Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Back to top
Number of results to display per page
View results as:

Search Results

Collection

Albert Joseph Engel Papers, 1885-1960

10 linear feet

Prosecuting attorney for Missaukee County, Michigan, Republican State Senator, and U.S. Congressman from the 9th Michigan District from 1935 to 1951. Correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings concerning his activities on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Armed Services; material on the Manhattan Project and the testing of the atomic and hydrogen bombs; and photographs.

The Albert J. Engel papers primarily document his eight terms of service in United States House of Representatives, 1935-1951, though is some correspondence and other material dating back to 1911. The papers include correspondence, speeches, press releases, clippings scrapbooks and articles about Engel, files on various topics that came before Engel's House committees -- notably the Bikini Island A bomb and H bomb tests, and photographs

Collection

Bartel J. Jonkman papers, 1908-1952

1 linear foot — 2 oversize volumes

U.S. Congressman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Programs, clippings, photographs, campaign materials and scattered correspondence and speeches concerning his career.

The Bartel Jonkman papers consists of a miscellanea of correspondence, speeches, clippings, articles, and other materials relating to his Congressional career and to his activities in Grand Rapids.

Collection

Carl M. Weideman Papers, 1921-1972 (majority within 1932-1934)

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 oversize volumes

Detroit, Michigan trial attorney, Democratic Congressman, 1933-1935, and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge. Correspondence and other materials concerning his term in Congress, national and local politics, and various judicial decisions; miscellaneous diaries, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks concerning his association with the American Turners Association (German-American athletic society), Detroit, Michigan politics, and the election and recall of Detroit Mayor Charles Bowles; and photographs.

The collection consists of correspondence, primarily from the period when Weideman was a member of Congress; files relating to his election campaign and to a few of the issues of the time; and miscellaneous other materials from his career with the Wayne County Circuit Court and as a member of the American Turners. There is also an extensive series of scrapbooks detailing his professional and civic activities and several folders of photographs.

Collection

Earl C. Michener papers, 1898-1934, 1940-1954 (majority within 1904-1934)

13 linear feet

Adrian, Michigan attorney and Republican congressman, 1919-1933 and 1935-1951. Correspondence, 1898-1934, newspaper clippings, 1920-1950, including materials concerning veterans and other constituent affairs, political campaigns, the Republican Party, the influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the election of 1924, and personal affairs.

The Michener collection consists almost totally of correspondence accumulated while Michener served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Although the collection dates from 1898 to 1955, the great bulk of it dates from 1904 to 1934, years when Michener practiced law, served as a county prosecutor, then went off to Congress. The files relate exclusively to the politics of being a congressman, the job of staying in touch with constituents, responding to their concerns, thanking them when they offer support, etc. During each election year, Michener sent out hundreds of form letters. Such correspondence included notes enclosed with nominating petitions; brief notes which accompanied signed petitions; acknowledgments of the signed petitions; letters to newspapers asking them to print enclosed advertisements; letters enclosing campaign cards; form letters urging support at the primary; letters of congratulation; Michener's acknowledgment of congratulations; letters to people from various towns asking them to phone in the election returns; thank you notes to those who phoned in the returns; and so forth. Examples of each type of these form letters have been included in the collection though the bulk of materials has been reduced.

The collection is particularly valuable for material on grass-roots Republican politics, the methods and means by which an individual sought election to Congress and then maintained that position through several successive terms. Michener's correspondence is particularly heavy during election years. Some of the issues discussed by him relate to prohibition in Michigan, the influence of the Ku-Klux-Klan in the 1924 election, and the problems confronting veterans of the Spanish-American War and World War I. The collection is less valuable for the work that Michener did while in Congress. There are few files relating to legislative activities.

Collection

George Meader Papers, 1922-1990 (majority within 1943-1966)

45 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Ann Arbor, Michigan attorney, counsel to U.S. Congressional committees, and Republican Congressman, 1951-1965. Correspondence files concerning work with the Senate Committee Investigating the National Defense Program after World War II, and Congressional files, especially concerning his work with the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Government Operations; also photographs and motion picture films.

The George Meader papers primarily document his Congressional service from 1951 to 1964. There are some materials documenting his personal and professional life aside from his work in Congress. The papers relating to Congressional service include correspondence, speeches, campaign literature, texts of radio broadcasts, press releases and newsletters, photographs, and sound recordings. The other materials include memoirs, diaries, correspondence and memoranda, case files, photographs and film, scrapbooks, and correspondence regarding organizations to which Meader belonged and relating to the opening of his Ann Arbor law practice in 1939. Also included in the Meader papers are the diaries, notebooks, and student papers of his daughter, Barbara.

