Finding Aid for Wood, Harlington, Jr. Papers, 1910-2004 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Title: Wood, Harlington, Jr. Papers, 1910-2004

Collection identifier: 781

Primary Creator: Wood, Harlington, Jr. (1920-2008)

Extent: 193.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Subjects: Abraham Lincoln Association (Springfield, Ill.), Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Champaign County--Champaign (Ill.), Champaign County--Urbana (Ill.), Cook County--Chicago (Ill.), Courts, Demonstrations, Education, Elections, Illinois. Crime Investigating Commission, Illinois State Bar Association, John Marshall Law School (Chicago, Ill.), Judicial Conference of the United States, Law, Menard County (Ill.), Menard County--Petersburg (Ill.), Military, Missouri--St. Louis, Sangamon County (Ill.), Sangamon County--Springfield (Ill.), South Dakota, St. Louis University, Supreme Court Historical Society, Teaching, Travel, United States--Politics and government, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Vachel Lindsay Association, World War, 1939-1945

Forms of Material: Legal records, Personal papers, Professional papers

Harlington Wood, Jr., of Springfield and Petersburg, Ill., served as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1976-2003. Previously, he was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, 1958-61, and U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois, 1973-76. Wood also served in the U.S. Department of Justice, as Associate Deputy Attorney General, 1969-72, and as Assistant Attorney General, 1972-73.

In his positions in the Department of Justice, Wood was in effect the Department's "point man" for many demonstrations, including the 1971 anti-war May Day protests in Washington, D.C., and the 1972 Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Miami Beach For those events, he facilitated negotiations between protestors and various law enforcement agencies, and coordinated the government's on-scene response. Wood also served as the government's chief negotiator for several incidents involving Native Americans, most notably during the 1973 stand-off at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. While an army of F.B.I agents and U.S. Marshals readied for an attack on the town, Wood refused to authorize the use of force and instead worked to find a nonviolent end to the conflict. The stand-off ended peacefully after seventy-one days, and Wood is widely credited with turning the tide toward a peaceful resolution.

This collection contains papers and memorabilia documenting Wood's decades of governmental service, especially records of his time in the Justice Department. The collection also reflects Wood's involvement in numerous legal and cultural organizations, such as the Illinois Crime Investigating Commission and the Abraham Lincoln Association, and also his work on various committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States. These include the Committee on Court Administration, 1981-84; the Ad Hoc Committee on Cameras in the Courtroom, 1983-84; the Ad Hoc Committee on Automation, 1983; the Committee on the Administrative Office, 1987-91; and the Long Range Planning Committee, 1990-96. In addition, the collection documents Wood's lifelong interests in photography, world travel, law, horses, and history.

A separate series, containing 133 cu.ft. of U.S. Court of Appeals case files, was closed to research until 2024. Copies of Wood's judicial opinions, however, are available in the University of Illinois Law Library [KF112.W5].

Judge Wood donated the collection to the Illinois Historical Survey in 2003-5.

Abraham Lincoln Association (Springfield, Ill.)
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
American Bar Association
American Judicature Society
Champaign County--Champaign (Ill.)
Champaign County--Urbana (Ill.)
Cook County--Chicago (Ill.)
Courts
Demonstrations
Education
Elections
Illinois. Crime Investigating Commission
Illinois State Bar Association
John Marshall Law School (Chicago, Ill.)
Judicial Conference of the United States
Law
Menard County (Ill.)
Menard County--Petersburg (Ill.)
Military
Missouri--St. Louis
Sangamon County (Ill.)
Sangamon County--Springfield (Ill.)
South Dakota
St. Louis University
Supreme Court Historical Society
Teaching
Travel
United States--Politics and government
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Vachel Lindsay Association
World War, 1939-1945

Repository: Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Alternate Extent Statement: and memorabilia (104 items)

Box/Folder List

URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/ihlcsfa/wood.pdf

PDF finding aid for Wood, Harlington, Jr. Papers