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Theodore Little Papers, 1936-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Little, Theodore
Title
Theodore Little Papers
Dates
1936-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
5 Linear feet of shelf space, (7 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 515 (collection)
Summary
Papers of Theodore Little, attorney of the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho, including tribal court cases, tribal constitutions, and Indian matters. Also court case materials from his work as Asotin Port district attorney, research papers, correspondence, and proposals concerning the Clarkston, Washington area and the Lower Granite Dam.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Theodore Little was born in Kettle Falls, Washington. He attended George Washington University in Washington D.C., and while there, worked in the U.S. Department of Commerce. He earned a master of patent law there, but municipal law became his specialty. He moved back to Washington, and worked in Olympia in the attorney general's office from 1938 to 1942 as an assistant. He was chief assistant from 1950 to 1953. He then moved to Clarkston, Washington, and began his career as a Clarkston attorney. Little had been counsel for the Asotin County Port District since 1958 when it was formed. He also was the tribal attorney for the Nez Perce Indian Nation. He also has been the past state commander of the Veteran's of Foreign Wars, and their national judge advocate from 1966 to 1967. He served in combat in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as a commissioned naval officer in World War II.

Little also belonged to many other associations. He was the director of the Nez Perce National Historical Park Association, and he was a past president of the Spalding Museum Foundation. He was the past president of the Lewiston-Clarkston Kiwans Club, the Asotin County Tuberculosis Association, chairman of the Asotin County Heart Fund, and director of Tri-State Memorial Hospital, the Clarkston Chamber of Commerce, and the Luna House Historical Society. He served two terms as the Washington state chairman of the Young Men's Christian Association youth and government legislative sessions.

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Content Description

The papers of attorney Theodore Little concern his work for the Nez Perce Tribe; and his work for the Asotin County, Washington, Port District, and other commissions and foundations he worked with in Clarkston, Washington.

The first series consists of his work when he was the Nez Perce Tribal attorney. There is material covering Indian court cases, tribal constitutions, Indian matters, and also papers concerning Little's work at the Nez Perce National Historical Park, and other interests mainly concerning Indians.

The second series deals with Little's life as a Clarkston attorney. This material consists of his work as the Asotin Port District attorney, court cases, such as the case on John Kennedy, and the case called The County of Asotin vs. the Port of Clarkston. Also in this series is material concerning Little's other interests outside of work, such as papers about the Spalding Museum Foundation, The Lewis and Clark Trail Commission, and even some research material used for speeches. There is also a folder containing correspondence to Mrs. Eve Little.

The third series contains published work, mostly about Nez Perce reservation valuation reports, supplementals and affidavits concerning the tribe, and also economic and developmental summaries and proposals concerning the Clarkston area and the Lower Granite Dam. The folders start with material about the Nez Perce, and following that is material about the Clarkston area. The last items in this series are two reels of microfilm concerning the Nez Perce.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Theodore Little Papers, 1936-1984 (Cage 515)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The papers arranged in three series. For series one and two, the folders are ordered by importance and amount of each category, with the largest starting out the series.

Acquisition Information

The papers were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by Eve Rockwell Little of Clarkston, Washington (MS85-17).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Indians of North America -- Idaho -- Government relations
  • Lawyers -- Washington (State) -- Clarkston -- Records and correspondence
  • Nez Perce Indians -- Government relations

Personal Names

  • Little, Theodore -- Archives

Geographical Names

  • Lower Granite Lake Dam (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Kathleen M. Dondanville
2022

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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