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Local figure

Edwin Sidney Lanier

Edwin Sidney Lanier (1901–1983) was born near Metter, Georgia, and came to UNC as a student in 1921. He later directed the university's student aid office from 1934 and its records and registration from 1945, both until 1961. In 1949 he unseated Mayor Robert W. Madry and served three terms as mayor of Chapel Hill, leaving in 1954 for the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

Source: NCpedia: Lanier, Edwin Sidney

Orange County Indexed has not yet linked an indexed work directly to Edwin Sidney Lanier. The biography and the dated events on this page provide sources about Edwin Sidney Lanier’s life and work.

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Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineChapel Hill town elections, 1933–19491933–1949 · 10 events · On May 2, 1933 former town manager John Foushee was elected mayor of Chapel Hill over Mayor Zeb P. Council and B. J. Howard, and he was returned in 1935, 1937, 1939 and 1941, twice without opposition. In May 1942 he said he would resign because he was moving to his farm outside the town limits, and on July 8 the aldermen unanimously elected R. W. Madry, director of the University news bureau, as mayor. The Weekly believed no one in the University's service had headed the town government before. No one filed against Madry in 1943. On May 3, 1949 Edwin S. Lanier defeated him 811 to 589, ending his seven years as mayor. StorylineChapel Hill’s zoning reaches the countryside, 1948–19551948–1955 · 16 events · Chapel Hill set up a planning and zoning board in 1948, put its first zoning ordinance into effect in June 1949, and that May asked for zoning a mile beyond its limits. In 1951 the town sought power to zone three miles out, chiefly to keep commercial strips off the new Durham-Chapel Hill boulevard, and the legislature enlarged its zoning commission with county members. A 1952 plan to zone four miles around town brought heated opposition from rural landowners through four public hearings; the county put farmers on the commission, and in 1953 a new act cut the area and gave rural residents equal seats. After a final hearing the aldermen adopted the perimeter ordinance in March 1955, and that August the county named its members to the Greater Chapel Hill zoning boards. StorylineThe Chapel Hill town election of 1949April–May 1949 · 6 events · A mass meeting at the Community Center nominated the Rev. J. H. Jones, a Black minister, for the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen in April 1949, registration added 479 voters, 174 of them Black, and the League of Women Voters held a candidates' meeting. On May 3, with 1,442 of 1,726 registered voters at the polls, Edwin S. Lanier unseated Mayor Robert W. Madry, 811 to 589. Mrs. Roland McClamroch and Jones, whom the News called the town's first woman and first Black candidates for the board, each drew 607 votes and lost. At its first meeting the new board asked for zoning a mile beyond the town limits. StorylineThe fight over Sunday racing, 1956–19581956–1958 · 9 events · When new race tracks in Orange County held races on Sundays, ministers led a fight to stop them that ended in the state Supreme Court. In April 1956 the Rev. W. I. Conway asked the county commissioners to stop the races at a jalopy track near his church, and about 100 people formed the Orange County Anti-Racing Association, but the county attorney said a ban needed special legislation. In 1957 the legislature passed Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill barring races on Sundays and after 6 p.m. After Orange Speedway, Inc. sued, the state Supreme Court struck the act down on January 10, 1958, and Sunday racing returned with a 100-mile Grand National race won by Buck Baker.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 60 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Federal relief money pays for jobs for needy University students On February 19 the University learned that the federal relief administration would give $3,615 a month through May to employ about 241 students who swore they could not stay in college without help, at $10 to $20 a month for clerical, research and grounds work. By early March the Y.M.C.A. self-help bureau under Edwin S. Lanier had placed 181 students, the most allowed in the winter quarter. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, February 23, 1934, p. 1
  2. Chapel Hill reelects Mayor Madry and Judge Whitfield and adds Edwin Lanier to the aldermen About 700 Chapel Hill voters reelected Mayor R. W. Madry without opposition (616 votes) and returned Henry A. Whitfield as judge of the recorder's court with 417 votes to 90 for Tom Henry and 17 for Paul Robertson. For three aldermen they chose R. B. Fitch (493), newcomer Edwin S. Lanier (456) and Bruce Strowd (398); F. O. Bowman, an alderman for eight years, lost with 375. People: Robert W. Madry, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Bruce Strowd, Paul H. Robertson, Henry A. Whitfield, Frederick O. Bowman Place: Town hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: R. B. Fitch, Paul RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 10, 1945, p. 5
  3. Chapel Hill aldermen pass a strict taxicab ordinance The board unanimously passed a seventeen-page ordinance governing taxis. From February 15, a cab driver convicted of a traffic violation, speeding included, would lose his license to drive a taxi for 30 days. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 17, 1946, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill and the University break ground for a $400,000 sewage disposal plant on the Mason Farm In the week before August 12, 1948, Mayor R. W. Madry turned the first spade of earth for a sewage disposal plant on the Mason Farm near Chapel Hill, a $400,000 joint project of the town and the University. The Charlotte firm of Boyd and Goforth, which held the contract, began work that week. People: Robert W. Madry, Frank Porter Graham, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Gilbert W. Ray Place: Mason Farm, near Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 12, 1948, p. 1
