Wilmer L. Hall
Wilmer L. Hall | |
|---|---|
| State Librarian of Virginia | |
| In office 1934–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Read McIlwaine |
| Succeeded by | Randolph Warner Church |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1885 Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1957 (aged 71) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodland Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Randolph–Macon College University of Chicago |
Wilmer Lee Hall (July 20, 1885 – January 25, 1957) was an American author, editor, and librarian. He served as the State Librarian for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Early life and education
[edit]Hall was born on July 20, 1885 in Ruther Glen and raised in Ashland, Virginia.[1] He was a graduate of Randolph–Macon College, and received a master's degree from the University of Chicago.[1][2]
Career
[edit]After college, Hall worked for the Library of Virginia in various roles including research librarian, cataloguer, and head of the department of archives. From 1916 to 1920, he was a librarian at the New York State Library.[1] In 1920, he became the deputy state librarian of Virginia.[3] In 1934, Hall became the State Librarian of Virginia, succeeding Henry Read McIlwaine.[4][1][5] In the 1940s, Hall worked with the Works Progress Administration to implement a bookmobile program in Virginia.[6] After serving as state librarian, he continued to work for the library as its director of publications until his retirement in 1956.[7]
He was an editor of various historical volumes relating to the early governance of Virginia,[8] including editorial oversight of A Bibliography of Virginia and three volumes of the Executive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia.[9][10][11] Hall was the editor of the 1743–1793 vestry book of the upper parish of Nansemond County, Virginia, published in 1950.[12] Hall was chairman of the catalog committee of the American Library Association and a guest author for Library Journal and the South Atlantic Quarterly.[13][14][15]
In 1936, Hall was elected as president of the Virginia Library Association and also served as president of the National Association of State Libraries.[16][1][7]
Death
[edit]Hall died on January 25, 1957 at the age of 71 in Richmond, Virginia.[7] He is interred at Woodland Cemetery in Ashland.[17][7]
Awards and honors
[edit]In 1942, Hall was a recipient of an honorary Legum Doctor degree from Randolph–Macon College.[7][18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Assistant Is Being Urged As McIlwaine's Successor". Richmond News Leader. March 22, 1934. p. 31.
- ^ "State Library Annex Will Be Started Soon". Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 5, 2020. p. 10.
- ^ Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia. 1923.
- ^ "Virginia State Library, State Library Board, Correspondence and Subject Files 28415". ead.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
- ^ "Wilmer Lee Hall Named Librarian". The Bee. April 28, 1934. p. 9.
- ^ "Costs of Constructive Peace Work Less Than That of War, Says WPA Official". Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 25, 1940. p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e "Dr. W.L. Hall, 71, Dies; Was State Librarian". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 26, 1957. p. 5.
- ^ Billings, Warren M. (February 22, 2021). Statute Law in Colonial Virginia: Governors, Assemblymen, and the Revisals That Forged the Old Dominion. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-4565-1.
- ^ "Wilmer L. Hall, 1885-1957". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
- ^ Hoyt, William D. (1946). "Review of Executive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia, Volume V, November 1, 1739--May 6, 1754". The Journal of Southern History. 12 (4): 579–581. doi:10.2307/2197695. ISSN 0022-4642.
- ^ A bibliography of Virginia. Bulletin; v. 8, no. 2/4; v. 10, no. 1/4. Richmond: Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing. 1916.
- ^ Hall, Wilmer L. (1950). The vestry book of the Upper Parish, Nansemond County. Virginia, 1743-1793. Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia.
- ^ ALA Bulletin. American Library Association. 1927.
- ^ Dewey, Melvil; Bowker, Richard Rogers; Pylodet, L.; Cutter, Charles Ammi; Weston, Bertine Emma; Brown, Karl; Wessells, Helen E. (1926). Library Journal. R. R. Bowker Company.
- ^ Bassett, John Spencer; Mims, Edwin; Glasson, William Henry; Few, William Preston; Boyd, William Kenneth; Wannamaker, William Hane (1914). The South Atlantic Quarterly. Duke University Press.
- ^ "Wilmer L. Hall Elected Head of Librarians". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 24, 1936. p. 10.
- ^ "Richmond Roundup". Richmond News Leader. January 30, 1957. p. 19.
- ^ "Will Receive Honorary Degrees at Randolph-Macon". Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 27, 1942. p. 7.
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