Tom van Riper Collection
The Tom van Riper Collection, 1964-1968, contains materials (applications, The Klan-Ledger, etc.) related to the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi as well as FBI posters and comics in connection to the KKK.
Five items date to 1964, one to 1968, and the remainder are undated. There are several copies of articles, including some from the Klan-Ledger, applications, an unmarked oath, and examination forms for the Klan. There is also a traffic ticket signed by Lee Roberts, a subject of the FBI investigations.
Dates
- 1964-1968
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
The Tom van Riper Collection, 1964-1968, contains materials (applications, The Klan-Ledger, etc.) related to the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi as well as FBI posters and comics in connection to the KKK.
Biographical/Historical Note
Thomas van Riper was an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and sheriff of Anderson County, Tennessee. He worked with informant Delmar Dennis to obtain information on murders perpetrated by Ku Klux Klan members in Mississippi, which lead to the convictions of Klan leader Sam Bowers in 1967 and of Byron De La Beckwith in 1994 for the 1963 murder of Civil Rights leader Medgar Evans. Van Riper died on August 11, 1997.
In the summer of 1964, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee organized a project in Mississippi to register voters, to build adequate schools for Black students, and to establish community centers for medical and legal services. On June 20, 1964, activists Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner traveled to Philadelphia, Mississippi to participate. They were last seen in Neshoba County after being arrested for a traffic violation, and on August 4 their bodies were found shot, beaten, and buried on a farm. In December 1964, deputy sheriff Lawrence Rainey and 18 others were arrested in state court on charges of conspiracy, which were dropped. FBI Agent Tom van Riper had been working with Ku Klux Klan member and preacher Delmar Dennis to infiltrate Klan meetings and to inform the FBI on illegal acts perpetrated by the Klan. Dennis provided information to later convict seven of the men, including Klan leader Sam Bowers, in the 1967 federal trial for the violation of Civil Rights laws. Federal courts tried Preacher Edgar Ray Killen on conspiracy charges, but the jury was hung; Killen was again arrested in January 2005 and charged with three counts of murder.
Arrangement
Collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Collection was donated to Special Collections by Thomas van Riper. Parts of the original collection, including photographs, informant interviews, and handwritten notes by van Riper, were removed by the FBI in 1995.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository