The W. C. Thomas Papers were created by Thomas during his trip to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1940. The papers describe Thomas' experiences traveling to the convention by multiple modes of public transportation, his daily activities while in Chicago, and the convention events. He reports on the Virginia delegates meetings, as well as speeches by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. After leaving Chicago, he recounts his travels in Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee, on route home.