The collection has been divided into five series: the National Defense Investigating Committee, Congressional Files, Personal, Professional, and Visual Materials. The first two series cover Meader's professional activities in Washington, D. C., including what he saw as crucial work on the Truman committee. The original order of material in these series has been pretty much maintained. The next two series, Personal and Professional, reflect the artifice of the archivist as the original order of materials in the groups was significantly altered in the course of processing.

Collection

Gilbert Currie papers, 1910-1960

0.6 linear feet

Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from Midland, Michigan, 1909-1915; U.S. Congressman, 1917-1921. Correspondence, 1910-1913, relating to activities in the Michigan House, especially his successful effort to become speaker; speeches, 1920-1958 (scattered dates); file relating to his work as legal counsel for the Dow Chemical Company; file concerning his interest in golf; and photographs.

The Currie papers cover the period between 1910 and 1960 and consist primarily of correspondence relating to his years in the Michigan Legislature, including letters of encouragement and support to and from peers and constituents. The majority of this correspondence focuses on support for and speculation concerning Gilbert Currie's bid for the job of speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Collection

Gorman Family papers, 1886-1970

1 linear foot

Chelsea and Dexter, Michigan family. Letters of Nellie Gorman with her husband James, 1886-1892, while he served in the Michigan State Senate (1887-1891), and the U. S. House of Representatives (1891-1985); family letters; miscellanea relating to Gorman's estate; papers of son Galbraith Gorman, Dexter, Michigan, funeral home director; and photographs.

The collection begins with a genealogical chart of the Gorman family compiled by Mrs. M.L. Sias of Chelsea. The correspondence is largely that of Nellie Gorman with her children, but letters from 1886 to 1892 between James and Nellie Gorman give interesting details of James' term in the House of Representatives. The collection also includes papers pertaining to the disposition of Gorman's estate and cursory records of the cases apparently handled by Galbraith Gorman's funeral home between 1953 and 1961. The collection includes photographs of James and Agnes Gorman, members of the Bingham family, and some unidentified.

Collection

John D. Dingell, Jr. papers, 1922-2017 (majority within 1955-2014)

511 linear feet (in 511 boxes) — 136.4 GB (online) — 2 oversize items (framed)

Online
John Dingell, Jr. was Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan and longest-serving member in congressional history, 1955-2015. Dingell was the son of John Dingell, Sr. (Democratic congressman from Michigan's 15th district, 1933-1955), and husband of Debbie Dingell, who succeeded him as Representative of Michigan's 12th district in 2015. The collection documents John Dingell, Jr.'s election campaigns and his 59-year tenure in Congress. Records include legislative files, correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, press clippings, photographs, and audiovisual materials.

The collection documents John D. Dingell, Jr.'s political career including his 59 years in the United States House of Representatives (1955-2015). The papers include campaign materials documenting Dingell's 29 elections, Democratic National Committee and Michigan Democratic Party materials, and redistricting in Michigan.

The bulk of the papers document Dingell's tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives including legislative files on topics such as civil rights, healthcare, insurance, Social Security, Medicare, environmental issues, endangered species, the auto industry, agriculture, taxes, and trade; administrative office files including correspondence, schedules, voting records, and legislative planning; and photographs, press clippings, scrapbooks, and speeches.

The collection includes born-digital records, as well as 254 pieces of audiovisual material, described in the Container Listing at the item level. Dingell's member website, campaign website, as well as his personal Twitter account are cataloged separately.

Collection

Louis C. Cramton Papers, circa 1865-1966 (majority within 1916-1965)

8 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

State Representative from Lapeer, Michigan; U.S. Congressman, 1913-1931, and special attorney to the Secretary of the Interior, 1931-1932; correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, campaign materials, and other items relating to his advocacy of the national park system, the concept of historic preservation, fair employment practices legislation, increased support for Howard University and all other aspects of his career.

The Louis C. Cramton papers came to the Bentley Historical Library in three separate accessions (1948-1950; 1971; 1987). The collection has been arranged into six series: Correspondence, Miscellaneous Papers, Topical Files, Newspaper clippings/Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Louis Kay Cramton Papers.

Collection

Patrick Henry Kelley papers, 1910-1924

0.5 linear feet

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1907-1911, and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches and scrapbook concerning his political career and private law practice. Correspondents include: Calvin Coolidge, Louis C. Cramton, Oramel B. Fuller, Chase S. Osborn, Arthur J. Tuttle, Arthur H. Vandenberg, and James E. Watson.

The collection is arranged into three series: Correspondence; U.S. House of Representatives, 1913-1923; and Photographs.