The collection documents most of John Neal Erlenborn's activities while he was a member of Congress, from 1965 to 1984. Letters from constituents about various topics of debate are included, as well as notes and other information regarding public statements and speeches given by Erlenborn in various U.S. locations. During his time in office, Erlenborn was active on the Committee on Government Operations and Committee on Education and Labor, and, to a lesser extent, on the Committee on Population and the National Commission on Student Financial Assistance. Most of his activity in championing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 can be found in series 3.3, but bills pertaining to specific aspects of ERISA can be found in 3.1 and 3.2, as can information on the ERISA oversight hearings after 1974. The collection also includes bills introduced or initially sponsored by Erlenborn, including those introduced to committees. Bound hearings regarding these bills have been left according to the original order of the collection, in order to serve as a frame of reference. Scrapbooks have been left intact, and include mostlt newspaper clippings and some correspondence and other ephemera. Of note are two letters from Gerald Ford, as well as a document officially designating Erlenborn as the nominee for Republican candidate for Congress. Photographs are organized by date, and are mostly of visitors to Erlenborn's office, either in Illinois or Washington, D.C., but also included here are photographs of important presidential and congressional events. Gerald Ford, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, Richard Nixon, Helmut Schmidt, Orrin Hatch, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and the winners of various "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow" competitions are some of the individuals appearing with Erlenborn in this series. Erlenborn also received numerous trophies, plaques, and other items from various organizations (including labor unions, watchdog groups, and grade school classes), which are included in the collection. Collection consists of correspondence with constituents, transcripts of speeches, documentation of all committee work (particularly the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Education and Labor), bills introduced by Erlenborn, photographs, scrapbooks, and other ephemera. John N. Erlenborn represented the 14th congressional district of Illinois in the United States Congress between 1965 and 1985 (89th to 98th Congresses). He retired after serving in the 98th U.S. Congress.