  5. The League of Women Voters holds a candidates' meeting for Chapel Hill's town election At a public meeting in the Elementary School auditorium sponsored by the Chapel Hill League of Women Voters, mayoral candidate Edwin S. Lanier pledged to seek abolishing the elected mayor's post, and Mrs. Roland McClamroch, the first woman to run for the Board of Aldermen, backed parking meters and annexation. Every candidate present agreed that Black citizens should be represented in all phases of town government. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Robert W. Madry, Henry A. Whitfield Place: Elementary School auditorium, Chapel Hill · Also named: Mrs. Roland McClamrochSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 28, 1949, p. 1
  6. Edwin S. Lanier unseats Mayor Madry in the Chapel Hill election In a town election that drew 1,442 of 1,726 registered voters, Edwin S. Lanier defeated Mayor Robert W. Madry by 811 votes to 589, ending Madry's seven years as mayor. People: Robert W. Madry, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · Chapel Hill Weekly: "Edwin S. Lanier Elected Mayor" (May 6, 1949), p. 1
  7. John T. Manning unseats Judge Henry A. Whitfield in the Chapel Hill recorder's court race In the town election that made Edwin S. Lanier mayor, John T. Manning, who favored keeping jury trials in the Chapel Hill court, beat Recorder's Court Judge Henry A. Whitfield 830 votes to 575. People: Henry A. Whitfield, John Manning, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 5, 1949, p. 1
  8. Chapel Hill's new town board asks for zoning a mile beyond the town limits At the first meeting of the board installed after the May 3 election, which Mayor Edwin S. Lanier opened with a prayer the paper called a new practice, the aldermen asked the Planning Board to draft a zoning ordinance for the area within one mile of the town limits under authority newly granted by the General Assembly. They also set one-hour parking on parts of Henderson, Columbia and East Franklin streets and kept R. J. M. Hobbs as mayor pro tem. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 19, 1949, p. 1
  9. Chapel Hill agrees to take sewage from William Muirhead's Raleigh Road apartments The aldermen unanimously agreed to take sewage and garbage from a 300-unit, FHA-financed apartment project that Durham contractor William Muirhead planned on the Raleigh Road (Highway 54) about three quarters of a mile outside town, with veterans to get preference. A week later, in special session, they voted to negotiate a contract on his offer to build the line and pumps to the town's new disposal plant at his own cost, the lines to become town property once paid for. People: William Muirhead, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Raleigh Road (NC 54), east of Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 23, 1949, p. 1
  10. A trustees' committee hears Chapel Hill on the future of the University's utilities A committee of University trustees named by Governor Kerr Scott and headed by Victor S. Bryant held a public hearing on whether the University should keep running Chapel Hill's water works, power plant and telephone exchange or sell them to the town or a private company. Mayor Edwin S. Lanier asked that the town get first chance if they were sold, and Bryant said no action would come soon. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Comptroller's office, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: Victor S. BryantThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 21, 1949, p. 1
  11. Thomas D. Rose succeeds Gilbert W. Ray as Chapel Hill's town manager Thomas Duncan Rose, a 1910 University engineering graduate and the town's consulting engineer, took office as Chapel Hill's town manager after the aldermen elected him unanimously. He succeeded Gilbert W. Ray, manager since September 1947, who left on July 1 to become city manager of Fayetteville. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Gilbert W. Ray Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Thomas D. RoseSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 21, 1949, p. 1
  12. Chapel Hill's new $425,000 sewage plant goes into operation After an inspection by town and University officials, the new sewage disposal plant on the Mason Farm south of Morgan Creek began operating. Begun in August 1948 by Boyd and Goforth of Charlotte, the trickling filter plant cost $425,000, the University paying $225,000 and giving the land and the town paying $200,000, and was built to serve 17,000 people for about 20 years. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Mason Farm, south of Morgan Creek, Chapel HillThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 28, 1949, p. 1
Show all 60 dated events
  1. Chapel Hill hosts the Carolinas District convention of Kiwanis International About 500 Kiwanians from some 95 clubs in the two Carolinas met in Chapel Hill for their 29th annual district convention, with sessions in Gerrard Hall, a banquet in Lenoir Hall and a program at the new Morehead Planetarium. Mayor Edwin S. Lanier welcomed them, spoke of making Chapel Hill a convention center and handed the district governor a two-foot gilded wooden key to the town. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, R. B. House Place: University of North Carolina campus, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Gerrard Hall, Lenoir Hall, Morehead PlanetariumSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 1, 1949, p. 1
  2. Judge John T. Manning challenges Chapel Hill's sewer terms for Muirhead's Raleigh Road apartments In an open letter to Mayor Edwin S. Lanier, Recorder's Court judge John T. Manning charged that the town's proposed sewer arrangement for William Muirhead's planned Raleigh Road apartment project would excuse the Durham builder from the connection and service fees other outside users paid. By his own figures the terms were worth about $97,500 to Muirhead over 33 years; the paper printed no town reply. People: William Muirhead, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: John T. ManningSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 25, 1949, p. 1
