Samuel K. Dennis Papers, 1900-1952, MS. 1139

Melinda K. Friend

Ass't Manuscripts Librarian

Baltimore, Maryland

10 October 1990

Smith proved to be a significant influence upon Dennis. The senator's downhome conservatiove political style clearly rubbed off on his young assistant. Sensing the ambition and ability of Dennis, Smith encouraged him to attend law school. Dennis readily seized the opportunity and subsequently graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1903. Admitted to the bar the same year, he began to fomulated his own plans for a legal career.

In 1904, Dennis left his mentor's employ and successfully sought election to the House of Delegates from Worcester County. After serving one term, he returned to his home county and set up a private practice. The year 1915 saw Dennis secure an appointment as U.S. District Attorney for Maryland, an apparent reward for his active participation in county and state Democratic politics. He held this position for several years, whereupon he reassumed private practice. Always the loyal, useful, and well-connected party supporter, Dennis was named in 1928 to succeed James P. Gorter as Chief Judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore.

As a judge, Dennis acquired a reputation for being both honest and fair. His quick and often caustic homespun wit also gained notoriety. Working diligently, he served on the Administration of Criminal Justice Commission in 1933 and in the early 1940s energetically pushed for the reorganiztion of Baltimore's Juvenille Court. Claiming disenchantment with the bench, Dennis retired in 1944 to once again persue private practive.

Up to the year of his death, Dennis continued to practice law. His ability to judge legal issues with acumen and objectivity resulted in a frequent role as an arbitrator in management-labor disputes. A warm and extroverted man, Dennis

late in life continued to manage an extensive correspondence with friends and acquaintances. Often referred to as one of the state's best know people, his death in 1952 was a newsworthy event.

The Samuel K. Dennis Papers span the years 1900-1952 with the bulk of the material falling into the period 1944-1952, the years between Dennis' retirement from the Supreme Bench of Baltimore and his death. Correspondence and legal papers relating to his business and personal activities constitute a majority of the items. Contained in the collection also are materials relating to all phases of his legal career, commencing around 1900.

The correspondence section of the collection is somewhat confusing. Mostly general in nature, the correspondence is also broken down by both correspondents and by topic. A large portion of Dennis' papers may have been separated from those appearing in the collection, thus probably explaining the gaps in dates and subjects. The existance of Miscellaneous L and T through Z correspondence may also substantiate the missing papers theory. Dennis preferred to group his correspondence into six groups: 1944-45; 1946-47; 1946-48; 1946-52; and 1950-52. Arrangement of this type creates overlapping correspondence and it is not known why Dennis chose this method. Materials relating to legal cases were mostly kept together. In his general correspondence files, however, can be found items referring to Dennis' legal case work and financial matters.

Correspondence concerns both business and personal matters. As Dennis was semi-retired during the creation of the majority of the items, the personal aspect tends to be rather well represented. Letters are generally to and from such family members as Alfred Dennis, John V. Dennis, Philip C. Dennis, Caroline M. Crisfield and Mrs. Mary Balloch. Friends such as Godfrey Child, D. Princeton Buckey, Dr. Alfred T. Gundry and Harry F. Ogden, among others, are represented in abundance. Letters of note written to Dennis are from Alfred Dennis serving in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps in such places as Oslo, Norway (1947), Italy (1952), and Germany (1946); and letters written by soldiers fighting during World War II. Dennis' involvement in the University Club and the American Red Cross are also represented in the letters from 1946-47. Finally, some correspondence concerns the Maryland Historical Society and Dennis family genealogy.

Legal cases cover issues including divorce, claims for damages, arbitration, reinbursement of debt, and estate management. Dennis was involved in many arbitration cases from 1944-52, many of which were employee grievances:

Taxicab Drivers Union v. Yellow Cab Company, et al.

Freight Drives and Helpers Union. v. Baltimore Transfer

Adkins v. Coastal Tank Lines, Inc

Brewery and Yeast Workers, Soft Drink Worker, and Driver Salesmen Union v. Federal Yeast Company

Martin v. Davidson Transfer and Storage Company

Smith v. Mundy Motor Line

Cummings v. Mushroom Transportation Company, Inc.

Whistler v. Dramer Brother Freight Lines, Inc.

Safe Drivers Association, Inc. v. Belle Isle Cab Company

A significant amount of material exists relating to the Administration of Criminal Justice Commission on which Dennis served. The commission investigated several legal problems, Dennis being apparently most interested in the prevention of lynching in Maryland. Included also are items dealing with George L. Radcliffe's 1946 senatorial primary campaign of which Dennis was chairman.

Other materials contained in the collection relate to the Presbyterian Church, Juvenile Court reorganization, Fidelity Trust Company, as well as material associated with the 1932 controversy over whether or not Dennis was being ethical in serving as both a judge and a director of the Fidelity Trust Bank.

