A Guide to the Administrative files of the Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles, 1941-1972, #30469

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Records, 1941-1972. Accession 30469. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles, 30 June 1979.

Processing Information

This collection has been processed using minimal processing standards. The original arrangement has been maintained, the container list is brief and simple, and the records have not been refoldered and fasteners have not been removed.

Biographical Information

On March 17, 1906, the General Assembly passed an act of giving the secretary of the commonwealth responsibility for motor vehicle registration and the issuance of drivers' licenses. The office of commissioner of motor vehicles was created by an act of the General Assembly passed on March 4, 1924, and assumed the duties concerning motor vehicles earlier undertaken by the secretary of the commonwealth, including the enforcement of motor vehicle laws.

The Division of Motor Vehicles was created within the Department of Taxation by the state government reorganization act passed on April 18, 1927. The General Assembly passed an act on March 26, 1932, that consolidated all existing motor vehicle laws and placed the Division of Motor Vehicles under the Department of Finance (which existed only on paper). The division yielded its law enforcement duties to the Department of State Police when that agency was created on March 14, 1942. The reorganization of state government authorized by the General Assembly on March 30, 1948, established the Division of Motor Vehicles as an independent state agency.

The division was placed under the secretary of transportation and public safety on April 8, 1972. The General Assembly created separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety on April 12, 1976, and placed the division under the secretary of transportation. Effective July 1, 1984, the secretariats of transportation and public safety again were combined.

The Division of Motor Vehicles exercises authority over motor vehicle registration as well as the licensing of motor vehicle operators. The division also licenses motor vehicle dealers, collects taxes on gasoline and other fuels, and promotes motor vehicle safety. Departments that function under the administration of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles are the Bureau of Registration and Title Records, Contracts and Real Estate Administration, Fiscal Affairs, Management Information Systems, and Physical Plant. Genre

Scope and Content

Administrative files, 1941-1972, of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The collection is housed in 197 boxes and includes administrative files, building files, clippings, correspondence, and general ledgers. The collection is arranged into six series, Series I: Papers of G.W. James, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and Publicity Director; Series II: General Ledgers; Series III: Correspondence of the Commissioner of the D.M.V.; Records of Buildings, Operations and Maintenance; Papers of W.B. Henshaw, Director of the Bureau of Registration and Title Records; and Papers of the Commissioner of D.M.V.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Series I: Papers of G.W. James, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and Publicity Director, ca. 1941-1960; Series II: General Ledgers, 1949-1964; Series III: Correspondence of the Commissioner of the D.M.V., 1963-1969; Series IV: Records of Buildings, Operations and Maintenance, 1950-1964; Series V: Papers of W.B. Henshaw, Director of the Bureau of Registration and Title Records, 1960-1972; Series VI: Papers of the Commissioner of D.M.V., 1941-1962.

Contents List

Series I: Papers of G.W. James, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and Publicity Director , ca. 1941-1960

Boxes 1-33

Extent: 11.55 cu. ft. (7 boxes).

Box 1-17
Correspondence and Information Files, 1943-1959
Box 18-19
History, 1936-1952
Box 20
Clippings, 1952
Box 21
Clippings, 1953
Box 22
Clippings, 1953-1954
Box 23
Clippings, 1954
Box 24
Clippings, 1955
Box 25
Clippings, 1956
Box 26
Clippings, 1957-1958
Box 27
Clippings, 1959
Box 28-29
Press Relations & Publications, 1942-1947
Box 30
Correspondence and Information Files, 1941-1953
Box 31
Correspondence, 1943-1949
Box 32
Correspondence, 1948-1949
Box 33
Correspondence and Annual Reports, 1943-1949

Series II: General Ledgers , 1949-1964

Boxes 34-61

Extent: 9.8 cu. ft. (28 boxes).

Box 34
General Ledgers, 1958-1959
Box 35
General Ledgers, 1963
Box 36
General Ledgers, 1962
Box 37
General Ledgers, 1961
Box 38
General Ledgers, 1960
Box 39
General Ledgers, 1959
Box 40
General Ledgers, 1958
Box 41
General Ledgers, Revenue Ledgers, 1963
Box 42
General Ledgers, Revenue Ledgers, 1958-1962
Box 43
General Ledgers, Classified Ledgers, 1964
Box 44
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1963
Box 45
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1962
Box 46
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1961
Box 47
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1960
Box 48
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1959
Box 49
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1958
Box 50
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1965
Box 51
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1965
Box 52
General Ledgers, Interstate Bus Lines Accounts, 1960
Box 53
General Ledgers, Classified Ledgers, 1965
Box 54
General Ledgers, Interstate Bus Lines Accounts, 1964
Box 55
General Ledgers, Interstate Bus Lines Accounts, 1963
Box 56
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, 1964
Box 57
General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable,
Box 58
General Ledgers, Expense Ledgers, 1955-1958
Box 59
General Ledgers, Expense Ledgers, 1953-1955
Box 60
General Ledgers, Expense Ledgers, 1951-1953
Box 61
General Ledgers, Expense Ledgers, 1949-1951

Series V: Papers of W.B. Henshaw, Director of the Bureau of Registration and Title Records , 1960-1972

Boxes 72-85

Extent: 4.9 cu. ft. (14 boxes).