  3. Chapel Hill aldermen order about 12,100 yards of new street paving The Chapel Hill aldermen approved paving stretches of Graham, Roberson, Whitaker, Nunn, Sunset, Mitchell, North Columbia and North Hillsboro streets and part of Westwood Drive, and gave the contract to Adams-Tait Construction Company of Roanoke, Virginia. At the same meeting parents asked for protection for school children crossing Cameron Avenue. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Cameron AvenueSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 15, 1949, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill aldermen take up an anti-mask ordinance after a Klan organizer's threat After Ku Klux Klan organizer Tommy Panther said he planned to set up a klavern in Chapel Hill, Mayor Edwin S. Lanier urged the Board of Aldermen to adopt an anti-mask ordinance. The board put off action until it could study a Raleigh ordinance; Lanier, who also ran the university's central records office, said the records showed no student named Tommy Panther since 1920, although Panther claimed to have studied law there. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Tommy PantherSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 12, 1950, p. 1
  5. A Chapel Hill delegation urges a Colonial design and Archie Davis for the new courthouse Chapel Hill mayor Edwin S. Lanier, Carl Smith and Creighton Humphries asked the county commissioners to build the new courthouse in the Colonial style, in keeping with the traditions of the county and of Hillsboro, and to give the design to architect Archie Davis. The board also took under advisement the school board's request that it buy the former Latta Dairy building on Court Square for school offices. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Carl Smith (Chapel Hill businessman and county commissioner) Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsboro · Also named: Creighton Humphries, Archie DavisThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 9, 1950, p. 1
  6. Chapel Hill annexes Hillcrest, Davie Circle and the Durham Road section The Board of Aldermen unanimously passed an ordinance extending the town limits over Hillcrest, Davie Circle and both sides of the Durham highway on Strowd's Hill, which officials had estimated would cost the town about $395 a year more than it would bring in. Fire and police protection began at once, garbage pickup and University-installed hydrants were promised within weeks, and residents of Hidden Hills asked to come in next. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Hillcrest, Davie Circle and Strowd's Hill, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 3, 1950, p. 1
  7. Mayor Edwin Lanier names a committee to study Chapel Hill's street names With the aldermen's agreement, Mayor Edwin S. Lanier named five people who knew the history of the town and the University to study changing street names that had become confusing or meaningless and naming streets for people who had served the community. Pittsboro Street, Boundary Street, Church Street and the two-part North Street were cited; recommendations were due by February, with a public hearing before any change. People: Luther James Phipps, Zeb P. Council Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Boundary Street, Pittsboro StreetSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 16, 1950, p. 1
  8. Chapel Hill aldermen refuse the Curve Inn an exemption from the beer rule By a 4 to 3 vote, with Mayor Edwin S. Lanier breaking a tie, the aldermen on February 26 refused to exempt the Curve Inn on the Durham road from the town ordinance against drinking beer outside the building where it was bought. Co-proprietor Joe Graham said most of the drive-in's trade was beer and wine sold to customers in cars. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Curve Inn, Durham road (Strowd Hill), Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe GrahamSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 1, 1951, p. 1
  9. Chapel Hill elects William S. Stewart judge as Fred Edwards runs for alderman Mayor Edwin S. Lanier was reelected without opposition. William S. Stewart beat Paul H. Robertson 829 to 286 for recorder's court judge, and Oliver K. Cornwell, P. L. Burch and G. Obie Davis won the three aldermen's seats. Fred Edwards, a 57-year-old Black builder whom the News called the second Black candidate for the town board, polled 493 votes, ahead of Giles Horney and James R. Farlow. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Oliver K. Cornwell, Paul H. Robertson, Peter L. Burch Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: William S. Stewart, G. Obie Davis, Fred Edwards, James R. FarlowSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 10, 1951, p. 1
  10. Chapel Hill opens its second century with Mayor Lanier's seventeen-point program At the May 14 meeting marking a hundred years since the town's charter, Clerk of Court Edwin M. Lynch swore in Mayor Edwin S. Lanier and aldermen P. L. Burch, G. Obie Davis and Oliver K. Cornwell. Lanier then laid out seventeen goals, among them sidewalk paving, a tax map, a new white cemetery, a printed code of ordinances, Social Security for town workers, zoning along the Durham highway and more playgrounds. People: Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Edwin M. Lynch, Peter L. Burch Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Oliver K. Cornwell, G. Obie DavisSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 17, 1951, p. 1
  11. Chapel Hill aldermen refuse the gas company's franchise as written By a 4 to 3 vote the Chapel Hill aldermen refused to pass the franchise proposed by Public Service Company of North Carolina for natural gas service, finding it gave the company wide powers and the town little protection. A joint Chapel Hill-Carrboro committee then began drafting a franchise with safeguards on rates, pressure, service to all and street work. People: Oliver K. Cornwell, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), December 13, 1951, p. 1
  12. Rural residents fight the proposed Chapel Hill perimeter zoning ordinance at a hearing A public hearing before the Chapel Hill aldermen on an ordinance to zone a four-mile area around town, excluding Carrboro, broke into heated opposition from rural landowners, though it had been drafted to curb commercial strips on the new Durham-Chapel Hill boulevard. Afterward Mayor Edwin S. Lanier said the board would not push zoning without a clear mandate, and Representative John W. Umstead, who had introduced the 1951 enabling act, said he opposed the ordinance as written. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Luther James Phipps Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: John W. UmsteadSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 17, 1952, p. 1
