K. Ross Toole Archives
The Mike Mansfield Papers: Series Notes
Series XII: Senate: Miscellaneous, 1953-1977 (173.5 linear ft.)
This series serves as a catchall for information and documents from Mansfield's years in the Senate that do not fit neatly into any other category. Given the extent of the series, the range of subjects is very broad and determining exact folder contents is difficult. There are significant accumulations of documents in several categories: Incoming correspondence, document requests, and copies of form letter replies from Mansfield's office. A number of boxes also contain folders labeled simply miscellaneous. For example Box 30 contains folders titled chronologically beginning "Miscellaneous-January 1961." Within miscellaneous folders there are letters, reports, newspaper clippings, and excerpts from the Congressional Record.
The specific contents of the series range widely and include both substantive documents on government operations and multiple copies of routine letters. Their subjects reflect the spice and the drudgery of Congressional tasks. The beginning of the series consists of document requests from constituents, interests groups, and federal agencies. Like the House Miscellaneous series, there are numerous requests for Agricultural Yearbooks and Department of Agriculture Bulletins. In addition, Montana voters ask for copies of Committee hearings, the Bill of Rights, relief maps, Mineral Yearbooks, Supreme Court documents, Atomic Energy Commission Reports, Montana state information, and Bureau of Indian Affairs policy documents. A wide array of government publications were requested and provide an excellent survey on the documents available to the public over nearly a quarter of a century. Beyond document requests, there are multiple boxes of "Green Copies." These are copies of letters that are too specific, too general, or too old for further use as form letters. The "Green Copies" filed by senatorial term and then listed by subject within each term. A single folder might contain letters on a specific subject spanning the entire six years of the term.
The Correspondence Incoming boxes collect all letters to Mansfield during a single senatorial term on a particular topic. The correspondence seems to be divided by legislative session as well as term. Generally folders relate to pending legislation and span only a few months, though particularly divisive legislation like the Wilderness Act might inspire letters for several years. The bulk of letters are from constituents and interest groups supporting or opposing pending bills. It is unclear whether the letters included here also accompany the folder in Legislation on the same bill or not. The files here seem to contain more letters on specific legislation than Series X, but it is unclear what distinguishing criteria for inclusion in each series is.
The Miscellaneous boxes hold an unpredictable range of documents. These files are generally arranged by senatorial term and then chronologically by month. There are letters from constituents and interest groups with Mansfield's replies, numerous get-well cards and Saint Patrick's Day wishes, thank-yous, photographs, federal program reports, copies of Mansfield's speeches, requests for tickets to presidential inaugurations, the musical score for a Montana song, personal letters from other Senators, drawings from schoolchildren, and the galley proofs to a book. Newspaper clippings, magazine articles mailed by voters, tax forms, receipts, and gifts to John F. Kennedy round out the series.
The organization of the series centers around divisions by senatorial term. There are also numerous sub-groupings like those mentioned above that lend coherence to a series with little outward structure. Locating material within the boxes containing only "Miscellaneous" folders is difficult though the chronological titles on the files help. Some of the material overlaps with more substantive series and the remainder is the accumulated esoterica of twenty-four years in the Senate.
See a sample document from this series: An autograph request to Mansfield, 26 June 1963.
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Last Updated: 24 June 2002.