Federal Collections
The collections on this page represent a portion of our holdings related to those who held elected or appointed office in the United States at the federal level.
Federal Collections
Finding Aid (BARD) | Finding Aid (PDF)
Robert F. Darden became fascinated with editorial cartoons at a young age. He drew for his high school and college newspapers as well as The Waco Tribune-Herald. While writing his thesis Drawing Power: Knott, Ficklen and McClanahan, Editorial Cartoonists for the Dallas Morning News at the University of North Texas, Darden interviewed many political cartoonists and traded original drawings with the artists.
His collection provided some of the source material for Poage Library's 2008 exhibition, Drawing Power. The corresponding symposium featured seminars and panels from several well-known editorial cartoonists and led to the donation of this archival collection.
Darden, an Emeritus Professor of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media at Baylor University, is the co-founder of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University, the world's largest initiative to acquire and digitize America's fast-vanishing legacy of Black Gospel music.
The Collection
The scope of the collection ranges from the early 1940s to 2000 with a primary focus on the 1960s and 1970s. Works found in the collection were produced by many artists including Darden, Jack Hamm, Dan Foote, C.P. Houston, and more. Many of the cartoons address topics such as Texas sports, the oil industry, US politics, foreign and domestic policies, taxes, lunar landings, US foreign relations, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the economy, and Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Finding Aid (BARD) | Finding Aid (PDF) | YouTube Videos
John Dowdy was elected to Congress in 1952 following Thomas Pickett’s resignation. He served on the House Administration, Post Office and Civil Service, Judiciary, and District of Columbia committees, chairing the Postal Operations Subcommittee from 1955-1956. On the Judiciary Committee, Dowdy authored legislation protecting National Defense facilities, amended criminal laws to address air piracy, empowered postal authorities to police the mail, and proposed reforms to control obscenity in literature.
Dowdy was elected to ten terms from 1952-1973. In 1970, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Baltimore, Maryland, on charges of conspiracy, perjury, and promoting bribery. The indictment charged that Dowdy allegedly accepted a $25,000 bribe on September 22, 1965, to intervene in a federal investigation of Monarch Construction Company of Silver Springs, Maryland. Dowdy was arraigned on the indictments and convicted in December 1971. He announced his retirement from Congress in January 1972 and served a six-month prison sentence. Documents later donated by the family suggest Dowdy may have been set up by those who opposed his conservative stance to urban renewal.
The Collection
The John Dowdy papers range from the mid-1920s to 1986. While the bulk of the papers are from his congressional years, 1952-1972, there are also considerable materials in the Personal and Political series pertaining to his years as a court reporter and district attorney.
Finding Aid (BARD) | Finding Aid (PDF) | Digital Collection
Chet Edwards served in the Texas Senate from 1983-1989 before entering federal politics. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2011, representing District 11 until 2005, and District 17 after redistricting. He served on the Appropriations, Armed Services, Budget, Financial Services, and Veterans Affairs committees, was vice chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and co-chaired the House Army Caucus.
Edwards championed US military veterans. After becoming Chair of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee in 2007, Edwards secured increased funding for veterans’ healthcare and benefits. He also played a key role in enacting the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights into law.
Edwards advocated for federal investments in Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), the Central Texas Veterans’ Health Care System, and research programs at Baylor and Texas A&M Universities. He opposed massive federal deficits. In 2008, Edwards was vetted and became a finalist to serve as Barack Obama's vice-presidential running mate.
The Collection
This collection consists of records covering Chet Edwards’ congressional service from 1991 to 2011. Material types include radio and television campaign advertisements and other audiovisual material, mailers, press releases, newsletters, speeches, voting records, and constituent correspondence. The topics addressed in this collection reflect Edwards’ legislative priorities such as agriculture, appropriations, armed services, budget, homeland security, and veterans’ affairs. The Waco Siege of 1993, President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and legislation on religious liberty (i.e. Charitable Choice, Religious Freedom Amendment, and Religious Liberty Protection Act) are also represented in the collection.
O.C. (Ovie Clark) Fisher’s public service career included County Attorney of Tom Green County (1931-1935), a Texas State Representative (53rd District, 1935-1937), and District Attorney for 119th Judicial District of Texas (1937-1943). Fisher was then elected to the US House of Representatives (TX-21) sixteen times, from 1943 to 1974.
