William Chaney photographs and slides
Collection — Folder: SP061
Identifier: SP061
Scope and Contents
This collection includes photographs and 35mm slides of William Chaney and other Klansmen in Indiana circa 1965-1971 at Ku Klux Klan (KKK) events. Many of the slides show Chaney giving an interview wearing his KKK regalia to a man who might be Randall Jehs of the Indiana State Library, who interviewed him on June 6, 1971. There are also 2 images of Chaney's family.
Dates
- circa 1965-1971
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
William Chaney was Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan during the 1970s. He was born on July 22, 1922 in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky son of, Willilam Amos and Eva Marie (Calhoun) Chaney, one of 10 children. Chaney served the U.S. Army during World War II, achieving the rank of staff sergeant. He married Mae Marie Smith on December 1, 1945, in Meece, Kentucky and they had two daughters, Berneta and Jane S., and one son, William Marshall, Jr. They family moved to central Indiana soon after the war. He worked as a driver for over 20 years, for a transport company and city bus company, though at some points he earned money as a Klan member and through an unnamed political position.
Chaney joined the Klan in the early 1960s and quickly advanced at the local and natioanl level until he became Grand Dragon of Indiana. In October 1976, Chaney was convicted of possession of an unregistered explosive device and throwing it at a building in connection with the firebombing of the Naegele Outdoor Advertising Company in May 1976. After several appeals, on May 26, 1979 he was sentenced to five years in prison with five years probation.
Chaney died on May 27, 2002 and was buried in Mills Springs National Cemetery in Nancy, Kentucky.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "William M. Chaney." Accessed November 2, 2019. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com.
William M. Chaney oral history transcript, 1971. Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library.
Findagrave.com. "William M. Chaney, Sr." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed November 2, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65473458/william-m-chaney.
"William M. Chaney Sr." Obituary. Franklin Daily Journal, May 29, 2002.
Smulevitz, Howard. "Klan's Chaney Gets 5 Years in Prison." The Indianapolis Star, May 26, 1979, 49.
Chaney joined the Klan in the early 1960s and quickly advanced at the local and natioanl level until he became Grand Dragon of Indiana. In October 1976, Chaney was convicted of possession of an unregistered explosive device and throwing it at a building in connection with the firebombing of the Naegele Outdoor Advertising Company in May 1976. After several appeals, on May 26, 1979 he was sentenced to five years in prison with five years probation.
Chaney died on May 27, 2002 and was buried in Mills Springs National Cemetery in Nancy, Kentucky.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "William M. Chaney." Accessed November 2, 2019. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com.
William M. Chaney oral history transcript, 1971. Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library.
Findagrave.com. "William M. Chaney, Sr." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed November 2, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65473458/william-m-chaney.
"William M. Chaney Sr." Obituary. Franklin Daily Journal, May 29, 2002.
Smulevitz, Howard. "Klan's Chaney Gets 5 Years in Prison." The Indianapolis Star, May 26, 1979, 49.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2019/11/02 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2019/11/02 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid revised 2020/08/27 by Brittany Kropf.
- Title
- William Chaney photographs and slides
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
