s raid, wrote to Joseph Jones: “We have now no Executive in the State. For want of a Senate the governor will act no more, and the remainder of the council will not get together. I hope we shall set these matters right next week” (Letters of Joseph Jones, ed. W. C. Ford, 1889).  Four days later, the Assembly elected Gen. Thomas Nelson as the new Governor, a choice previously recommended by Jefferson.

At the urging of Jefferson’s former mentor and friend Patrick Henry, the young delegate George Nicholas introduced a resolution calling for “an inquiry be made into the conduct of the Executive of this State for the last twelve months.”

Henry and Jefferson had grown apart in recent years, and Nicholas had come under Henry’s influence. The Assembly voted for the resolution and sent notice to Jefferson at Poplar Forest.

During the summer, Lafayette delivered an appointment from the Continental Congress requesting that Jefferson travel to Paris to join the American peace commissioners John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. With regret, Jefferson turned down the appointment so he could prepare his defense to the Assembly.

Jefferson wrote 15 years later in his diary:

The nonsense which has been uttered on the coup de main of Tarlton on Charlottesville is really so ridiculous that it is almost ridiculous seriously to notice it . . . when a neighbor rode up full speed to inform me that a troop of horse was then ascending the hill to the house . . . , after a short delay . . . I mounted my horse, and I went thro’ the woods. . . . Would it be believed, were it not known, that this flight from a troop of horse . . . has been the subject, with party writers, of volumes of reproach on me, serious or sarcastic? That it has been sung in verse . . . forgetting the noble example of the hero of La Mancha, and his windmills, I declined a combat, singly against a troop, in which victory would have been so glorious? Forgetting, themselves, at the same time, that I was not provided with the enchanted arms of the knight, nor even with his helmet of Mambrino. Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.

In this account and others, Jefferson’s reaction to news of Tarleton’s troop was calm and deliberate. A neighbor, Christopher Hudson, notified Jefferson of the imminent arrival of the British calvary at Monticello.

I immediately proceeded to Monticello, where I found Mr. Jefferson, perfectly tranquil, and undisturbed. At my earnest request he left his house; which was Surrounded in Ten Minutes at farthest by a troop of Light-horse. I was convinced his Situation was truly critical since there was only one Man (his gardener) upon the Spot. Deposition of Christopher Hudson respecting Tarleton’s Raid in June 1781, July 26, 1805.  Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.

Tarleton had a reputation for mistreating civilians and destroying property, but according to Jefferson, he hardly touched his Monticello home, though he did burn several barns.

Banastre Tarleton. Painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, ca. 1782. (148-GW619)

The attacks on his service as Governor upset Jefferson and haunted him throughout his political career and almost to his grave. While he waited for the day to defend himself before the Virginia Assembly, the Americans won the decisive victory at Yorktown, and any strong feelings against Jefferson dissolved. When the new Assembly convened, no one would speak against him. The former Governor chose instead to serve as prosecutor and defense attorney, posing charges that others had been alleged previously and answered the same.

In a more reflective moment, the Assembly chose to praise Jefferson instead of chastise him:

The Assembly wish . . . in the strongest manner to declare the high opinion which they entertain of Mr. Jefferson’s Ability, Rectitude, and Integrity as cheif Magistrate of this Commonwealth, and mean by thus publicly avowing their Opinion, to obviate all future, and to remove all former unmerited Censure. Resolution of the Virginia General Assembly, December 12, 1781. Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.

Jefferson made mistakes as Governor, the most important being his departure from the Governor’s chair at the expiration of his second term before the Assembly had elected his replacement and while the state was in the midst of crisis. He admitted his shortcomings in military matters, so perhaps it was a mistake to even assume the office of Governor during a time of war.

On the other hand, the war had not reached Virginia when Jefferson was elected. The state’s resources were depleted to the war in the north for five years, and the militia system at home was vulnerable to an attack of British regulars. During that period, the war had been fought mostly in New York, New Jersey, the New England states, and Canada. As his efforts and writings (and those of others) show, Jefferson was neither an inactive nor inattentive Governor.

Further reading: Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War, by Michael Kranish, Oxford  University Press, 2010

In 1939, President Roosevelt donated his personal and Presidential papers to the Federal Government, marking the beginning of the modern Presidential Library system that is part of the National Archives. Seventy-four years later, the newest Presidential Library holds more documents than FDR could have imagined.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum holds more than 70 million pages of textual records, 43,000 artifacts, 200 million emails (totaling roughly 1 billion pages), and 4 million digital photographs (the largest holding of electronic records of any of our libraries).

