Collections

Archival materials and oral history interviews anchor the scholarly component of the Heyburn Initiative. They document the Kentuckians who serve or have served in the Federal Judiciary and provide insight into interactions of the Third Branch with the Executive and Legislative branches.

Archival Materials

• Charles M. Allen papers, circa 1958-2001 | District Court Judge on the Western District Court of Kentucky, 1971-2000.
• Charles I. Dawson papers, 1923-1969 | District Court Judge on the Western District Court of Kentucky, 1925-1935.
• John G. Heyburn II papers, 1980-2015, bulk 1992-2015 | District Court Judge on the Western District Court of Kentucky, 1992-2015.
• Joseph M. Hood papers, 1982-2016 | District Court Judge on the Western District Court of Kentucky, 1990- .
• Harry Innes papers, 1775-1815 | District Court Judge of Kentucky, 1789-1815.
• A. L. Isham letters, 1938-1939 | Property manager for Associate Justice Stanley Forman Reed.
• Stanley Forman Reed papers, 1926-1977 | Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, 1938-1957.
• Mac Swinford collection, 1932-1975 | District Court Judge on the Eastern and Western District Courts of Kentucky, 1937-1975.
• G. Wix Unthank papers, 1980-2013, bulk 1977-2012 | District Court Judge on the Eastern District Court of Kentucky, 1980-2013.
• Frederick Moore Vinson collection, 1907-1953 | Chief Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, 1943-1953.
• Emanuel G. Weiss papers, 1944-1970 | Law clerk to Associate Justice Stanley Forman Reed.

Oral History Interviews

In the Heyburn Initiative’s ongoing oral history project, members of the Federal Judiciary—particularly judges from United States district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court—discuss their legal and judicial careers including their nomination process and their reflections on Judge John G. Heyburn himself. In addition, public figures such as Senator Mitch McConnell provide their perspectives on the role of “advice and consent” and relationships among the three branches of federal government.

The Stanley F. Reed Oral History Project and Fred M. Vinson Oral History Project are central to the Initiative’s mission to document, preserve, and study the Commonwealth’s contributions to federal judicial history. The collections include interviews with politicians, federal judicial colleagues, law clerks, former staff, and other associates of Justice Reed and Justice Vinson.