Alabama. Governor. Public relations files, 1954-1970.
Title:
Public relations files, 1954-1970.
The Governor is the chief executive of the state whose function is to administer the laws of the state. One of the activities used to accomplish this function is the administering of greetings, congratulations, recommendations, and other responses to constituents, public officials, dignitaries, and citizens of other states seeking information or offering observations. This series consists of correspondence, telegrams, clippings, photographs, reports, and publications that document the Governor's relationship with constituents and correspondents from other states. The records also document the Governor's interaction with governors of other states, Congressmen, the President of the United States, the vice-president, and other public officials and dignitaries. The series is divided into two sub-series: (1) general correspondence files and (2) Governor's Conference correspondence and material. The general correspondence files consist of greetings from the governor to visiting dignitaries, entertainers, businessmen, sports teams, and school groups. Among the dignitaries who received letters or telegrams of welcome are Vice-presidents Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. Good luck wishes and congratulatory messages to school bands, ball teams, and numerous other school groups are included. The governor also sent greetings and congratulatory messages to governors of other states and constituents celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, births of children, weddings, promotions, awards and honors, and numerous other special occasions. The files also contain letters from constituents asking for money for themselves or for fund raising projects and invitations to numerous graduations, weddings, or requests for speaking engagements. There are letters from citizens requesting appointments with the governor and requests for a recommendation from the governor for a job, promotion, scholarship, and many other situations. This series also contains correspondence, research, and drafts pertaining to the governor's speeches and statements. A large portion of the correspondence consists of letters from students and other citizens requesting the governor's opinion about a variety of subjects from civil rights issues to religion to legal and political issues. Much of this information was requested by students for class projects or term papers. Among the more specialized topics are get well wishes to Governor Lurleen Wallace and condolences, resolutions, and memorial suggestions regarding her death in 1968 May. Governor George C. Wallace received numerous letters and telegrams regarding his stand on segregation, Bible reading and prayer in schools, and other controversial issues. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy resulted in numerous telegrams and letters to Wallace regarding his role in the tragedy. On a lighter side, there are letters and photographs documenting the choice of artist Dmitri Vail to paint the official portrait of George Wallace and the execution of the task. The second sub-series documents the participation of Alabama's chief executive in the National and Southern Governors' Conferences. A large portion of these records deal with the freight rate committee of the Southern Governors' Conference on which the Alabama governor served for several years. These records began during the second administration of James E. Folsom, [Sr.] and continue through the administrations of John Patterson, George and Lurleen Wallace, and Albert P. Brewer. The governor's participation on the Appalachian Governors' Committee and at the Conference of Appalachian Governors is also documented. These records provide excellent information on the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission in 1964. Throughout the entire series some of the more prominent correspondents include: Werner Von Braun, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., J. Strom Thurmond, Courtney Whitney, Daniel J. Haughton, George H. Weyerhaeuser, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Charles Wood, Harry M. Philpott, Cecil C. Jackson, Ed Ewing, Hugh Maddox, Henry Bellmon, Sam Tannehill, Lewis W. (Pig) Headley, Armistead I. Selden, Jr., Lister Hill, John Sparkman, Ross Barnett, George Andrews, Elton B. Stevens, George Huddleston, Jr., Robert Jones, William L. (Bill) Dickinson, Rankin Fite, Henry Cabot Lodge, Paul (Bear) Bryant, Lester Maddox, Bert T. Combs, and John B. Connally.
ArchivalResource:
15 cubic ft. (15 records center cartons)
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122498762 View
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