  13. Chapel Hill Jaycees name coach William Grice young man of the year At their Distinguished Service Award and Bosses' Night banquet at the Carolina Inn, the Chapel Hill Junior Chamber of Commerce named Chapel Hill High School coach William Grice the town's Young Man of the Year for 1951, the third such award, for his work with young people. Mayor Edwin S. Lanier presented it. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill · Also named: William Grice · Also mentions: Chapel Hill High SchoolSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), February 7, 1952, p. 1
  14. The first lane of the new Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard opens The first lane of the new Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard was formally opened at noon on September 19, 1952, at the Durham-Orange county line, where the two towns' mayors and the presidents of UNC and Duke cut ribbons before Governor W. Kerr Scott, nominee William B. Umstead and highway officials, followed by a barbecue. The road cost about $1.1 million, with the grading and bridges built for a second lane to be paved when money allowed, and the Chapel Hill aldermen formally thanked the state for it the next week. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Gordon Gray, W. Kerr Scott, William B. Umstead Place: Durham-Orange county line, Durham-Chapel Hill BoulevardSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 25, 1952, p. 1
  15. Chapel Hill aldermen grant the Public Service Company a natural gas franchise The Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen passed on final reading a 50-year franchise giving the Public Service Company of North Carolina the right to distribute natural gas in the town. It settled a dispute in which the board had refused to let the company bring in gas under a 1930 franchise for manufactured gas granted to the Durham Gas Company. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Town hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 30, 1953, p. 1
  16. Hubert Robinson and Paul Wager are elected to the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen Robinson led the five candidates with 571 votes and Wager followed with 560; Kenneth Putnam took the third seat. The Weekly noted Robinson was the second Black person elected to public office in Chapel Hill, the first since Reconstruction, and it was Wager's first run for office. People: Paul W. Wager, Hubert Robinson, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Kenneth PutnamSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 8, 1953, p. 1 (Robinson Gets Largest Vote; Other Winners: Wager, Putnam)
  17. Chapel Hill voters approve $60,000 in curb and gutter bonds With only about 12 percent of the 1,305 registered voters taking part, Chapel Hill approved the bonds 140 to 10. The work, asked for by most of the property owners on the streets involved and to be repaid by assessments on them, was mostly in the recently annexed Strowd Hill and Westwood sections. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 17, 1953, p. 1
  18. Orange Democrats nominate four men for the newly enlarged five-member Board of Commissioners In the Democratic primary, the first election for a five-member county board, Edwin S. Lanier, Henry S. Walker, R. J. M. Hobbs and Sim L. Efland won majorities among twelve candidates, with Dwight M. Ray narrowly ahead of H. Broadwell for the fifth place. In the sheriff's race to succeed the retiring Sam T. Latta Jr., Odell H. Clayton led with 2,434 votes but fell short of a majority, and Frank C. Maddry, voting from a hospital bed, called a runoff. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Sim Efland, Dwight Ray, Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange County · Also named: Henry S. Walker, Frank C. Maddry, Sam T. Latta Jr., H. BroadwellSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 3, 1954, p. 1
  19. Orange County voters elect an enlarged five-member board of commissioners Under a local act of the last General Assembly enlarging the board from three members to five with staggered terms, voters gave four-year terms to the top three, Dwight M. Ray (3,100 votes), Edwin S. Lanier (3,098) and Henry S. Walker (3,090), and two-year terms to incumbents R. J. M. Hobbs and Sim L. Efland. Democrats won every county race in a light vote, Odell H. Clayton for sheriff and Betty June Hayes for register of deeds among them, and the county voted against the amendment limiting each county to one state senator. People: Dwight Ray, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Sim Efland, Odell H. Clayton Place: Polling places countywide; canvass at the courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Henry S. Walker, Betty June HayesSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 11, 1954, p. 1
  20. Chapel Hill aldermen pledge $1,000 to bring a National Guard medical battalion to town After a November 1 meeting of more than 100 town and county leaders called by Mayor Edwin S. Lanier voted to invite the 30th Division's medical battalion to make its headquarters in Chapel Hill, the board of aldermen pledged up to $1,000 for the unit's first months and asked Hillsboro, Carrboro and the county to share the cost. Fully activated, the battalion was to have 273 officers and men, with an armory to follow at federal and state expense. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Town hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 18, 1954, p. 1
  21. Chapel Hill aldermen elect Oliver K. Cornwell mayor After Mayor Edwin S. Lanier won the Democratic nomination for county commissioner, the Board of Aldermen chose one of its own members, Oliver K. Cornwell, as mayor and elected Rogers Wade to his seat. People: Oliver K. Cornwell, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Rogers WadeSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 26, 1954, p. 1 (Aldermen Elect Oliver Cornwell As Mayor)
  22. The county's new five-member board of commissioners takes office and elects R. J. M. Hobbs chairman The first five-member board took office, elected R. J. M. Hobbs chairman by secret ballot, reappointed the county's appointive officers, hired Chapel Hill attorney Emory B. Denny Jr. to collect taxes more than five years overdue, and told court officials that the $7,000 to $8,000 owed to the county court in unpaid fines and costs was very disturbing. People: Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray, Sim Efland Place: Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Emory B. Denny Jr.Search the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), December 9, 1954, p. 1
  23. The county commissioners name Walter Wren civil defense director The Board of County Commissioners appointed Walter G. Wren civil defense director for Orange County, a post left empty for months after K. L. Mohler left. Commissioners Edwin S. Lanier and Sim Efland said the job should cover all emergencies, not only enemy attack. In early February Wren set up an administrative board of division directors that held its first meeting on February 3. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Sim Efland Place: Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Walter G. WrenSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 6, 1955, p. 1
  24. Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier lays out Orange County's problems and progress Two months after joining the county board, Edwin S. Lanier, a former Chapel Hill mayor, gave the Chapel Hill Kiwanis Club a survey of the county's population, farms, business, schools, roads, budget and welfare costs. He named schools and roads as the two big problems brought by population growth. Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 27, 1955, p. 2
  25. The Chapel Hill PTA asks for a countywide vote on ABC liquor stores Looking for money for school buildings, the Chapel Hill Parent-Teacher Association voted by about three to two, with more than 100 present, to ask the county commissioners to call a countywide referendum on ABC liquor stores, whose profits would go mostly to schools. The Chapel Hill Jaycees backed the request, while several churches and Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier opposed it. People: James L. Godfrey, Carl Smith (Chapel Hill businessman and county commissioner), Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), February 17, 1955, p. 1
  26. The county commissioners refuse to call a referendum on ABC liquor stores The Orange County commissioners unanimously denied the Chapel Hill PTA's request for a countywide vote on ABC stores, on a motion by Edwin S. Lanier seconded by Dwight Ray and Henry Walker. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Ministers Association, in a statement signed by sixteen members, and several churches had written in opposition. Supporters were left with a petition of 15 per cent of the voters as the only way to force an election. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray Place: Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Henry WalkerSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 10, 1955, p. 1
  27. County commissioners seek authority to run water and sewer lines to a prospective electronics plant After a meeting at the Chapel Hill town hall with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Merchants Association and the Carrboro industry group, the county commissioners asked Rep. John W. Umstead for legislation letting the county pay for, or issue bonds for, water and sewer lines to a new industry. The groups said one of the largest electronics firms in the world, unnamed, was weighing a $3 to $4 million plant with 700 jobs on optioned sites within two miles of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, held back only by the lack of water and sewer service. On May 2 the commissioners dropped the local bill as likely unconstitutional and said an existing state law let them use non-tax funds instead. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Chapel Hill town hall · Also named: John W. UmsteadSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 21, 1955, p. 1
  28. County commissioners vote more money for Aid to Dependent Children after weeks of dispute Meeting in Chapel Hill, the county commissioners amended the 1954-55 budget to add $2,106.10 to the welfare department's Aid to Dependent Children program, which drew $14,291.90 more in state and federal money for the rest of the fiscal year. The vote was 3 to 1, with Sim Efland holding to the original budget. Earlier in April the board had clashed with acting welfare superintendent Jane Parker over Venetian blinds and secrecy, and had been told the April checks used up the ADC fund. People: Sim Efland, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Jane ParkerSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 28, 1955, p. 1
  29. The county commissioners create an Orange County Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission On a resolution by Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier, the county board created the Orange County Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission to encourage new farm and industrial enterprises, help those already in the county expand, and build understanding of the need for growth, since the tax base was rising more slowly than the demand for public services. It was to have four representatives from each township, named for two-year terms, and no power to commit the county. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Don S. Matheson, Robert O. Forrest Place: Orange County commissioners meeting, HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 5, 1955, p. 1
  30. County commissioners inspect the Chapel Hill schools, including the site for a Lincoln High addition The county commissioners toured the schools of the Chapel Hill district to see their condition before acting on the Chapel Hill school board's budget requests. At Lincoln High School they looked over the site of a proposed addition with principal C. A. McDougle. The board had made a similar tour of the county schools some weeks earlier. People: Charles A. McDougle, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Sim Efland, Dwight Ray Place: Lincoln High School and other Chapel Hill schools, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Chapel Hill school, Lincoln High SchoolThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 19, 1955, p. 3
  31. County commissioners clash with the Chapel Hill school board over a Lincoln School gymtorium At a budget hearing commissioner Edwin S. Lanier, a former Chapel Hill mayor, opposed the Chapel Hill board's request for $100,000 to build a gymtorium at Lincoln, the town's Black high school, and to raise the district school supplement from 12 to 20 cents, urging a year's delay until the integration question was clearer, while board chairman Carl Smith and Superintendent C. W. Davis insisted the gymtorium came first. In a statement the next day Lanier said he did not favor the Supreme Court's order to combine Black and white schools and would not vote to raise taxes for new school buildings while the system's future was uncertain. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Carl Smith (Chapel Hill businessman and county commissioner), Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: C. W. DavisThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 30, 1955, p. 1
  32. County commissioners hold the 62-cent tax rate and find money for the Lincoln gymtorium The commissioners tentatively approved a 1955-56 budget of $869,720.50 at an unchanged 62-cent rate, denied all salary raises until a job classification system was adopted, set the Chapel Hill district supplement at 15 cents, and voted $34,000 in bonds, issued without a public vote and split evenly between the county and Chapel Hill school units. The Chapel Hill share brought the long-delayed gymtorium addition at Lincoln within reach of a call for bids, with commissioner Edwin S. Lanier, who days earlier had fought it, leading the fight for Chapel Hill's request. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Dwight Ray, Sim Efland, Carl Smith (Chapel Hill businessman and county commissioner) Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also mentions: Chapel Hill schoolThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 7, 1955, p. 1
  33. The county has the Institute of Government classify its jobs and holds raises until it is done At a joint session the commissioners refused the welfare board's plea for $1,083.60 in raises and car allowances, even after two caseworkers and a secretary resigned for better-paid Durham County jobs, because they had frozen salaries until a job survey was done. Chairman R. J. M. Hobbs said the Institute of Government would start classifying every county job the next day and finish by September 1, and the board later agreed to make any changes retroactive to August 1. People: Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Alexander Heard, Edwin Sidney Lanier, Sim Efland Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also mentions: Institute of GovernmentSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 28, 1955, p. 1
  34. Commissioners name a 28-member county agricultural and industrial development commission The county commissioners appointed four members from each township to the Orange County Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission, created on May 2 at Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier's urging to bring new industry and farm enterprises to the county. On September 19 they asked member Don Matheson to call its organizing meeting. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Don S. Matheson Place: Orange County Courthouse, HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 8, 1955, p. 1
  35. Orange County's new Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission organizes with Don Matheson as chairman Twenty-five of the 28 members named to the county's new Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission, four from each township, met in Hillsboro and elected County Farm Agent Don S. Matheson their first chairman, with Bernice Ward of Chapel Hill as vice-chairman and Robert O. Forrest of Hillsboro as secretary. Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier, who had proposed the body that summer, told them to expect results only over the long pull. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Robert O. Forrest, Don S. Matheson Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 13, 1955, p. 1
  36. County commissioners call a March 1956 vote on $2 million in school bonds After the county and Chapel Hill school boards laid out building needs they had never agreed to put into a joint request, the commissioners voted unanimously to let the people decide on March 20, 1956 whether to issue $2 million in school bonds. The money was to be split by tax valuation: $860,730 for the county schools outside Carrboro, $311,202 for Carrboro and $828,068 for the Chapel Hill unit. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs Place: Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also mentions: Chapel Hill schoolSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 10, 1955, p. 1
  37. County commissioners cut the tax value of White Furniture Company's Hillsboro plant by about a third A majority of the commissioners agreed to lower the real estate valuation of the White Furniture Company's Hillsboro plant by some 32 percent. The company had paid its county taxes under protest for two years and had an appeal before the State Board of Equalization and Review; Vice President Steve White called the valuation an injustice, and Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier asked to be recorded against any cut. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Sam M. Gattis III Place: Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Steve WhiteSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), December 8, 1955, p. 1
  38. Commissioners urge passage of the school bonds as two objectors cite the segregation ruling At a hearing on the $2,000,000 school bond order, the county commissioners passed the order and a resolution urging voters to approve the bonds. Two Hillsboro men objected, citing the unsettled situation caused by the Supreme Court's school decision and the empty St. Mary's school; bond co-chairman Remus J. Smith Sr. answered that the county would need the classrooms even if segregation ended. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray, Remus J. Smith Sr. Place: Courthouse, HillsboroThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), February 23, 1956, p. 1
  39. Orange County Democrats renominate R. J. M. Hobbs and Carl Durham and leave two races for a runoff Commission chairman R. J. M. Hobbs led the commissioners' race with 2,821 votes, John Hawkins of Cedar Grove beat Vernon Truesdale for the school board seat, and Congressman Carl Durham carried the county 4,150 to 1,107 over Ralph Scott. Donald Stanford (2,199) led Sim Efland (1,879) for the second commission seat and John T. Manning (2,025) led Edwin S. Lanier (1,773) and Edwin J. Hamlin (1,362) for the State Senate, but neither leader had a majority. People: Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Carl T. Durham, Sim Efland, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Orange County polling places · Also named: John Hawkins, Vernon Truesdale, Ralph H. Scott, Donald M. Stanford, John T. Manning, Edwin J. Hamlin, Ralph Scott, Donald StanfordSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 31, 1956, p. 1
