The Pre-Senatorial Series consists of advertisements, biographical sketches, campaign materials, certificates, clippings, correspondence, legal documents, lists, postcards, photographs, publications, receipts, reports, a few subject files, and telegrams.

Materials in this series cover the period 1879-1930, from Byrnes’ parent’s marriage through his election to the United States Senate. The bulk of the material dates from 1929-1930, much of it documenting his 1930 U.S. Senate campaign.

The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, and correspondence files within the series are arranged alphabetically by surname. Photographs and oversize items have been removed to photograph and oversize storage. See the Photographs Series for photographs removed from this series.

There is very little information regarding the offices he held early in his career and his service in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1910-1925. According to Byrnes, the majority of the papers from this period were destroyed. There is a small amount of campaign material relating to the races for solicitor in 1908, U.S. Representative in 1910, and for the U.S. Senate in 1924, as well as 1920 letters to W. W. Ball (editor of The State) relating to women’s suffrage and race and military pay. Of particular interest is a file on forged letters sent during 1910 campaign—letters supposedly sent by Byrnes criticizing his opponents. This file contains what appear to be detective reports.

The correspondence relating to the 1930 Senatorial campaign consists of requests for support and replies to same, congratulatory letters, correspondence reporting on political conditions in the county where the writer resides or in the state, invitations to speak, and requests for lists of people in various areas, professions, or organizations. There is also some correspondence concerning campaign finances and the purchase of political advertisements.

In addition to the 1930 campaign material there are biographical information files created at various times during his career by Byrnes and others. There is correspondence relating to Byrnes’ legal and financial affairs, including legal advice to various individuals, those relating to cases he is involved in, testimonial letters, and taxes and investments. Also included is correspondence from some of Byrnes’s ex-colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives. Family correspondence is also found in this series, as is a genealogy of Byrnes-McSweeney-Miner-Fuller families. Letters from his sister Lenore Fuller and cousin Frank Hogan (who was an attorney), as well as material concerning the case of Fuller v. Fuller (including detective reports) can also be found here.

Of particular interest is a folder regarding marriage records from the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, revealing Byrnes’ exact date of birth. Byrnes used his older sister’s date of birth as his own in 1900 in order to secure his position as the court reporter of the Second Judicial District in Aiken. He was only eighteen and did not meet the age requirement of twenty-one. It was only after his death that Byrnes’ actual age was uncovered. These diocesan records were donated by Sam Crews.

Major correspondents in this series include Lenore Fuller, Byrnes’ sister; Butler B. Hare, U.S. Representative for the Second District of South Carolina; E. D. Smith, U.S. Senator for South Carolina; Benjamin R. Tillman, also U.S. Senator for South Carolina; Woodrow Wilson; and Charles Cecil Wyche, a partner in Byrnes’ law firm. The correspondence on politics and congressional business related to Benjamin Tillman was copied from Mss 80, the Benjamin Ryan Tillman papers in Special Collections.

SEPARATION LISTIn Removed Oversize Box 1: