William Waggoner papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0221

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

These papers of William Waggoner primarily trace the progress of the case through the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court through dockets filed with the various courts and through clippings about the case. The collection also documents similar desegregation cases but does not include significant documentation on Waggoner's formulation of his defense tactics. Most of the material is in photocopied or in printed form. [For a historical synopsis of Swann v. Board of Education, see the inventory for the Julius L. Chambers Papers.]. Collection also includes maps of proposed attendance zones, notes and correspondence, data on pupil placement plans and school transportation costs, clippings, and material relating to other desegregation cases and to satellite suits, especially involving the North Carolina anti-busing statute.

Dates

Creation: 1968-1971

Creator

Waggoner, William J. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

William Johnson Waggoner "Bill" was born on October 13, 1928 in Salisbury, NC to James and Julia May Waggoner. He attended Catawba College in Salisbury in 1945 and 1946 and then joined the Army and served in the Occupation Forces in Japan in 1946 and 1947. After his return to the United States, he attended UNC and graduated from the UNC Law School. From 1956-1958, Waggoner served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina in the Charlotte office under James M. Bailey, Jr. After returning to private practice, he worked with Weinstein, Waggoner & Sturgess of Charlotte and tried all types of cases, including criminal, domestic, patent, acquisitions and taxes. In 1969, Waggoner was hired by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education to defend them in the busing case, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Additionally, Waggoner was a charter of Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte. He died in Davidson, NC on February 14, 2019.

Source: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/charlotte-nc/william-waggoner-8175143

Extent

8 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

William Waggoner is a Charlotte attorney and the collection relates to his defense of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of busing as a means to achieve racial integration of public schools. Consists primarily of legal documentation of proceedings and briefs prepared by defendants and plaintiffs for presentation to the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into ten series, they are: Correspondence (1968-1973), U.S. Circuit and District Courts (1969-1973), Plaintiff's Exhibits, Plans, Reports and Motions (1962-1971), Orders, Briefs and Exhibits (1967-1970), Swann and Other Cases and Education Books (1952-1973), Orders, Reports, Responses and Materials Sent to Supreme Court (1969-1971), Bound Volumes (Swann v. Board of Education (1970), Maps (1969-1970), Newspaper Clippings (1969-1992), Non-Swann Cases (1961-1972).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of William Waggoner, 1995.

Related Materials

UNC Charlotte Collections: MS 91. Fred D. Alexander Papers; MS 55. Kelly M. Alexander Papers; MS 85. Julius L. Chambers Papers; MS 125. Reginald A. Hawkins Papers; MS 42. Benjamin S. Horack Papers; and MS 131. Margaret W. Ray Papers

UNC Chapel Hill. James B. McMillan Papers (SHC #4676).