Hyde, Laurance Mastick (1892-1978), Papers, 1869-1966, C3390

16 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

The papers of the Missouri Supreme Court Justice, 1942-1966, relate to his activities in the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Justices, and Missouri Bar Association, and in promulgating the Missouri Court plan, Missouri Constitution of 1945, and the Missouri Code. The collection also contains limited Hyde family papers and genealogical materials.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Laurance Mastick Hyde papers were donated to the University of Missouri by Hyde on April 5, 1952 (Accession No. 3117). Additions to the papers were made on May 7, 1958 (Accession No. 3340), October 12, 1966 (Accession No. 3684), and December 16, 1976 (Accession No. 4036).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Laurance Mastick Hyde was born in Princeton, Missouri, on 2 February 1892 to Civil War veteran and former U.S. Congressman Ira Barnes Hyde and his third wife, Eliza Tomlinson Mastick. Two earlier wives, Sophia Clymer and Caroline Mastick died, leaving behind three small sons, Edward Clymer, Benjamin C. and Arthur Mastick Hyde (who would later become Governor of Missouri). Ira and Eliza had two addition children, Ira Barnes Hyde, Jr., and Frances Emily.

Laurance Mastick Hyde was educated in the Princeton public schools, and the University of Missouri, graduating in 1914 with A.B. degree, and in 1916, with LL.B. degree. He was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1916 and served as the City Attorney in Princeton until 1917, when he joined the army as second lieutenant in the 338th Infantry, 85th Division. He was also Judge Advocate in the special training camp at Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1917 to 1919.

He returned to Princeton in 1919 to practice law until 1931, when he was appointed Missouri Supreme Court Commissioner. He was reappointed to the post in 1935 and 1939. In 1934, he was the Republican nominee for Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court, Division No. 2. He served on the Missouri Supreme Court from 1942 to 1966 and was named Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. He was elected Missouri delegate in the American Bar Association House of Delegates in 1938, and was also a member of the Council of Section on Judicial Administration, the American Academy of Political Science, and of the American Law Institute. He authored several articles on practice and procedure of the law.

He was a member of the Princeton Board of Education, President of the Farmers State Bank of Princeton, Chairman of Mercer County Republican Committee, and Chairman of Third Congressional District Republican Committee.

Hyde married Florence Fuller on 15 June 1922. The couple had two children, Florence Fuller Hyde, born in 1924, and Laurance Mastick Hyde, Jr., born in 1927. Hyde died in 1978.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Correspondence comprises the bulk of the Laurance Mastick Hyde Papers. The collection also includes newspaper clippings, articles and speeches, family papers and related genealogical material. The papers are arranged into four series: Personal, Professional Associations, Missouri, and Miscellaneous.

The Personal series contains primarily correspondence arranged chronologically. Included are congratulatory and letters of support following Hyde’s appointment as Missouri Supreme Court commissioner and to the Missouri Supreme Court, letters of endorsement and results of the 1944 election and other judicial positions, results of polls conducted by the Missouri Bar judicial elections committee, newspaper clippings, confirmation materials pertaining to Missouri Supreme Court justices, correspondence regarding court cases and procedures, requests for opinions and inquiries, invitations and responses, speeches and articles, farm partnership papers between Hyde and Claude W. Stanley, additional farm and financial records, and travel schedules, costs, and itineraries for the Hyde family trip through Europe, the Soviet Union, and parts of Asia.

The Professional Associations series comprises the majority of the collection and focuses primarily on the American Bar Association. The records document ABA conferences and meetings, and opinions on a variety of issues including the admission of women, discussions of Missouri and U.S. Supreme Court nominees, the impact of World War II on the ABA, and Harold Stassen’s United Nations plan. The series includes both general and association specific correspondence, membership lists and related materials; travel expenses, itineraries, and schedules; by-laws, minutes, agendas, fundraising and financial records, memoranda, resolutions, and reports, conference and meeting planning materials, questionnaires, information on regional and national issues; association specific committee and section correspondence and related materials; newsletters and other publications.

