Ernest A. Green Papers

Collection

Identifier: A0613

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is contained in one document box, and encompasses the years 1895-1939. The collection primarily documents Ernest A. Green's career as a lawyer and public servant from 1906-1938. The Correspondence Series includes both personal and professional correspondence for the years 1903-1938. There is no business correspondence dating from the periods when he was Prosecuting Attorney of Butler County, Missouri (1906-1910) or Assistant-Attorney General of Missouri (1912-1914). Green was an active worker for the Democratic party throughout his career, and letters with prominent political figures such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Senator Bennett Champ Clark, and Lloyd C. Stark, Governor of Missouri, are included in the collection. Among the many letters of recommendations for appointments are several letters which discuss current political issues: Pendergast's control of the Democratic party in Missouri; strategies to be used in Missouri to persuade delegates to the Democratic National Convention in 1932 to nominate Franklin Roosevelt for President; and suggestions for organizing Missouri Headquarters for Roosevelt. Green's letter of November 9, 1932, to Roosevelt congratulates the President-elect on his "magnificent triumph." The Speeches Series includes speeches from Green's college years when he participated in debates and was valedictorian of his class. Brief remarks he made at the ceremony of the laying of the corner stone of the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis, February 3, 1928, and political speeches he gave on behalf of democratic candidates in the 1930s are also among his papers. The Legal Documents Series includes an Affidavit in Support of Application for Membership in the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, a petition to nominate Green for the office of State Delegate from the State of Missouri, and Green’s license to practice law in Missouri. The Financial Documents Series includes receipts and a sale of bonds agreement. Finally, the Printed Materials Series includes invitations, certificates, membership cards, programs, railroad passes, credit courtesy cards, publications relating to Green's law career, passes and tickets from political activities, and memorabilia from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of St. Louis.

Dates

1895-1939

Creator

Green, Ernest A., 1884-1938 (Author, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical Sketch

Ernest A. Green was born in Hillsboro, Missouri, on January 12, 1884. He was the son of Judge and Mrs. James F. Green. In 1900, he graduated from high school in De Soto, Missouri, and went on to graduate from the University of Missouri Law School in Columbia, Missouri, in 1905. From 1906-1910, he worked as a prosecuting attorney for Butler County, Missouri. In 1912, he became a delegate from the State of Missouri to the Democratic National Convention. From 1912-1914, Green served as Assistant-Attorney General of Missouri. Afterwards, he continued to practice law in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1914-1938. In 1916, Ernest A. Green ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of Missouri, and was then appointed by Governor Elliott W. Major to fill an unexpired term on the Circuit Bench in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1926, he became the President of the Bar Association of St. Louis, and later, in 1927, the President of the Missouri Bar Association. In 1938, Green was elected to the Democratic State Committee from the 12th Congressional District in St. Louis County, Missouri. He passed away the same year on November 21 as a result of a November 7 fall at Clayton Courthouse.

Extent

0.51 Cubic Feet ( (1 box; 1 oversize folder))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection contains the following series: Correspondence, Speeches, Minutes, Legal Documents, Financial Documents, and Printed Material. The material is arranged chronologically within each series except for the Printed Materials, which are arranged alphabetically by type.

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

John L. Green donated the papers of his father Ernest A. Green to the Missouri Historical Society on March 24, 1978.

Separated Materials

A photograph of Ernest A. Green and a newspaper plate of Green's photo were removed from this collection and transferred to the Photographs and Prints Department. Three copies of the magazine, The Censor, and the 1928 publication of the Bellefontaine Cemetery Association booklet, along with a map of the cemetery, were transferred to the Library.