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Himes family papers, 1856-1994, Date acquired: 09/00/1994, bulk 1912-1994

 

Summary

Creator:
Himes, Elizabeth Whidden (1915-1999)
Abstract:
This collection contains materials from the Himes family of Tampa, representing the local government and volunteer activities of Elizabeth Himes; John Rutland Himes, her husband; William F. Himes, her father-in-law; and the Himes children, Sara Allen and John Fraser.
Extent:
4.52 Linear Feet
6 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Himes Family papers, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection, gathered by Elizabeth Whidden Himes, contains papers from the Himes family of Tampa. The collection primarily includes correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, scrapbooks, assorted publications, campaign materials, and artifacts. Represented in the collection are Elizabeth Himes; Elizabeth's husband, John Rutland Himes; William F. Himes, father of John Rutland; and Sara Allen and John Fraser Himes, daughter and son of Elizabeth and John Rutland Himes. In addition to items documenting the lifetime accomplishments and community activities of Elizabeth Himes and her husband, the collection also includes letters written by Himes and members of the Fraser family. Some of these letters date to the 1800s, with the oldest written by Catherine Himes in 1856.

Biographical / historical:

Elizabeth (Whidden) Himes (1915-1999), a native Floridian, was a leader in the Tampa community and in political affairs from the 1930s until her death in 1999. She was the daughter of Henry Pasco and Maud Walters Whidden. She graduated from Florida State College for Women (now, Florida State University) in 1937 and married John Rutland Himes the same year. John Rutland Himes was the son of William Fraser and Margaret May Rutland Himes. Elizabeth and John Himes had two children: Sara Allen Himes (1940-1989) and John Fraser Himes (1944- ).

Elizabeth Himes became heavily involved in volunteer activities in the Tampa community in the late 1930s after participating in her husband's successful campaign to obtain a judgeship in the Tampa criminal court. Some of the organizations that benefited from Himes' services during her lifetime include the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), the Junior League, the League of Women Voters, the Y.W.C.A., and the University of South Florida (USF) Foundation. In the 1950s, she was one of eight women profiled for their volunteer activities in Ladies Home Journal; over the years, articles about her also appeared in the Tampa Times and Tampa Tribune. She was a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. In 1964, Himes became the first woman elected to public office in Hillsborough County when she was elected to the county Hospital and Welfare Board. During the 1950s and 1960s, she was involved with the Hillsborough County Children's Committee, the Tampa General Hospital Lay Advisory Board, Tampa General Hospital Joint Conference Committee, and the Tampa Economic Opportunity Council, among many other groups. Later activities included working for legislation to create a Hillsborough County library system, fostering interest in improving and restoring buildings on the University of Tampa campus, serving on the USF Suncoast Gerontology Development Board (1980s and 1990s), and presidency of the Canterbury Tower Chapter of the Florida Life Care Residents Association (1996).

Leiser, Janet. "Elizabeth Himes, 'pioneering woman,' dies at 83." Tampa Tribune (3 June, 1999): 4. Vance, Betty. "A legend in her own time." Tampa Tribune – Tampa Times (13 June 1976): G1-2.

Acquisition information:

Elizabeth Himes

Acquired by the University of South Florida from Elizabeth Himes.

Arrangement:

Alphabetical.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Terms of access:

None. The contents of the collection may be subject to copyright.  Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for more information.

Preferred citation:

Himes Family papers, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

Location of this collection:
The University of South Florida, Tampa Campus
4202 East Fowler Ave. LIB122
Tampa
FL
33620-5400
USA