The Missouri series contains materials pertaining to the Missouri Code including revisions and amendments, articles, speeches, statements by politicians, correspondence, comparisons with other states, newspaper clippings, reports, rules and procedures, memoranda, committee minutes and agendas. The series also contains proposed amendments to the 1943 Missouri State Constitution and Constitutional Convention, related correspondence, committee meetings, membership, and reports, newspaper clippings, and discussion of related matters. The series also includes materials pertaining to the Missouri Court Plan, Missouri Highway Patrol, Missouri Judicial Conference, Missouri Board of Law Examiners, state legislation, Missouri Magistrate Courts, municipal and traffic court rules, Missouri Traffic Safety Committee, and the University of Missouri.

The Miscellaneous series incorporates materials pertaining to other organizations of interest to Hyde including the National Conference of Judicial Councils, National Foreign Trade Council, National Probation and Parole Association, North Carolina Bar Association, President’s Highway Safety Conference, Probate Judges Association of Missouri, St. Louis Bar Association, and U.S. Civil Service Commission Hearing Examiners Board. The materials are comprised of correspondence, membership lists and questionnaires, meeting by-laws, minutes and agendas, committee reports and programs, resolutions and articles, travel expenses and vouchers, applicants for positions and supporting materials, and rules and procedures.

FOLDER LIST

Personal Series

Materials within the Personal series concentrate on Hyde’s career. The correspondence focuses on his appointment as the Missouri Supreme Court Commissioner in 1931; letters of support sent to Governor Donnell and the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission endorsing Hyde as a justice of the Missouri Supreme Court (f. 1-6); and congratulatory messages upon his appointment to Missouri’s highest court (f. 7-15) and Chief Justice (f. 21). Folders 16-20, 23-37 contain endorsements and letters of support from Missouri attorneys, officials, and businessmen, congratulatory messages upon successful election and re-election to the Court in 1944 and 1954, instructions for balloting, election results, and newspaper clippings.

Throughout his term on the Missouri Supreme Court, Hyde corresponded with other judges on topics ranging from traffic courts and judicial procedure to cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, disbarment hearings, extradition cases, and inquiries concerning the Missouri Supreme Court Commissioner system. Also included are an explanation of Missouri Supreme Court operating procedures, letters concerning a proposed increase in Missouri Bar dues, and requests for opinions and discussion of cases (f. 39-54).

From 1953-1955, Hyde made unsuccessful attempts to be appointed to the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, headquartered in St. Louis. Folders 55-69 contain requests for support, subsequent letters of endorsement and the announcement of the appointment of Charles Evans Whittaker.

Folders 70-90 contain articles and speeches written by Hyde for various publications and audiences from 1946 to 1954. Speech titles include, “Missouri Plan for Selection and Tenure of Judges,” “Congressional Politics of the Second World War,” and “Undermining the Constitution.” The majority of the articles written for publication focused on the Missouri judicial system, reviews of constitutional law monographs, and successful appellate techniques.

From 1930 to 1952, Hyde partnered with Claude W. Stanley and Richard H. Stanley on farms in northwest Missouri. Folders 108-127 contain partnership papers between the three men, including correspondence, contracts, discussion of farm improvements, the effect of the national economy on Missouri agriculture, annual costs and sales, mortgages, livestock and crop prices, and bank reports.

In 1937, Hyde and his family traveled throughout Europe, the Soviet Union, and parts of Asia. Folder 127A contains travel schedules, costs, and itineraries.

f. 1-6Correspondence, 1930s
f. 7-15Correspondence, 1942-1943
f. 16-20Correspondence, 1944
f. 21Correspondence, 1949
f. 22Correspondence, 1950-1952
f. 23-37Judicial election, 1954
f. 38Judicial election, 1956
f. 39-54Missouri Supreme Court, 1960-1964
f. 55-65U.S. Court of Appeals, 1946-1954
f. 66-69U.S. Court of Appeals, 1955-1956
f. 70-90Speeches/Articles, 1946-1954
f. 91-107Invitations, 1944-1951
f. 108-117Stanley, Claude W., 1930-1952
f. 118-127Stanley, Richard H., 1943-1952
f. 127ATravel, 1937

