The collection consists of the papers of Mack F. Mattingly from 1956 to 2016, including correspondence, clippings, press releases, speeches, printed materials, photographs, audiotapes, and videotapes. The press files include mainly speeches, press releases, and clippings. Records relating to office administration contain telelphone logs, appointment books, schedule books, guest books, accepted and declined invitations files, files of office staff, and general files that consist of weekly and monthly reports from regional representatives in Georgia. The legislative files include subject files pertaining to legislation being considered by Congress, bill files, Mattingly's voting records from 1981 through 1987, and his personal legislative files, which contain legislative topics of particular interest to the Senator. These materials document Mattingly's work on legislation relating to the line-item veto, anti-drug measures, tax policy, trade policy, agriculture policy, and the conservative economic and federal defense budget policy. Of particular interest are records relating to Mattingly's work as chair of the Subcommittee on Military Construction Appropriations, which included aid to the "Contras" in Nicaragua, his tenure on the Ethics Committee while it investigated the ABSCAM bribery scandal, and legislation that reduced expenditures on consultants and studies by the government. The records of the constituent services staff consist primarily of issue correspondence containing information on constituents' views and questions about current events or public issues. The scrapbooks (1979-1985) were compiled by the Senator's family and staff which record highlights of the Senator's political career and campaigns. Also included are journals and letters written by Carolyn Mattingly.