Collecting this material, cataloging and processing it, and making it available to the public was a task that began on January 20, 2009.

The Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, accepts custody of the George W. Bush Library on April 24, 2013.

As a Presidential administration nears its end, the National Archives works with the White House and the Department of Defense (DOD) to begin organizing, boxing, and moving a huge amount of Presidential materials out of various locations in Washington, DC. All records and artifacts must be out of the White House by noon on Inauguration Day.

At the same time, the National Archives locates temporary storage in the area of the future Presidential library—in this case, Lewisville, Texas. Then the National Archives and the Department of Defense begin moving the records to the temporary library facility.

Now the archival and museum staff begin the laborious task of establishing control over these new holdings. Properly cataloging the artifacts is essential for the curatorial staff to create  museum exhibits in the future Presidential Library. The controls the archivists create for millions of pages of archival holdings—digital and paper—play a critical role in the library’s ability to respond to the hundreds of requests that they will receive from the incumbent President, the Courts, Congress, and the former President for access to this material.

The archivists will also begin processing records for public access. Five years after the end of the administration, archivists will need to be able to respond to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that will to come in.

This screenshot from the George W. Bush Presidential Library shows some of the records that will be available to researchers.

Meanwhile, the private nonprofit foundation established to support the Presidential Library raises funds from non-Federal Government sources and constructs the library facility. During the construction, National Archives staff make sure that the future library meets Architectural and Design standards for a Presidential Library. Once the library is completed, the land, building, and equipment are donated or turned over to the Federal Government for use in perpetuity as part of NARA.

Starting with the first Bush Library, all Presidential Library foundations must provide an endowment to the National Archives to help offset facility operating expenses. After the library is transferred to the Government, the National Archives is responsible for salaries of employees and operating expenses of the libraries.

Once the facility is completed, the National Archives staff moves the records and artifacts into the permanent library facility. This time, they moved 30,470 cubic feet of record materials, 42,500 artifacts, and 1,288 cubic feet of audiovisual records from Lewisville to Dallas. President Bush served as Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000, and so 2,181 cubic feet of gubernatorial records were moved from Austin to Dallas.

Today, all this work culminates in the dedication of the Presidential Library—a brand-new National Archives facility that will host hundreds of thousands of visitors to its galleries, research room, and public programs.

You can learn more about what objects and documents are in the George W. Bush Presidential Library, or read about the Presidential libraries on our National Archives web site. You can also learn more about the process of moving Presidential records in this Prologue article.

Today’s blog post comes from Susan Donius, Director of the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives.

It’s not often that several Presidents are together at one time, but on April 25, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum will be dedicated to the American public. Although many dignitaries from around the world will attend, all eyes will likely focus on the gathering of men who have called the White House home. In addition to George W. Bush, guests of honor will include current Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama, and former Presidents William J. Clinton, George Bush, and Jimmy Carter.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

The first Presidential Library and Museum was conceived and built under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s direction from 1939 to 1940 in Hyde Park, NY. The official FDR Library dedication was a small, quiet affair, with close friends and family attending the ceremony. Over the years, the ceremonies have grown larger, and dedications have become notable for the atmosphere of nonpartisan goodwill and respect among former Presidents.

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated on July 6, 1957, in Independence, MO. During Truman’s Presidency, Herbert Hoover offered his services to help with post–World War II humanitarian efforts. Despite being Presidents from opposing parties, the two forged a working relationship that eventually grew into a strong friendship. At the Truman Library dedication, Herbert Hoover delivered remarks and stood next to Truman.  Five years later, on Hoover’s 88th birthday, the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated. Once again, the two former Presidents, now good friends, stood side by side.

Former Presidents Harry S. Truman and Herbert Hoover move through the crowds of people attending the dedication of the new Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. August 10, 1962.

Part of what has made past Presidential Library dedications so memorable is the candid manner in which former rivals have offered praise to one another. At the 1986 ceremony for the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, GA, then-President Ronald Reagan gave a speech that underlined the qualities of his predecessor. He opened by saying, “None of us today need feel any urge, in the name of good will, to downplay our differences. On the contrary, in a certain sense, we can be proud of our differences, proud because they arise from good will itself.”

