Back to Finding Aids
Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 Inquiries

Cage 459
John Stanley Webster
Papers, 1901-1963

The papers of John Stanley Webster (1877-1962) of Spokane, Washington, were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by Mrs. George B. Thomas in two separate accessions, in January 1977 (MS 77-1)--processed in November 1977--and April 1978 (MS 78-14). The papers were rearranged and described by Stephen E. Balzarini in June 1982.

BIOGRAPHY

John Stanley Webster was born in Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky on February 22, 1877. He attended public school and Smith's Classical School for Boys. After studing law at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor from 1897 to 1899 he returned home to Harrison County to practice law and then, 1902-1906, serve as Prosecuting Attorney. After successfully prosecuting a particularly difficult and extended case involving family feuds and murder, Webster left Kentucky and moved to Spokane, Washington, in May 1906. There he established a small law practice which he combined with efforts at farming. He became Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Spokane County in 1907 and the following year married Mary Gertrude Lathrum, daughter of John Lathrum, longtime sheriff of Whitman County. In 1909, Acting Governor M. E. Hay appointed Webster to the bench as Judge of the Superior Court for Spokane County, a position he held until 1916. Webster served as Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court from 1916 to 1918. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives from the 5th Congressional District of Washington in November 1918 and served in the House from March 4, 1919 to May 8, 1923 when he resigned to become U. S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington. He served in that capacity until August 1, 1938, when he retired owing to ill health. Judge Webster was a resident of Spokane, Washington until his death on December 24, 1962.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The papers of John Stanley Webster are arranged alphabetically in a single subject series. Included in the papers are correspondence, financial material, newspaper clippings, certificates and letters of appointment, biographical and obituary material, a single speech, and photographs. The material dates from 1901 through 1963, but the bulk of the papers come from the period of the early 1920s through the mid-1930s. Every effort has been made to retain the original order of the Webster papers as they were received; the order within the individual files has been preserved.

The correspondence, which comprises the vast majority of the papers, has been divided into four groups: General, 1909-1940, Endorsements, 1931-1932; Personal, 1923-1934, and 1962; and Dog Breeding and Showing, 1926-1937. The General Correspondence begins with Webster's appointment to the bench as U. S. District Court Judge for Eastern Washington. It includes both in-coming and out-going letters to lawyers, judges, and other individuals involved with legal questions. This material covers the period from 1909 through 1940 with the bulk of the material from the period 1923-1934. It is arranged in alphabetical groups, "A-D, E-K, L-M, N-R, S-Z," but within these groups there is no apparent order. Separate files have been established for individuals with whom Webster frequently corresponded. The Endorsements Correspondence consists primarily of letters of recommendation written by Webster for individuals seeking positions of employment or political office. The endorsements cover the period 1931-1932 and include both in-coming and out-going correspondence. The Personal file consists of letters from Webster's professional friends generally regarding topics of personal interest to Webster. This file is roughly arranged in a chronological fashion by year from 1923 through 1934. There are, however, several letters from December 1924.

Webster owned, bred, and showed English Bulldogs and there is a correspondence group which deals exclusively with this activity. It dates from 1926 through 1937 and is arranged alphabetically by the letters of the alphabet. There is no chronological sequence or alphabetical order within the filing group. For example, all the correspondence concerning showing and raising dogs under the letter "B" within the period 1927 through 1937 is filed together but has no internal arrangement within the filing unit. Separate files have been established by Webster for certain individuals or subjects; these have been placed within the alphabetical order after the appropriate letter of the alphabet. For example, "Pedigrees" has been placed after "P."

The second largest group of material in the Webster papers consists of financial documents, such as insurance receipts, cancelled checks and bank statements, receipts, and invoices. This material covers the periods from 1901-1906 and 1923-1939. It is arranged in an alphabetical letter sequence; the material in these lettered folders has no discernable internal order.

Also included are course notes from Webster's law school days at the University of Michigan, newspaper clippings from his early Superior Court judicial career, undated photographs of Webster and unidentified persons, an undated speech that Webster delivered concerning the relationship between government and business, certificates and documents of appointment to various offices, and obituary material.

The collection reflects Webster's judicial career, specifically his tenure on the bench of the U. S. District Court for Eastern Washington, from 1923 through the later 1930s. The papers deal only in a passing fashion with his career as a Superior Court judge for Spokane County or as an Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court. There is virtually no material from Webster's service as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives for the 5th Congressional District of Washington.

CONTAINER LIST

Box	Folder	Description	# of Items
1	1	Biographical and Obituary Material, 1962-1963	11
	2	Certificates and Appointment Documents, 1909, 1923, and 1939	4
		Correspondence:
		General, 1909-1940:
	3	A-Z, 1909	1
	4-5	A-Z, 1923	300
	6	A-D, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	150
	7	E-K, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	115
	8	Hart, Charles C., 1923-1929	20
	9	Jones, Hon. Wesley L., 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	70
	10	Judicial Salary Bill, 1924-Jan. 1, 1935	40
	11	L-M, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	120
	12	MacKintosh, Kenneth, 1923-1926	20
	13	Millard, William J., 1923-1930	25
	14	N-R, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	110
	15	Robertson, Col. W. W., 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	10
	16	S-Z, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	145
	17	Summers, Hon. John W., 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	20
	18	A-Z, 1935-1940	13
	19	Endorsements, 1931-1932	225
	20-21	Personal, 1923-1934, and 1962	287
		Dog Breeding and Showing, 1926-1937:
	22	American Kennel Club, 1926-1932	30
	23	B, 1927-1937	13
	24	Bingham, James F., 1930-1933	35
	25	C, 1923-1933	12
	26-27	Cleverly Bachelor, 1929-1933	50
	28	D, 1928-1931	30
	29	E, 1930	3
	30	G, 1931-1934	50
	31	H, 1927-1933	5
	32	Insurance, 1929	1
	33	J, 1930	6
	34	K, 1927-1930	4
	35	L, 1932-1937	30
	36	M, 1923 and 1937	3
	37	N-0, 1928-1933	11
	38	P, 1927-1933	25
	39	Pedigrees, 1928-1931	20
	40	R, 1928-1931	35
	41	S, 1927-1933	11
	42	Smith, W. Earle, 1928-1930	45
	43	Sparkes, R. P., 1928-1931	20
	44	T, 1930-1931, and 1937	6
	45	W, 1926-1933	10
	46	Wheaten, Ivan P., 1931-1932	55
	47	Course Notes: Equity Jurisprudence and Partnership, n.d.	1
		Financial Material, 1901-1939:
	48	1901-1906	6
	49	A, 1925-Jan. 1, 1935	75
	50	B-C, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	50
	51	D-H, 1923-Jan. 1, 1935	35
	52	J, 1925-Jan. 1, 1935	65
	53	K-Q, 1923-Jan. 1, 1925	75
	54	S, 1924-Jan. 1, 1925	45
	55	T, 1926-Jan. 1, 1935	15
	56	A-Z, 1935-1939	75
	57	Newspaper Clippings, 1909-1910	4
	58	Photographs, n.d.	10
	59	Speech: "Government and Business," n.d.	1
	60	Oversized: photographs, elections posters, certificates	10