  40. Edwin S. Lanier and Donald Stanford win the Democratic runoffs In the second primary County Commissioner Edwin S. Lanier beat John T. Manning for the State Senate nomination, 2,211 to 1,835, carrying 14 of the 19 precincts, and Donald Stanford unseated Commissioner Sim Efland, 2,072 to 1,864. More than 4,000 voters turned out; Stanford carried nine precincts, none north of Chapel Hill and Bingham townships. People: Sim Efland Place: Orange County polling places · Also named: John T. Manning, Donald M. Stanford, Donald Stanford · Also mentions: Chapel Hill and Bingham townshipsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 28, 1956, p. 1
  41. Claude Pope and Donald Stanford join the county commissioners Donald M. Stanford of Chapel Hill, who had beaten Simpson L. Efland in the spring primary, and Cedar Grove tobacco farmer Claude T. Pope were sworn in as county commissioners, Pope appointed by Clerk of Court Edwin M. Lynch to the two years left in the seat of Edwin S. Lanier, who had resigned by letter on November 29 after his election to the state Senate. The outgoing board thanked Efland and Lanier, and the new board put off electing a chairman because R. J. M. Hobbs was ill. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Edwin M. Lynch Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Claude T. Pope, Donald M. Stanford, Simpson L. EflandSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), December 6, 1956, p. 1
  42. County commissioners drop their requests for township limits on county boards On Henry Walker's motion, the commissioners withdrew their requests to the legislature to allow no more than two members from any one township on the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education, and to enlarge the school board from three to five. The Attorney General had advised that the township limit would be unconstitutional, and the county's legislators had proposed electing members by districts instead. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Henry WalkerSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 4, 1957, p. 1
  43. County commissioners endorse a bill to ban Sunday racing in Orange County After a plea from the North Orange Ministerial Association, the four commissioners present voted unanimously to approve Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill against Sunday auto racing, asking only that it wait until June 1 so the track owners could recoup some of their investment. The Rev. C. H. Reckard spoke for the ministers and jalopy track owner Dace Ward for the racing side. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray, C. H. Reckard Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Dace WardThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 4, 1957, p. 1
  44. The General Assembly bans Sunday racing in Orange County After protests by the Rev. C. H. Reckard and other Orange County clergy, the legislature passed Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill banning racing in the county on Sundays, with Rep. John W. Umstead's amendment barring races after 6 p.m. on other days. The bill passed on May 8, 1957, though Sunday races were being advertised again at Orange Speedway by 1961. People: C. H. Reckard, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: John W. UmsteadSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002), section 8, p. 20; with The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 10, 1957, p. 1 (Legislature Passes Lanier's Bill to Ban Sunday Racing in Orange County)
  45. Judge Clawson Williams upholds the Orange County racing law against Orange Speedway Ruling in Orange Speedway, Inc.'s suit against Sheriff Odell Clayton, Judge Clawson Williams held that the 1957 act barring automobile and motorcycle races in Orange County on Sundays and after 6 p.m. was constitutional and enforceable, dissolved the temporary restraining order Judge Don K. Moore had issued on September 16 and denied a permanent injunction. The company, headed by Bill France, gave notice of appeal to the state Supreme Court. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange County Superior Court, Hillsboro · Also named: Clawson Williams, Odell Clayton, Bill France, Don K. Moore · Also mentions: Orange SpeedwayThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 31, 1957, p. 1
  46. The state Supreme Court strikes down Orange County's Sunday racing law The North Carolina Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the 1957 local act that barred motorcycle and auto races in Orange County on Sundays and after 6 p.m. on weekdays, reversing Superior Court Judge Clawson Williams. The court held that the act, aimed at the people who staged races rather than at racing itself, differed from a Wake County Sunday ban it had upheld. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, John W. Umstead Jr., Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Clawson WilliamsThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 16, 1958, p. 1
  47. Orange Democrats renominate Sheriff Clayton and Senator Lanier in the primary About 4,700 voters turned out for the May 31 Democratic primary, a larger vote than expected, and renominated Sheriff Odell H. Clayton over Charles M. Johnston by 3,684 to 926 and State Senator Edwin S. Lanier over fellow Chapel Hill attorney Harold Edwards. Ross Porter of Hillsboro won the open school board seat over Carrboro's Carl M. Ellington, and Henry S. Walker, Clarence D. Jones and Donald R. McDade won the three commissioner nominations. People: Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange County's 19 precincts · Also named: Harold Edwards, Ross Porter, Carl M. Ellington, Henry S. Walker, Clarence D. Jones, Donald R. McDadeSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 5, 1958, p. 1
  48. Orange County Democrats sweep a light general election In one of the quietest campaigns in local memory, Orange voters returned every Democrat, giving State Senator Edwin S. Lanier 2,627 votes to 464 and commissioners Henry S. Walker, Donald R. McDade and Clarence D. Jones about 2,600 each to 460 for Republican M. L. Cates Sr. The county voted 2,040 to 924 against the amendment enlarging justices of the peace's jurisdiction. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Odell H. Clayton Place: Countywide · Also named: Henry S. Walker, Donald R. McDade, Clarence D. Jones, M. L. Cates Sr.Search the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 13, 1958, p. 1