Professional Associations Series

The series focuses primarily on Hyde’s membership in the American Bar Association. Folders 128-131 contain general correspondence pertaining to Hyde’s nomination and selection to the ABA as a Missouri state delegate, ABA conferences and meetings, elections of officers and election reform, membership drives, resolutions and opinions on a variety of issues, budget, expenses, and other financial matters (f. 132-144), possible admission of women, detailed official description of the ABA, discussions of Missouri and U.S. Supreme Court nominees and elections, reports on judicial salaries, invitations to speak or appear at different functions, questionnaires from committees and sections, establishment and organization of committees and sections, and discussion of the impact of World War II on the ABA (f. 145-166). Also included are correspondence pertaining to Harold Stassen’s United Nations plan (f. 167), credentials of T.E. Atkinson for the Commission on Uniform Laws, questionnaires from the Judicial Administration section and from the chairman of the Improving the Administration of Justice Committee (f. 172-174), Missouri constitutional revisions (f. 175-177), Junior Bar’s procedural reform survey (f. 181-185), New Jersey constitution, committee reports, Hyde’s speeches and published articles, minor reorganization of ABA sections and committees, officer elections, and the admission of Scovel Richardson, African American dean of Lincoln University, to the ABA. (f. 186-197).

Folders 198-224 contain correspondence regarding ABA presidential and state delegate elections, committee appointments, reports on organized crime from Estes Kefauver, discussion of Missouri’s Supreme Court Commissioner system, traffic court appointments, opinions on judicial disqualification, conflict of interest, report from the New Orleans Criminal Law meeting, discussion of wiretappings and its uses, and the Korean Legal Center.

Travel arrangements and itineraries, a copy and discussion of Hyde’s speech for the London conference, biographies of other notable speakers, and genealogical inquiries from Mrs. Hyde comprise folders 225-229. Folders 230-235 contain articles written by Hyde and John B. Gage on requirements for hearing officers, correspondence regarding the President’s Conference on Administrative Procedure, Missouri Committee for Administrative Law, ABA presidential elections and related matters, and report and resolutions by the joint American Medical Association-American Bar Association committee on drugs, including recommendations for changes in treatment and legal punishment.

Folders 234-246 contain correspondence pertaining to discussion of legal indigents, mid-year meetings, questionnaires for the membership, Hyde’s letter to Justice Brennan regarding Missouri law, section specific meeting topics, minimum membership standards, statements and resolutions pertaining to indigent defense, discussion making presidential assassination a federal crime, memorandum regarding the proposed Hatch Act (Federal Election Law), a report concerning criminal law in Missouri and a report from the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee.

Correspondence surrounding the creation of the Effective Administration of Justice Joint Committee comprise the contests of folders 247-255. Also included are materials pertaining to committee membership lists, preparations for meetings, agendas, funding, opinions on the workings of the committee, committee reports, meeting minutes, and miscellaneous correspondence.

Folders 256-432 contain materials pertaining to the ABA Judicial Administration Section. They include studies of the justice of the peace system and other courts and juries, memoranda on traffic safety and traffic courts, correspondence regarding the National Safety Council, the Missouri Constitutional Convention, and law reform, preparations for the regional ABA meeting in St. Louis, committee organization details, discussion of rural and urban dispersal of attorneys, budget, funding, quarterly financial reports, and other financial matters. Section specific elections, section meetings, by-laws, and agendas, miscellaneous committee correspondence, opinions on reckless driving laws, establishment and organization of traffic court committee, responses to an article on constitutionality of alcohol test, state court statistics, discussion of uniform state laws, Connecticut judicial plan, and discussion of the merging of the Improving Administration of Justice and Judicial Administration sections are also included (f. 256-300).

Folders 300-320 contain articles on the Supreme Court administrator and comments pertaining to partisanship by U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals appointees, the apparent feud between U.S. Supreme Court justices Black and Jackson (f. 307), praise for the Missouri judicial plan, section specific resolutions, discussion of state judicial ratings, questionnaire regarding pre-trial conferences, the Japanese judicial system, delay before trial report, death of Roscoe P. Conkling (f. 317), pre-trail conferences report by Will Shafroth, and discussion of secretly taping juries.