Sale of Beverly

Accounts, Bills and Receipts, 1911

Correspondence, 1911-1912

Correspondence

Philip C. Dennis, 1929-1935

Charles H. Conley, 1929-1935

W. W. Lanahan and Company, 1929-1937

Col. Joseph L. Wickes, 1929-1943

Arthur C. Dennis, 1931-1935

Mrs. Alfred P. Dennis, 1931-1943

Harry W. Nice, 1934-1937

John Grason Turnbull, 1937-1943

Maryland Attorney General's Office, 1938-1943

E. E. Yaggy, 1940

Wednesday Law Club, 1940-1944

Retirement, 1944

BOX 2

Miscellaneous L, 1932-1935

Miscellaneous T, 1938-1944

Miscellaneous U-V, 1935-1944

Miscellaneous W, 1936-1944

Miscellaneous X-Y-Z, 1937-1944

1907-1923

1942

1944

BOX 3

1945

1946

1947 January - June

BOX 4

1947 July - December

1948

BOX 5

1949

1950

1951

1952 January - March

BOX 6

1952 April - November

n.d.

Financial Records, 1946-1948

Dennis Photographs, ca. 1910-1950

Samuel K. Dennis

Legal Notebooks, n.d.

BOX 7

Speeches and Addresses, 1932-1952, n.d.

Bank Directorship Controversy, 1932

John W. Crisfield biography, 1939-1941

Miscellaneous, ca. 1920-1952

Letters of Endorsement - U.S. District Attorney, 1913-14

BOX 8

Congratulatory Correspondence - U.S. District Attorney, 1914-1915

Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1900-1952

Printed Material, 1931-1948

Campaign Press Releases and Statements Against Blair Lee, ca. 1904-1916

Democratic National Convention, 1923-1924

A Few Relections for the Democratic Members of the Maryland General Assembly on the State-Wide Compulsory Primary, ca. 1910

George L. Radcliffe primary campaign, 1946

Correspondence

Printed material

Speeches and statements

Campaign material

Envelopes and clippings

Senate speech

Political agent appointments

BOX 9

Governor Herbert R. O'Conor

Radio addresses, 1946

John W. Smith

Speeches and addresses, 1904, 1907-1909, 1911-1914, n.d.

Biographical material, ca. 1901-1907

Clippings, ca. 1907

Correspondence, 1907

Photographs, ca. 1907

Senator Whyte

Biographical material, n.d.

Samuel K. Dennis

Presbyterian church, 1925-1941, 1931-1937

BOX 10

Presbyterian church, 1931-1937, 1948-1952

Arbitration cases, 1944-1952

BOX 11

Huber v. Good Humor Ice Cream Company, 1949-1951

Estate of Mary W. and Caroline M. Crisfield, 1929-1935

Estate of Mrs. Belle P. Moore, 1929-1937

Hughes wills, 1947, 1952

Wolf Trust Estate, 1938-1948

BOX 12

Mediation between the Afro-American Newspapers and the United Newspaper Union, 1949-1950

Dudley v. Dudley, 1948-49

George T. Pilchard will, 1950-1951

Wilson, et. al. v. Parlett Gas Company, 1950-1951

Rothman v. National Mutual Insurance Co., 1950

Selby v. Fidelity Trust, et. al., 1936-1947

BOX 13

Hunner v. Beechwood, 1946-1950

Lockerman, Inc. v. Warfield, 1945

Katherine Jeffres will, 1945-1946

Estate of Laura P. Sampson, 1945-1946

Wollman, Platt, Zerwick v. U.S. Baltimore General Hospital, 1949

McCormack v. Turnbull, 1948, 1951

CandP Telephone Co. v. Maryland Federation of Telephone Workers, Inc., 1947

BOX 14

Avrum K. Rifman, 1951-1952

Louise Tuvin, 1948

Longley, et. al. v. Laird, et. al.. 1947

Annie Roberts will, 1947-1948

Hupp v. Hupp, 1948

Lynch v. General Ship Repair Company, 1944-1946

Clark v. Pennsylvania Railroad, 1946-1947

Estate of John M. Requardt, 1945-1946

Helen M. Dennis, 1933-1935

Racing Commission of Maryland, 1946

BOX 15

Stevens v. Stevens, 1947-1948

Penn v. Stevens, 1948-1949

Buckey v. Clemson, 1948

Fales v. Fales, 1947-1948

Rogers v. Rogers, 1944-1949

Sherwood Sutton v. Verna L. Crawford, 1947-1949

Estate of John W. Crisfield, 1926-1935

Ashman v. Ashman, 1949-1952

Bledsoe v. Bledsoe, 1949-1951

BOX 16

Valliant v. Valliant, 1946-1947, 1951-1952, n.d.

United States v. The Dollar Company, 1951-1952

Miscellaneous legal papers, 1944-1948

Court reorganization, 1942

BOX 17

Court reorganization, 1938-1944

American Red Cross, 1948-1951

Fidelity Trust, 1945-1952

Administration of criminal justice system, 1933

BOX 18

Cancelled checks, 1934 - 1937 June

BOX 19

1937 July - December

1938 - 1939

1940 January - June

BOX 20

1940 July - December

1941 - 1942

BOX 21

1943-1945

BOX 22

Check register, 1945 - 1946 January 1948-1949

Financial papers, 1936-1949