Afterwards, Jimmy Carter began his own remarks by addressing President Reagan directly. He said, “As I listened to your talk, I understood more clearly than I ever did in my life why you won in 1980 and I lost.”

Although Presidential Library dedications are not the only settings for Presidential camaraderie, the ceremonies offer rare opportunities for the rest of us to see these men interact with each other. When the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum first opened as a private facility on July 19, 1990, it marked the first time that four Presidents were seen together at a public event. The ceremony featured speeches from then-President George Bush, and former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Ronald Reagan.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum dedication. July 19, 1990. Courtesy of the Richard Nixon Foundation.

Seventeen years later, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum officially became a part of the Federally operated Presidential libraries system. On July 11, 2007, a ceremony was held to announce the partnership between the Richard Nixon Foundation and the National Archives.

It’s been eight years since the last Presidential Library and Museum dedication occurred in 2004 for William J. Clinton. Perhaps George Bush summed it up the best when he delivered remarks in honor of the man to whom he had lost the election in 1992. “There’s an inescapable bond that binds together all who have lived in the White House. Though we hail from different backgrounds and ideologies, we are singularly unique, even eternally bound, by our common devotion and service to this wonderful country.”

In honor of the upcoming dedication of the 13th Presidential Library, we’ve put together a gallery of past dedications and Presidents.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library dedication. June 30, 1941.

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum dedication. Truman stands fourth from the left, and Herbert Hoover stands third from the left. In his address, Hoover stated that he thought it was a good thing that Presidential records were not all in Washington, DC, as they would be "nearer to the people themselves" if they were dispersed into local communities. July 6, 1957.

Dwight D. Eisenhower looks at the gold key to his Presidential Library and Museum, which was just presented to him at the dedication ceremony. October 31, 1959.

Kennedy family members break ground for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. June 12, 1977.

Lady Bird Johnson, President Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson at the dedication of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. May 22, 1971

On September 18, 1981, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum was dedicated in Grand Rapids, MI. Both President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush gave remarks at the ceremony, as well as Valery Giscard d'Estaing, former President of France; Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; and Jose Lopez Portillo, President of Mexico. The festivities also included a parade featuring Bob Hope, Pearl Bailey, several other celebrities, and seven marching bands.

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum dedication. October 1, 1986.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum dedication. November 4, 1991.

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum dedication. November 6, 1997.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum dedication. November 18, 2004. Courtesy of the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Today’s guest post was written by Jim Zeender,  senior registrar in Exhibits at the National Archives.

Photograph of a painting by Thomas Sully of Thomas Jefferson (ARC 532932)

This week, we celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s 270th birthday—April 13, 1743—and look at one particular year in his life, 1781. That year did not begin auspiciously for Jefferson, and on April 13 he would have matters on his mind more weighty than his birthday.  He was in the second of his two terms as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The 10 months that preceded the great American victory at Yorktown were harrowing ones for the Governor, the General Assembly, and the rest of the Virginia government. Once in January and again in May, the British attacked and forced the evacuation of the new state capital at Richmond. To make matters worse, the initial British assault was led by none other than Benedict Arnold, the traitor who had escaped the Continental Army only months before, when his plan to turn over West Point to the British was discovered and foiled.

Before becoming Governor, Jefferson had spent 15 months in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he drafted the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. In September, he returned home and was elected to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. Three years later, at the age of 36, Jefferson was elected governor. Jefferson was reelected in 1780.

During this period, Jefferson and the Assembly decided to move the government from Williamsburg to Richmond in the expectation that it would be safer from British invaders. Williamsburg was located between the James and York Rivers and easily reached from the Atlantic and the Chesapeake Bay, while Richmond was farther inland. They also battled the British and their Indian supporters in the state’s western counties, known today as the states of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

After fighting George Washington to a standstill in previous years in Canada and the Northeast, Sir Henry Clinton and British government leaders looked to the south for a decisive victory and an opportunity to divide the United States. British efforts in the north had not been decisive, and the British surrender at Saratoga in September 1778 had been a disaster. Gen. Charles Cornwallis was sent to South Carolina and then to North Carolina.

Cornwallis achieved mixed results in the south, with major victories at Charleston and Camden in South Carolina, but faced setbacks at Kings Mountain and Cowpens, South Carolina, and Guilford Court House, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Benedict Arnold escaped to British lines and asked Clinton for a command. He was assigned to lead a force to invade Virginia. Cornwallis began to move north and east and considered a union with Arnold’s army in southeast Virginia, where he would have access to the sea and potentially the protection of the British Navy.

