Correspondence, reference and subject files, floor files (1982-1984) on bills discussed in the U.S. House of Representatives, press releases and statements, newsletters, weekly column, constituents' mail and responses, campaign mail and polls, casework files, newspaper clippings, guest registers, journals, audio and visual recordings, photos, and other papers, relating to Ratchford's service as U.S. representative and his assignments on Select Aging, Education and Labor, House Administration, and Appropriations committees and Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Subcommittee of Committee on Government Operations. Includes office files of his administrative assistant, Mary A. Scheckelhoff; issue files of legislative assistants, Cynthia Bradley, Pat Kery, Laura Jewett, Bob Godec, and Peter Sloane, dealing with diverse topics such as education, banking, transportation, tax reform, women's rights, whales, minorities, veterans, public health, social security, foreign affairs, the elderly, and handicapped; general research files on legislative issues such as commerce, defense, housing, human rights, labor, taxation, and trade policies; and floor files, summaries, and record votes, compiled by Democratic Study Group, of all votes taken in each session. Also includes working files of Ratchford's press secretaries, Kevin Lynch, Jason Isaacson, and Steve Singer; press files including mass mailings to Connecticut state residents, his weekly column on political, economic, and social issues, issue briefs, and notices of Connecticut town meetings; committee files; correspondence with constituents, including a record directory; political files (1978-1984) documenting campaign strategies, debates, political broadcasting, and reports; casework files relating to the Connecticut business community; Ratchford's diary; and miscellaneous materials concerning his career, and the diverse range of activities in which he was involved, particularly his commitment to improving conditions for the elderly in his constituency.