Folders 321-347 include lists of committee members, discussion of court clerk salaries, committee correspondence pertaining to section nominations, endorsements, and elections, preparations for annual ABA meeting, death of John J. Parker and Bolitha Laws, section specific budget and funding materials, induction of Alfred P. Murrah into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, “Model Judicial Article for State Constitutions” report, section council meetings, agendas, and minutes, discussion of the section membership of U.S. Supreme Court justices, and the retirement of George Rossman.

Folders 348-361 include correspondence regarding meetings and appointments to committees, court congestion, membership lists, Missouri report, preparations for Law Day, scheduling and preparation for meetings; and memoranda, rough drafts, brochures, surveys and responses to a questionnaire developed by Hyde regarding the “Method of Doing Work” for court. Judicial Administration Section, Appellate Courts Committee materials comprise folders 362-371A. Folders include correspondence, membership, reports, articles, summaries and supplements, and questions regarding appellate procedure. Folders 372-378 contain materials pertaining to the Traffic Courts subsection of the Judicial Administration section including speeches, recommendations, committee correspondence, a statement concerning women jurors, the National Safety Council, and state by state activities reports.

Questionnaires, resolutions and bulletins of the Improving Administration of Justice subsection materials are contained in folders 379-432. Also included are correspondence regarding court reform, discussion of proposed handbook for jurors, membership lists, meetings and their preparation, objectives, appointments, and minutes. Folders also contain discussion of the Missouri Constitutional Convention, discussion of proposed court reforms, approval of committee reports, suggestions for committee study, proposed Missouri Supreme Court amendments, general committee correspondence, rough draft and final committee report, memoranda discussing the salary of court reporters, suggestions for committee activities, description of sub-committees, a report on expediting civil dockets, juror uniformity, rules of conduct for judges, and special committee lists (f. 379-413). Folders 414-432 contain Missouri sub-committee materials including correspondence, meetings, minutes, and reports, a proposal for three year study on the administration of justice in Kansas City by the Kansas City Law School and related opinions, a proposal to allow briefs to be duplicated, compensation for court-appointed attorneys, section specific nominations and elections, of written versus oral instructions to jurors, proposed handbook for jurors and re-draft, and error in instruction.

ABA Organized Crime Commission section materials comprise folders 456-468 and include proposed anti-gambling legislation, the appointment of Hyde to the Kefauver Committee on Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, the commission’s plan of operation and committee correspondence, recommendation of Earl Warren for the program, discussion of newspaper coverage, a press release by Adlai Stevenson concerning gambling laws and government power, discussion of police power, a questionnaire concerning organized crime in U.S., and a copy of Senator Tobey’s bill on conspiracy and organized crime.

Folders 469-484 contain materials from the ABA Professional Ethics and Grievances Committee. Contents include reports on the propriety of judges testifying, a copy of “Canons of Judicial Ethics,” discussion of the Alger Hiss trial, discussion of justices campaigning for, or contributing to, political parties, request for an opinion on the propriety of filming in the courtroom and of judges sitting when their son is counsel, and of judges aiding in fundraising.

Folders 485-501 contain materials pertaining to miscellaneous Missouri committees within the ABA including Bar Organizational Activities, Cooperation with Inter-American Bar Association, Federal Civil Procedure, Jurisprudence and Law Reform, Legal Education and Admission to Bar Section, Legal Publications, Retirement of Judges and Magistrates, Selection and Tenure of Judges, State Legislation, Traffic Court Program, Uniform State Laws, and Ways and Means.

Folder 505 contains materials pertaining to the efforts of the American Bar Foundation to establish a center in the Republic of Korea and other friendly nations to foster American legal ideas. Difficulties encountered during the rebuilding of the Korean economy after the close of the Korean War are also described.