Although Jefferson was skilled in many fields and had been in charge of the Virginia militia before becoming Governor, he was not a soldier or military strategist, a fact he readily acknowledged. However, as Governor, it was his duty to prepare Richmond and the entire state against invasion. He called out the militia and moved weapons, munitions, and military supplies to a foundry five miles outside of town. Arnold learned of the transfer and later captured the foundry and other stores of supplies. Jefferson delayed too long in raising a militia, but the blame was not all his. He received little support from the Assembly, but they had little to give.

This document is the appointment paper for Capt. Edward Worthington. It was signed by Thomas Jefferson and provides instructions to Worthington to proceed to recruit men for the infantry of his battalion. Specific information on the bounty paid and clothing provided, the land allotment each recruit is entitled to after the war, and pension provided for recruits disabled through their service, is also provided (ARC 601154).

Virginia’s treasure and young men had been sent north to fight with Washington or south to confront the British advancing from that direction. However, as the accounts below illustrate, Jefferson appreciated and understood the need for military intelligence. When the British came, he jumped on his horse not to escape or evade his obligations but to rally Virginia’s defense, as hopeless as that might have been.

Jefferson monitored British activity to the south to ascertain any plans for future movement. He reported to Washington: “I received advice that on the [November 22nd] instant the enemy’s fleet got all under way [from Charleston, South Carolina] and were standing towards the [Virginia] Capes. . . . This I hourly expected but it did not come till this evening, when I am informed they all got out to sea in the night of the 22d. What course they steered afterwards is not known.” (Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Gen. Washington, Nov. 26, 1780.  Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers).

In December 1780 and early January of 1781, Arnold led British ships and 1,600 British regulars in raids along the James River and found little organized opposition.  In Richmond, they forced government officials to flee the city and destroyed both private homes and government buildings.  British plans called for Cornwallis to march east to join forces with Arnold.

Benedict Arnold. Copy of engraving by H. B. Hall after John Trumbull, published 1879 (ARC 532921)

For Jefferson, the invasion of Virginia began in earnest on the morning of New Year’s Eve, 1780. He would scarcely have time to be concerned with anything else for the next 10 days. The following entries come from Jefferson’s Diary of the Arnold Invasion and were written by Jefferson in the third person.

Sunday. Richmond. 1780. Dec. 31.

At 8. A.M. the Governor [Th: J.] receives the first intelligence that 27 sail of ships had entered Chesapeak bay, and were in the morning of the 29th. just below Willoughby’s point, the Southern cape of James river, their destination unknown.

[1]781. Jan. 2. Tuesday.

At 10. A.M. information is received that they had entered James river, their advance being at Warrasqueak bay. Orders were immediately given for calling in the militia, ¼ from some, and ½ from other counties. . . . The Governor directs the removal of the Records into the country, and the transportation of the military stores from Richmond to Westham, there to be carried across the river.

Thursd. Jan. 4.

The Governor . . . rode up to the Foundery, a mile below Westham, ordered Capts. Boush and Irish, and Mr. Hylton to continue all night waggoning to Westham the arms and stores still at the Foundery, to be thrown across the river at Westham; then proceeded to Westham, to press the transportation there across the river, and thence went to Tuckahoe [northwest of Richmond], to take care of his family, which he had sent that far in the course of the day. He arrived there at 1. aclock in the night.

Sat. Jan. [6.]

The Governor returned to Britton’s; had measures taken more effectually to secure the books and papers there. The enemy, having burnt some houses and stores, left Richmond, after 24. hours stay there, and encamped at Fourmile creek, 10. miles below; and the Governor went to look to his family at Fine creek.

Thursd. Jan. 11.

At 8. A.M. the wind due West and strong, [the enemy] make good their retreat down the river.

(Excerpts from the Diary of Thomas Jefferson, 1796.  Text from the Digital Edition of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.)

After this foray into central Virginia, British forces under Arnold and Phillips concentrated at Portsmouth, Virginia, along the Atlantic coast. Jefferson and the Assembly returned to Richmond and continued to build what little defense they could for Virginia.  Their resources overextended, they appealed to the penniless and powerless Continental Congress, to other Governors and states that stood no better, to the American commissioners in Europe, and  George Washington stationed with his Army near New York City.

