Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Professor of history at University of Michigan; Democratic Party files and records of his University of Michigan activities.

The Gerhard L. Weinberg collection is comprised of two series: Democratic Party activities and interests, and University of Michigan activities. The Democratic Party papers concern Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and state politics. Issues documented include the passage of a fair housing law in Ann Arbor, and his interest in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, 1964-1965.

Member of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) City Council, 1964-1968, and chairman of Ann Arbor Housing Commission, 1969-1970. Correspondence, speeches, resolutions, and newspaper clippings concerning his activities on the city council and his interest in public housing.

The Robert P. Weeks Papers consist exclusively of those papers created while serving on the Ann Arbor city council and with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. The original order and subject listings of Weeks' topical file has been retained. The papers document both Weeks' activities and interests as a council person and chair of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission as well as the politics of the time. Notable is the information contained in the papers about the debate over the building and location of subsidized housing in Ann Arbor. Weeks died on June 17, 1986.

Student papers, 1930-1987 prepared for classes in history at the University of Michigan (primarily Michigan history class taught by Lewis G. VanderVelde, but also including research papers for classes taught by Sidney Fine and others); topics concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; and local community history.

The student papers are organized alphabetically by author in two series, which are similar in date range and topics covered. Topics of papers concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; local community history and University of Michigan history. A topical index to the papers is available in the first box of the collection.

Research papers on topics relating to Michigan history and the history of the University of Michigan written by students in the History Department Undergraduate Honors Program.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, businessman and attorney, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party State Central Committee, U. S. Congressman-at-large, 1963-1964, gubernatorial candidate in 1964, member of the U. S. Federal Election Commission, 1975-1978. Chronological, congressional and topical files relating to political and personal activities; include political files detailing state election campaigns 1948-1964, particularly the campaigns of G. Mennen Williams and John B. Swainson; also photographs and transcript of oral interview, 1979.

Neil Staebler first began donating his files to the Michigan Historical Collections of the University of Michigan in 1961 following his eleven year tenure as chairman of the Democratic Party State Central Committee. Periodically thereafter and continuing into the 1970s, Staebler continued to add to his collection with Congressional papers (1963-1964), campaign files when he ran for governor in 1964, topical records created from his years of service with the Democratic National Committee (see attached vita), and records from his term as commissioner on the Federal Election Commission (1975-1978).

This collection comprised of twelve series documents Staebler's career and the course of Democratic politics since World War II. Since Staebler was principally an organizer of campaigns, a behind-the-scenes manager who preferred to handle the details of an election rather than to step into the candidate's spotlight himself, the collection concerns all phases of a successful campaign not just the posturings of the party's candidates. There is, for example, much information relating to the day-to-day operations of the party, i.e. fund-raising activities, the annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, the formulation of the party's platform and related resolutions at the Spring and Fall conventions, and the activities of party-related special interest organizations.

Ann Arbor, Michigan businessman and Democratic mayor of the city, 1927-1931. Mayoralty files; papers, 1922-1926, concerning the Ann Arbor Board of Education; also papers, 1922-1952, of Staebler and Son, automobile dealership.

The Edward W. Staebler papers consists primarily of correspondence and subject files from the period when he was mayor of Ann Arbor. Smaller portions of the papers concern the family automobile dealership, Staebler and Son, and his involvement with the Ann Arbor Board of Education.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, archivist; collected materials relating to local Democratic Party politics; student papers; and photographs.

The McNitt papers consist of materials collected relating to his interest in, and activities with, the local Democratic Party. Included are newsletters, leaflets, campaign materials and newspaper clippings concerning state, county, and municipal politics, particularly the presidential campaigns of Eugene McCarthy in 1968 and George McGovern in 1972, Ann Arbor City Council and school board elections; the New Democratic Coalition of Michigan; the Human Rights Party; the state presidential primary in 1972; Democratic state conventions; state elections in 1968, 1970, 1972, and 1974; and the election campaign of Congressman Richard F. VanderVeen in 1974.

The collection also includes copies of student papers on topics relating to Michigan history. The titles of these papers are "The Library Extension Movement in Grand Rapids", "Journalism and the Republican Party of Michigan, 1890-1920; A Study of the Michigan Republican Newspaper Association", and "Peace and American Society : Rebecca Shelley and the Peace Movement."

Finally, there are many hundreds of photographs taken by McNitt relating to the construction of the Bentley Library and to the accessioning of the papers of Gerald R. Ford.

Democratic mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; University of Michigan law school professor. Papers include mayoralty files relating to city politics and municipal issues, including the affairs of the police department and other city departments, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the Model Cities Program, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG); and scattered law school course and research materials, ca. 1959-ca. 1963

The Robert J. Harris papers document his term as mayor of Ann Arbor, 1979-1983 and a professor at the University of Michigan law School, 1959-1974. Papers include mayoralty files relating to city politics and municipal issues, including the affairs of the police department and other city departments, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the Model Cities Program, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG); and scattered law school course and research materials, ca. 1959-ca. 1963.

The papers are organized into eight series: Alphabetical Files (boxes 1-9); Model Cities; Boards and Commissions File, City Departments File, Council Activities File, Miscellaneous Files, Newspaper clipping File, and Law School.

Lawyer, Member of Michigan Supreme Court, 1842-1846, Democratic Governor of Michigan, 1846-1847, and holder of numerous other public offices; papers include correspondence and other papers documenting his career in public service.

The Alpheus Felch papers details the active life of this nineteenth century Michigan public servant. Not only are public issues discussed in the correspondence files but the researcher will also gain an understanding of some of the personal problems associated with public service. The collection also includes several files of other family members.

Professor of political science at University of Michigan, and Democratic city councilman for Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1961-1963. Material concerning his council activities, his work for the Michigan Advisory Committee on Reorganization of State Government, and the Michigan State Science Advisory Board.

The Lynn Eley collection documents his activities as secretary on the Governor's Advisory Committee on Reorganization of State Government, 1958-1963, and his term as Democratic Ann Arbor City Councilman, 1961-1963.