Papers (1927-1960) consisting of correspondence, clippings, and articles.
J. Con Lanier, a native of Pitt County, N.C., is a leading expert on tobacco. A graduate of the University of North Carolina and Georgetown University, Lanier started his law career after serving in France during World War I. During the Roosevelt administration, Lanier moved to Washington, D.C. to help develop a national tobacco program. After returning to Greenville, Lanier once again plunged into activities connected with tobacco. During this period, he served as Counsel for the Tobacco Association of the U.S., Executive Secretary of the Leaf Tobacco Exporters Association, and Counsel for the Leaf Tobacco Exporters Association. Lanier was also active in N.C. Democratic Party. He served as mayor of Greenville (1927-1931) and state senator (1941-1945).
The collection contains Mr. Lanier's speeches and statements (1948-1960) to various civic and professional organizations and to various congressional committees. The majority of these speeches deals with the topic of tobacco and the history of the tobacco program. Mr. Lanier advocated that tobacco should be included in the list of eligible commodities in various relief bills after World War II, and that taxes on tobacco should not be increased by the federal or state governments. Of particular interest are speeches dealing with the tobacco-lung cancer controversy. Lanier believed that the tobacco industry should fight to prove that the relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer is a fallacy. Also included are campaign speeches supporting the candidacy of Herbert C. Bonner for Congress (1946) and Frank P. Graham for U.S. Senate (1950).
The remainder of the collection consists of newspaper clippings and correspondence (1946-1963). The majority of the correspondence concerns the Flue-Cured Stabilization Corporation and its work. Of particular interest is a letter to Orville Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture, condemning the practice of subsiding tobacco growers to produce an unacceptable product for trade. Lanier advocates the use of poundage-acreage allocation instead of acreage allocation and government support prices based on 90% of true market value to promote the growing of quality tobacco.
See also J. Con Lanier oral history interview.
Gift of Mr. J. Con Lanier
Processed by L. Hofler, April 1974
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.