Washington did send a small force of 1,000 under Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette. He also consulted with General Rochambeau, Commander of the French Army, and they were in contact with Admiral de Grasse of the French Navy, hoping to find the right time and combination for a decisive victory, on sea or land.

Cornwallis and his underling—the infamous calvaryman Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton—received orders to move east.  They would lead the next attack on Richmond and the surrounding area, including the temporary capital at Charlottesville and Jefferson’s nearby Monticello. In the midst of the crisis, Jefferson’s second term came to an end.

In the next segment, we will continue the story of Jefferson’s last months as Governor.

Jack Corn, a retired photojournalist and professor, came to visit the “Searching for the Seventies” exhibit here at the National Archives, bringing along his family and one of his former students. Why? He was one of the 70 photographers commissioned by the EPA to take photos for the DOCUMERICA project. (His photos from the assignment are available on our Online Public Access research site, as well as in this Flickr set.) I was lucky enough to interview him and his student, D.C. photojournalist Scott Robinson, over the phone.

"Homes of coal miners who live in Tazewell County, Virginia near Richlands, in the southwestern tip of the state." (ARC 556341)

Starting in 1961, Jack made a point of visiting the Appalachian Mountains to take photographs. He went at least once a year, focusing specifically on one town. As such, he was perfectly prepared to photograph the area for DOCUMERICA.

At the time he went on assignment for the EPA, Jack was working at The Tennessean, based in Nashville. He was on an extended break so that he could focus on photography outside the confines of the newspaper office. “I think I even took a week of vacation time,” he added.

The DOCUMERICA assignment was different from others because he didn’t have a reporter with him. “It made it harder, because reporters take notes and ask questions for you.” Further, his subjects were sometimes “suspicious” of the work he was doing. “They understand when you say you’re from a newspaper, but they don’t understand [a photographer] working for the government.”

Although Jack was nervous that his subjects might be upset by the hardship highlighted in his images, he recently donated 30 of his photographs to the Appalachian town where he focused his work. The community “loved [the photos]. . . . They were pretty bad off when I took the photos. . . . But this is how it was.”

When Scott spoke about his experiences with Jack, it was evident that Jack made a lasting impression not only on his subjects, but also on his students. “Jack brought a lot of enthusiasm to his work and teaching. It was hard not to get caught up in that enthusiastic energy.” As a photojournalism professor at Western Kentucky University, Jack taught Scott “how to deal with people on assignment. To be a documentary photographer, you have to understand that people are the same wherever they are.”

"Group of miners waiting to go to work on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at the Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Company Mine #4 near Richlands, Virginia 04/1974" (ARC 556347)

Jack eloquently reiterated this point, saying “You have to treat everybody with great respect, treat everybody the same. Sometimes people who are college-educated, the things they say are less profound than what people in the mountains say. . . . People, if you take time and talk to them, there’s a lot more depth to them than people think.”

At the end of his interview, Scott talked about one of Jack’s most famous quips: “ ‘You can fish or cut bait.’ . . . Basically what he was saying was that at a certain point, you have to go out and take the photo. Photography is immediate; when you don’t get it the first time, you probably don’t have another chance.”

However, “some work needs to stand the test of time,” as Jack explained. Before he hung up, he gave me an excellent tip on how to judge the quality of a photograph: See whether you get sick of it. “Put it on your kitchen table. If it’s still there at the end of the week, you know it’s a good one.”

In fact, Jack made personal duplicates of only three photos—his favorites—from the DOCUMERICA assignment. You can see them below.

Among other things, Jack said he “was very impressed by the exhibit, and impressed by the variety [of subjects].” He also said, “It was exciting to see all the names” of his fellow photojournalists, many of whom he has worked with and admired.

The exhibit runs through September 8, 2013. Don’t miss it!

"Early morning light enriches a bucolic scene at Claypool Hill, near Richlands, Virginia, about a dozen miles from the coal mines, 10/1974" (ARC 556586)

"Jack and Della Mae Smith in front of the beer joint he operates in Rhodell, West Virginia, near Beckley, 06/1974" (ARC 556581)

"Veteran miner Harold Stanley, right, talks to a young miner who has come into the mine for the first time after 40 hours of classroom training. Stanley placed his hand on the new man, shined his lamp in the miner's face and said 'Be alert, be safe, and uns (you) will be a good miner and get along just fine.' this is Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Company Mine #3 near Richlands, Virginia, 04/1974" (ARC 556362)