SCOPE AND CONTENT

The James H. Cummings Collection consists of materials donated to Middle Tennessee State University by Tennessee State Representative John Bragg in 1980 and transferred to the Albert Gore Research Center in 1993.  Miriam Hawkins donated additional materials in 1995.  The James H. Cummings Collection consists of materials created or acquired by James H. Cummings over the course of his career as a Representative in the Tennessee General Assembly or as Secretary of State of Tennessee. Ten series comprise the collection:  Correspondence, Legislative Files, Legislative Documents, Legal Documents, Printed Material, Literary Productions, Newspaper Clippings, Audio Recordings, Tennessee Monument at the Gettysburg National Battlefield, and 10) Ephemera, The collection spans the years 1908 through 1979, with the period 1967-1972 most prominently represented.  Significant gaps exist, most notably during the years 1930-1966, when Cummings was developing his reputation as a powerful legislator.