K. Ross Toole Archives
The Mike Mansfield Papers: Series Notes
Series VII: House/Senate: Case Mail, 1943-1977 (312 linear ft.)
RESTRICTED; SEE THE ARCHIVIST FOR INFORMATION.
This series provides an alphabetical listing of correspondence and material related to specific constituents. The files contain a vast array of information regarding individual constituents and most often relate to requests for help from Montanans. Most of the individual folders contain letters relating to a single incident or circumstance that was important in the constituent's life. There are, however, extensive files for constituents who either wrote prolifically over a number of years or who figured prominently in politics. Some folders contain letters written over a few weeks while others span from 1945 to 1970. There are both "retired" and active files in the series, although there is no explanation given for why some files are labeled "retired", nor is there any discernible pattern for this labeling system.
The specifics of the series fit into fairly clear parameters, though in a series of this size the range of topics is virtually unlimited. A typical file might contain information regarding a soldier's discharge from the Army. Usually such a file has a letter from the soldier protesting an injustice and appealing to Mansfield for help. Typically there are also letters from Mansfield inquiring into the specific case, letters and reports from the Army relating to the soldier in question, some legal papers from a lawyer representing the soldier, and letters and documents both defending and attacking the soldier in question. This pattern of documentation is repeated for a variety of cases dealing with the armed forces, immigration, various federal agencies, particularly the Veteran's Administration, and bank foreclosures. There are many files that contain information on a specific legislative issue and include letters, clippings, telegrams, and reports asking Mansfield to support or defeat the legislation in question. Many of the writers are prominent Montana politicians including a number of state legislators, governors, secretaries of state, and attorneys general. The vast majority are ordinary citizens and reflect a constituent's passing concern with a particular issue. Some of the letters are from school children requesting information or asking for help. The people that Mansfield was able to help often wrote extravagantly grateful letters and sent photographs of themselves. There are a number of requests for federal jobs or for employment reference letters. Many of the materials in this series overlap with any number of other series in the collection, including Montana Files, Correspondence, Legislation, and Personal. This series is probably most useful to locate a specific person and to review their individual correspondence. It also provides an excellent and voluminous source of Montanans' individual worries and political opinions over the entire period Mansfield served in Washington. The organization of the series is very clear and proceeds alphabetically from the beginning of the series. A folder generally contains all the information relating to a constituent, regardless of the chronology. Researchers should be able to find individual subjects by searching folder names alphabetically.
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Last Updated: 24 June 2002.