f. 128-224Correspondence, 1938-1965
f. 225-229London meeting, 1957
f. 230-231Administrative Law, 1942-1954
f. 232-233Coburn, Richmond Cash, 1963-1964
f. 234-245Criminal Law, 1959-1965
f. 246Criminal Law, Missouri, 1941-1947
f. 247-255Effective Administrative Justice, 1961-1964
f. 256-347Judicial Administration, 1943-1966
f. 343-353Judicial Administration, Missouri, 1945-1962
f. 354-355Judicial Administration, Meeting, 1961
f. 356-371AJudicial Administration, Committees, 1941-1963
f. 372-378Judicial Administration, Traffic Courts, 1944-46
f. 379-428Judicial Administration Justice, Missouri, 1941-1957
f. 429-432Judicial Administration, Juries, 1946-1954
f. 433-448Lashly, Jacob Mark, 1938-1940
f. 449-455McCoy, Philbrick, 1953-1955
f. 456-468Organized Crime Commission, 1950-1953
f. 469-484Professional Ethics, 1949-1965
f. 485-501Miscellaneous Missouri Committees, 1941-1947
f. 502-504Regional Meetings, 1941-1944
f. 505Korean Legal Center, 1955-1955

Hyde was also a member of the American Judicature Society which works to maintain the independence and integrity of the courts and increase public understanding of the justice system. Folders 506-510 contain a questionnaire concerning Missouri courts, comments on articles written by Hyde, preparations for meetings and the resulting agendas and minutes, membership lists, by-laws, and the president’s annual report. Materials comprising folders 511-517 include letters of acceptance from new membership, report of campaign drive, discussion of the Missouri Constitutional Convention, raising judicial salaries, and meeting preparations. Folders 518-525 include meeting minutes, membership campaign and final report, financial records, discussion of future programs and how to spend funds, and discussion of Hyde’s published articles. Contained within folders 526-536 are opinions on taxable court costs, meeting, membership, secretary-treasurer reports, by-laws, financial statements, correspondence with Ford Foundation regarding funding, Missouri judicial salary increases, and questions regarding Missouri Supreme Court rules and procedures. Folders 537-556 contain a discussion of a change in the Society’s policies, resolutions and meeting preparations, committee reports, financial statements, membership materials and campaign reports, minutes of Director's meeting, press releases, and semi-centennial articles of Society.

f. 506-556American Judicature Society, 1940-1965

The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. Folders 557-595 include biographical sketches of perspective members, minutes of meetings, resolutions, membership lists, dues and other financial matters, proposals for study of conflict of interest, ethical problems, the International Commission of Jurists, Executive committee reports and minutes, treasurer’s reports and book sales, suggested subjects for articles, a request for information on adultery trials, the admission application from Scovel Richardson, discussion of negligent performance, and tax-exempt status of the organization. Also included are a discussion regarding counsel for prisoners in parole cases, family court, comments on the Missouri Constitution and Missouri Judicial plan, a poll of membership regarding murder and the death penalty, the introduction to model uniform laws and model sentencing act, discussion of search warrants and the statute regarding fraudulent use of credit cards, and correspondence pertaining to criminal law between Nicholas Katzenbach and David Bazelon.

f. 557-595American Law Institute, 1941-1965
f. 596American Political Science Association, 1946-1947

Hyde chaired the organizing committee of the Conference of Chief Justices and was chosen chairman for the 1949-1950 year. Folders 597-601 contain preparations for the organizational meeting in St. Louis, the meeting program and committee membership, the resignation of Robert G. Simmons as first chairman and replacement by Hyde, discussion surrounding the resignation, and a questionnaire on trial courts. Folders 602-612A contain correspondence from Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt, meeting preparation and speech topics, minutes of the first conference, attendees, arrangements for speakers, speeches given, and resolutions passed. Correspondence comprises folders 613-620 and includes a discussion of rotating the position of Chief Justice in the state Supreme Court, judicial salaries, plans for public relations and attendance lists for the annual meeting, press releases, a resolution regarding judicial tenure, and minutes.

Folders 621-630 contain preparations for the 1951-1960 meetings, resolutions adapted, Weygandt’s article concerning needs for experience and grammar by judges, a proposed bill regarding habeas corpus, the deaths of Roscoe Conkling, Arthur T. Vanderbilt, John J. Parker, and Ernest M. Tipton, and comments on the Kansas Supreme Court and Minnesota Court Plan. Materials contained in folders 631-641 include discussion regarding the association between the ABA and the CCJ, Hyde’s speech and comments on his court plan, topics for the meetings, questionnaires, preliminary programs and attendance lists, and the death of John Caskie Collet. Folders 642-651 contain memoranda to state officials regarding funding of the conference and CCJ expense claims, organizational correspondence, and preparations for the 1949 organizational meeting in St. Louis. Folders 652-658 include materials for the 1950 and 1960 meetings as well as resolutions on traffic safety and habeas corpus, committee correspondence, and the death of John T. Longhran.

