Albert Ritchie papers
Collection
0128-MDHC
Albert C. Ritchie (1876-1936) was a professor of law at the University of Maryland and governor of Maryland from 1920 to 1934. His papers relate primarily to his four terms as governor and address such subjects as election campaigns, government involvement in economics, state taxes, and state government and politics, as well as Ritchie's financial affairs.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.
7.00 Linear Feet
English
The Albert Ritchie papers cover the years 1903 to 1939, the bulk of which date from Ritchie's years as Governor of Maryland, 1919-1934. Most of the material covers official government matters; little personal material is included. The papers include correspondence, reports, printed material, newspaper clippings, speeches, memorabilia, and photographs. Subjects include political affairs, especially campaigning and elections; economic matters, especially government involvement in the economy; Ritchie's financial affairs; areas of local interest, in particular state taxes, politics, and construction; and the state government.
Albert Cabell Ritchie was born in Richmond, Virginia, on August 29, 1876. He received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1896 and his L.L.B. from the University of Maryland Law School in 1898.
In 1898 Ritchie began law practice with Steele, Semmes, Carey and Bond of Baltimore and was admitted to the firm in 1900. From 1903 to 1920 he was a partner in the Ritchie and Janney law firm in Baltimore. During this period, Ritchie served in number of government and education positions. Ritchie's work as assistant city solicitor of Baltimore in 1903 led to the writing of Municipal Condemnation in Maryland (1904). From 1907 to 1919 Ritchie was professor of law at the University of Maryland. Additional positions included: assistant general counsel to the Maryland Public Service Commission (1910-1913), Attorney General of Maryland (1915 - 1918), and general counsel to the War Industries Board (June-December 1918).
In 1919 Ritchie was elected Governor of Maryland. He became the first Maryland governor to succeed himself in 1923 and was again re-elected in 1926 and 1930. Having risen to prominence in the Democratic Party, Ritchie made and unsuccessful bid for the 1932 Presidential nomination and reportedly declined the party's Vice-Presidential nomination. In 1934 he ran for a fifth term as Governor but was defeated.
On February 24, 1936, Ritchie died in Baltimore. He is buried there in Greenmount Cemetery.
This collection is organized as seven series:
The Albert Cabell Ritchie papers were received by the University of Maryland Libraries in 1976.
Seven series were created from the Ritchie papers. The final two series were separated and placed in the Memorabilia and Photograph collections of the Historical Manuscripts and Archives Department. Paper clips and pins were removed and replaced with plastic clips. Sheets of acid-free bond paper were placed around particularly fragile items. Duplicates were discarded, and all remaining material was placed in acid-free folders and boxes. Finally the guide was written. In July 2001, preservation photocopies were made of Series 1, Subseries 2, and the originals were discarded. In June 2003, the loose photographs were sleeved in mylar, and separation sheets were prepared for photographs that had been separated earlier from correspondence files.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives