- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Robert Grier Stephens, Jr., 1998 June 18
- Creator:
- Stephens, Robert G. (Robert Grier), 1913-2003
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1998-06-18
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Governors--Georgia
Legislators--Georgia
Civil rights
Civil War
Atlanta Journal, GA
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the (AJC)
Battle of Atlanta, the
Bay of Pigs Invasion, the
Boys High School, Atlanta, GA
Columbia University, New York
Davidson College, Davidson, NC
Highland Grammar School, Atlanta, GA
Siege of Vicksburg, MS
Suntrust Banks, Inc.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Democratic Party
Georgia Interscholastic Athletic Association (GIAA)
Great Depression
Ivanhoe
New Deal, 1933-1939
Lockheed Corporation
Nuremberg Trials
Puerto Rico
Schutzstaffel (SS)
Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV)
United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC)S
University of Georgia
University of Hamburg
Vietnam War
William A. Bass Junior High School
World War I
World War II - People:
- Andrews, Neil
Arnall, Ellis Gibbs, 1907-1992
Bass, William A.
Callaway, Howard H. (Howard Hollis), 1927-2014
Candler, Asa Griggs
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer, Sir
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Evans, Clement Anselm
Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006
Foxe, Fanne (born Annabelle Battistella)
Freeman, Orville Lothrop
Gambrell, David Henry, 1929-
George, Walter F. (Walter Franklin), 1878-1957
Gettys, Tom
Gingrich, Newt
Goebbels, Paul Joseph
Grady, Henry Woodfin
Griffin, Marvin, 1907-1982
Groover, Denmark, 1922-2001
Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Landrum, Phillip Mitchell (Phil)
Lee, Robert Edward
Levitas, Elliott H. (Elliott Harris), 1930-
Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
McCormack, John William
Mills, Wilbur Daigh
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
Nunn, Sam
Pound, Merritt
Powell, Adam Clayton, Jr., 1908-1972
Rayburn, Sam, 1882-1961
Rivers, Eurith Dickinson, 1895-1967
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
Rostenkowski, Dan
Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971
Sanders, Carl, 1925-2014
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891
Smith, H. O.
Stephens, Alexander H. (Alexander Hamilton), 1812-1883
Sterne, Billy
Talmadge, Eugene, 1884-1946
Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
Thompson, James Fletcher
Thompson, M. E. (Melvin Ernest), 1903-1980
Thurmond, Strom, 1902-2003
Wallace, George C. (George Corley), 1919-1998
Wright, James Claude (Jim)
Young, Andrew, 1932- - Location:
- Cuba, 22.0, -79.5
Germany, 51.5, 10.5
Japan, 35.68536, 139.75309
Puerto Rico, 18.22141715, -66.4132818505648
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
United States, Georgia, Clarke County, Athens, 33.96095, -83.37794
United States, Georgia, Richmond County, Augusta, 33.47097, -81.97484
United States, Hawaii, Honolulu County, Pearl Harbor, 21.34475, -157.97739
United States, South Carolina, Spartanburg County, Spartanburg, 34.94957, -81.93205 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
moving images - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Robert Grier Stephens, Jr. (1913-2003) was born in Atlanta in 1913 and attended Georgia schools, earning a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1941. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, helping prosecutor Robert Jackson prepare cases against Nazi war criminals at Nuremburg. He started a law practice in Athens, Georgia after the war, but was drawn towards politics. Stephens was elected as a Democrat to represent Athens in the state senate from 1951-1953, and the state assembly from 1953-1959.In 1960, he was elected to represent the 10th Congressional District where he served eight terms.Stephens was a conservative, viewed as a spokesperson for banking and real estate interests, and helped kill an investigation into the Watergate scandal before the 1972 elections.After retiring from the House of Representatives, Stephens returned to private life in Athens, where he died in 2003.; Interviewed by Dr. Mel Steely on June 18, 1998 at Stephens home in Athens, GA.; The interview begins with a discussion of Stephens' family, dating back to the Civil War. He then discusses his childhood in Atlanta and talks about his parents and education, as well as his family's involvement in the Methodist churches of the area. After talking about college, the conversation shifts towards politics, where Stephens mentions several of his colleagues and his opinions of them. He talks about studying abroad in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, which taught him that he would never want to live somewhere ruled by a dictator. Stephens talks about serving in the Army and practicing law, then eventually deciding to run for senate. He talks about his interactions with other politicians, giving his opinions on "Bobby & Jack," as well as Presidents Nixon and Johnson. They regress a bit and discuss Stephens' time in World War II as well as his involvement with the Nuremberg trials. The interview concludes with Stephens commenting on other politicians and his personal views on their accomplishments.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_stephens19980618
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:stephens19980618
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 interview (circa 341 mins.)
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Holding Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