f. 597-658Conference/Chief Justices, 1949-1964
f. 659Council on State Governments, n.d.
f. 660-661Freedoms Foundation, 1952-1958
f. 662-683Institute Judicial Administration, 1952-1965
f. 684-694Inter-American Bar Association, 1940-1953

Missouri Series

Materials pertaining to Missouri organizations to which Hyde was either a member or involved during his career comprise this series. Hyde was a member of the Missouri Association of Social Welfare from 1960 to 1962. Folders 695-700 contain meeting minutes, lists of activities and newsletters, description of punishments for felonies and sentencing by judge rather than jury, an essay and brief history of the public defender system, discussion of laws concerning restoration of citizenship, correspondence regarding probation and parole, the Association’s official position on judicial sentencing, and the American Bar Association stand on gun control.

f. 695-700Missouri Association of Social Welfare, 1960-1962

Missouri Bar Association materials comprise the bulk of the series. Folders 701-720 contain correspondence regarding lawsuits, complaints of attorneys representing both sides in an issue, essays concerning prisons, statute amendments and proposed amendments to criminal procedure, by-laws of the MBA, resolutions and committee reports, admission requirements to the Missouri Bar, and descriptions of Missouri Appellate Court system. Also included are a committee report on legal aspects of criminology, Hyde’s address to the University of Missouri Law School, meeting minutes, discussions concerning proposing bills to the legislature, judicial selection and tenure, Hyde’s proposed constitutional amendment regulating practice and procedure by rules, and correspondence regarding procedural reform.

Folders 721-731 contain an essay on wills, civil procedure, and the Missouri Constitution, correspondence pertaining to court reform, Inter-American Bar Association, uniform state laws, legislation, MBA officer elections, committee activities and reports, Kansas City Lawyers Association resolutions, and statistics from the Kansas Supreme Court. Folders 732-744 contain preparations for the Inter-American Bar Association meeting in Mexico City, discussions regarding objections to instructions in new code, the governor’s veto of judicial salary increases, and board of governors elections, miscellaneous correspondence, committee reports, questionnaires, programs and membership, resolutions and memoranda, Hyde’s opinion on participation of the Missouri Bar in judicial elections, speeches, committee lists, and material pertaining to the Missouri Bar Foundation.

Contents of folders 745-762 include Hyde’s article on judicial retirement, Henry S. Caulfield’s history of the Missouri Bar, MBA officer elections, resolutions, committee reports, financial statements, possible permanent building for MBA in Jefferson City, and correspondence pertaining to judicial referendum and legal internship, and miscellaneous memoranda.

f. 701-762Missouri Bar Association, 1941-1965
f. 763-813Missouri Code of State Regulations, 1943-1952
f. 814-818Missouri Code, Revision, 1946-1966
f. 819-824Missouri Code, Criminal Procedure, 1948-1952
f. 825-833Missouri Constitutional Convention, 1943-1949

The Missouri Court Plan which allows for the popular election of judges, has served as a national model and has been adopted by a number of other states. Folders 834-857 contain the plan bibliography, correspondence, articles and comments, inquiries and answers, newspaper clippings, and discussion of attitudes towards the Plan.

f. 834-857Missouri Court Plan, 1946-1958
f. 858Missouri Highway Patrol—Correspondence, 1931
f. 859-894Missouri Judicial Conference, 1938-1965
f. 895-899Missouri Law Examiners Board, 1947-1961

Folders 900-915 contain legislative materials pertinent to the judicial branch of the state government. Folders 900-902 include a memorandum concerning the Missouri Supreme Court Library and the salaries of its librarians; proposed legislation regarding judicial salaries, adoption, and medical examiners; a report on the disposition of the backlog of cases in Missouri courts; and material on judicial retirement and pension laws in other states. Folders 903-909 contain financial reports of the Missouri Bar fund; questions on law school requirements for servicemen; correspondence in regard to integration of the bar and new Missouri code provisions; proposed legislation and opinions concerning writing and filing of transcripts; and the proposed uniform marriage health act. Legislative materials from 1948-1959 comprise folders 910-915 and include correspondence concerning proposed legislation (most notably, a bill outlawing picketing of Federal courts) and crime hearings; an outline of discussion of law enforcement; and a draft of judicial probation and parole bill written by the Missouri Judicial Conference.