Box 72
Audit Files - Administration Files (A), 1968-1970
Box 73
Administration Files (A), 1969-1972
Box 74
Audit Files - Administration Files (B), 1965-1969
Box 75
Administration Files (B), 1965-1969
Box 76
Administration Files (Budget Requests), 1968-1970
Box 77
Administration Files (B), 1968-1972
Box 78
Administration Files (B-C), 1966-1970
Box 79
Administration Files (C), 1968-1970
Box 80
Administration Files (C-D), 1965-1969
Box 81
Administration Files (D-I), 1968-1970
Box 82
Administration Files (I), 1954-1970
Box 83
Administration Files (I-L), 1964-1968
Box 84
Administration Files (M-S), 1968-1970
Box 85
Administration Files (S-W), 1968-1970

Series VI: Papers of the Commissioner of D.M.V. , 1941-1962

Boxes 86-197

Extent: 39.2 cu. ft. (112 boxes).

Box 86
MVSR Act, 1944-1951
Box 87
Correspondence, 1953
Box 88
Correspondence, 1944-1953
Box 89
Correspondence, 1953
Box 90
Correspondence, 1952-1953
Box 91
Correspondence, 1942-1953
Box 92
Correspondence, 1941-1953
Box 93
Correspondence, 1943, 1953
Box 94
Correspondence, 1953
Box 95
Correspondence, 1945, 1954
Box 96
Correspondence, 1946, 1954
Box 97
Correspondence, 1953-1954
Box 98
Correspondence, 1940-1953
Box 99
Correspondence, 1953
Box 100
Correspondence, 1953
Box 101
Correspondence, 1953
Box 102-104
Manuals, 1960-1969
Box 105-110
Correspondence, 1954
Box 111-113
Correspondence, 1954-1955
Box 114-119
Correspondence, 1955
Box 120
Correspondence, 1955-1956
Box 121-122
Correspondence, 1956
Box 123
Correspondence, 1956-1957
Box 124-127
Correspondence, 1956-1958
Box 128-129
Correspondence, 1958-1959
Box 130
Correspondence, 1958
Box 131-135
Correspondence, 1959
Box 136
Correspondence, 1943-1944, 1952, 1959
Box 137
Correspondence, 1942, 1948
Box 138
Correspondence, 1941, 1959
Box 139-140
Correspondence, 1959
Box 141
Correspondence, 1945-1951
Box 142
Correspondence, 1945-1950
Box 143-145
Correspondence, 1951
Box 146-148
Correspondence, 1951, 1962
Box 149
Correspondence, 1962
Box 150
Correspondence, 1960-1963
Box 151
Correspondence, 1952, 1962
Box 152
Correspondence, 1952
Box 153
Correspondence, 1943, 1952, 1962
Box 154
Correspondence, 1941, 1948, 1952
Box 155
Correspondence, 1942-1948
Box 156
Correspondence, 1943-1952
Box 157
Correspondence, 1941-1948
Box 158
Correspondence, 1945-1959
Box 159
Correspondence, 1948-1952
Box 160
Correspondence, 1941-1952
Box 161
Correspondence, 1957
Box 162
Correspondence, 1944, 1957
Box 163
Correspondence, 1952
Box 164-168
Correspondence, 1952, 1957
Box 169
Correspondence, 1957
Box 170-171
Correspondence, 1952, 1957
Box 172-173
Correspondence, 1957
Box 174-175
Correspondence, 1960
Box 176
Correspondence, 1958-1960
Box 177
Correspondence, 1951, 1958
Box 178-180
Correspondence, 1958, 1960
Box 181
Correspondence, 1958
Box 182
Correspondence, 1958, 1960
Box 183
Correspondence, 1960
Box 184
Correspondence, 1951, 1960
Box 185
Correspondence, 1951, 1960-1961
Box 186
Correspondence, 1950-1951, 1961
Box 187
Correspondence, 1951, 1961
Box 188
Correspondence, 1961
Box 189-192
Correspondence, 1951, 1961
Box 193
Correspondence, 1961-1962
Box 194
Correspondence, 1951, 1961
Box 195
Correspondence, 1951, 1961-1962
Box 196-197
Correspondence, 1962