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Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

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Background on Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough

Background reading on Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough. These works cover the broader subject and may not discuss Edwin Sidney Lanier. Follow a link to find a copy or view the material.

Occoneechee-Orange Speedway

Sanseverino, Edward P. · 1995

Edward P. Sanseverino's 1995 account of the Occoneechee-Orange Speedway, the stock car track outside Hillsborough that ran in the middle decades of the twentieth century. Topics include automobile racing and racetracks in North Carolina and Hillsborough in the twentieth century.

✓ Held at OCPL · NC 796.72 SAN

Jock Lauterer photographic collection, circa 1964-1968.

Lauterer, Jock · 1964

Photographs made by Jock Lauterer in and around Chapel Hill from about 1964 to 1968, some 3,522 items in the North Carolina Collection at UNC. Subjects include the Speaker Ban Law, Ku Klux Klan activity in North Carolina, Tar Heel basketball and football, the Jubilee festival, the Old Well, and visitors including Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Bob Hope and Jayne Mansfield.

UNC

Occoneechee Speedway/Orange Speedway (Chapel Hill Historical Society vertical file)

Clippings and promotional materials on the Occoneechee Speedway near Hillsborough, the dirt racetrack later renamed Orange Speedway. An undated folder from box 31 of the Chapel Hill Historical Society's Vertical File Collection, Carrboro and Orange County series.

CH Historical Society

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