f. 900-915Missouri Legislation, 1942-1959
f. 916-917Missouri Magistrate Courts, 1945-1950

Missouri was only the second state to institute uniform traffic laws and folders 918-926 contain materials regarding this effort. Included are correspondence regarding the uniform traffic ticket, comments by county judges on rules, Missouri accident statistics, a discussion of municipal and traffic courts at the Missouri Traffic Court conference and complaints about the new drivers’ license forms. Folders 927-930 contain correspondence concerning the formation of the Missouri Traffic Safety Committee, list of members, committee report, and the report on the Drivers Safety workshop.

f. 918-926Missouri Municipal/Traffic Court Rules, 1959-1964
f. 927-930Missouri Traffic Safety Committee, 1945-1957

Folders 937-945 contain materials pertaining to the MU centennial, the reunion of Hyde’s 1914 class, and the 25th anniversary of Hyde’s law class of 1916; and a statement by the Board of Curators concerning the proposed separation of the School of Mines from the University. Alumni Association materials from 1943 and 1944 comprise folders 946-952. This includes correspondence regarding the creation of a four year medical school. Folders 961-969 contain correspondence concerning the resignation of Frederick Middlebush. Correspondence regarding the organization of the Missouri Law Review comprise folders 970-977, and include a discussion of Arthur T. Vanderbilt’s case book. Folders 978-987 contain MU Law School Foundation materials including fundraising and investment strategies, organization of the Parks Memorial Fund, and correspondence regarding improvement of the Law Library.

f. 931-987University of Missouri, 1931-1965

Miscellaneous Series

The Miscellaneous series encompasses the remainder of the collection. Contained within this series are materials pertaining to organizations of interest to Hyde, miscellaneous subjects, newspaper clippings, photographs, and the Hyde family history and genealogy.

The National Probation/Parole Association files include reports on juvenile delinquency and juvenile problems, correspondence regarding meetings and J. Edgar Hoover’s speech on probation and parole; discussions pertaining to counsel for prospective parolees and sentencing; lists of studies and surveys; memoranda about model sentencing, and a proposed judges’ creed.

Discussion of the controversy when the Hearing Examiner’s Board of the U.S. Civil Service Commission resigned in protest over politics is included in folder 1043.

Arthur T. Vanderbilt (1888-1957), Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1948 to 1957, corresponded professionally with Hyde. He also was a noted attorney, legal educator and nationally known proponent of court modernization. Many of Vanderbilt's ideas for court reform were incorporated into the judicial article of the Constitution. Folders 1047-1049 contain correspondence regarding court changes, scheduled speeches and meetings, Rockefeller Foundation grants, and Hyde’s review of Vanderbilt’s case book.

Folders 1085-1108 encompass Hyde family genealogical materials. The Hyde family was among the first immigrants to the U.S. from England, purchasing land in Connecticut in 1645. Researched by Florence Fuller Hyde, the family charts and history trace the Hyde family (patrilineal) back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

f. 988-996National Conference Judicial Councils, 1943-1958
f. 997National Foreign Trade Council, 1942-1943
f. 998-1016National Probation/Parole Association, 1953-1966
f. 1017North Carolina Bar Association, 1962
f. 1018-1020President’s Highway Safety Conference, 1949-1952
f. 1021Probate Judges Association of Missouri, 1945
f. 1022-1025St. Louis Bar Association, 1944-1959
f. 1026-1046U.S. Civil Service Commission, 1947-1950
f. 1047-1049Vanderbilt, Arthur T., 1951-1957
f. 1050-1084Miscellaneous subjects, n.d.
f. 1085-1108Hyde family genealogy
f. 1109-1119Newspaper clippings, 1931-1965
f. 1120-1123Photographs

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.