Fisher was a conservative Southern Democrat who opposed big government spending, the New Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society. He advocated for a strong military, agriculture, conservation, and the construction of various dams and reservoirs across Texas. He was one of five Representatives from Texas to sign the Southern Manifesto in protest of Brown v. Board of Education.
The Collection
This collection is currently being processed. A new finding aid will be available once the project is complete. It will include four series: Agencies, Correspondence, Departments, and Legislation. The collection covers Fisher’s career as a US Representative for District 21. Please email bcpm@baylor.edu if you have any questions about the collection.
Ed Lee Gossett (1902-1990) was a U.S. Representative (TX-13) from 1939 until his resignation in 1951. He served as chair of the Committee on Elections No. 2 and as a member of the Immigration and Naturalization Committee. On the House Judiciary Committee, Gossett championed legislation restricting immigration quotas, securing state ownership of the Texas tidelands, and equalizing national railroad freight rates. He also worked with Senator Henry Cabot Lodge to introduce a constitutional amendment revising the Electoral College on a proportional system following the contentious election of Harry Truman over Thomas Dewey in 1948. Gossett also took a legislative interest in two significant developments following World War II – the spread of communism and the partition of Palestine. In 1951, Gossett resigned his congressional seat and returned to private practice.
The Collection
The Ed Lee Gossett papers span 1935-1953, with the bulk of the material documenting his last three terms in office (1945-1951). The papers describe Gossett’s legislative activities and provide insight into American attitudes toward these issues. Anti-Semitic sentiment pervades topics such as immigration, communism, Palestine, and race relations. Materials on immigration document Gossett’s opposition to what became the 1948 Displaced Persons Act, as well as the fight to introduce tougher qualifications for immigration, eventually leading to the passage of the Internal Security Act of 1950. The Tidelands series comprises information about the conflict between states and the national government over the control of submerged lands following the 1947 Supreme Court ruling in US v. California.
In 1976, Sam Hall won a special election to begin his tenure as a US Representative (TX-1). During the 94th Congress, Hall served on the Education and Labor and the Science and Technology committees. From the 95th-99th Congresses, he served on the Judiciary and the Veteran’s Affairs committees and the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. While on the Judiciary Committee, he served on subcommittees including Criminal Justice; Immigration, Refugees, and International Law; and Administrative Law and Governmental Relations, which he chaired from 1982-1984.
Rep. Hall was one of the founding members of the “Boll Weevils”, conservative southern Democrats who often sided with Republicans on national issues. Hall was a supporter of President Reagan and his economic plans. This support led to Hall’s appointment as the US district judge for the Eastern District of Texas in 1985, a position he held until his death in 1994.
The Collection
The Sam B. Hall, Jr. papers focus on Hall’s tenure as a US Representative (1976-1985) and federal judge (1985-1994). The Committees series includes major sections on Hall’s work with the Judiciary and the Veteran’s Affairs committees and the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse Control and Ethics. Significant legislation in the files pertain to the Soft Drink Act, Hobbs Act, Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act, Immigration and Naturalization Act, and the Vietnamese refugee resettlement bills.
Finding Aid (PDF) | YouTube Videos
Jack E. Hightower served in the US Navy during World War II. After returning home, he earned a B.A. (1949) and LL.B. (1951) from Baylor University. Upon admittance to the Texas Bar, Hightower began a long, diverse political career as the District Attorney for the 46th Texas Judicial District (1951-1961). He simultaneously served a term in the 53rd Legislature of the Texas House of Representatives (1953-1955). Hightower later served in the Texas Senate, representing the 23rd District (1965-1967) and the newly created 30th District (1967-1974).
Hightower then set his sights on the national stage, serving as a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. After an unsuccessful run for Congress earlier in his career (1961), Hightower won five consecutive terms from 1975-1985, representing TX-13, a rural region of west Texas including Amarillo and Wichita Falls.
After a Congressional defeat in 1985, Hightower became the first Assistant Attorney General of Texas under Jim Mattox (1985-1987) before serving as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court (1988-1995). President Bill Clinton appointed Hightower to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, a position he held from 1999 to 2004.
The Collection
This collection is currently being processed. A new finding aid will be available once the project is complete. Please email bcpm@baylor.edu if you have any questions about the collection.
Finding Aid (BARD) | Finding Aid (PDF)
Between 1969 and 1975, John Hogan served as Minority Counsel to the U.S. House Committee on the District of Columbia. Afterwards, from 1975 to 1998, Hogan was appointed Republican Counsel for the House Committee on Agriculture. In 2001, following a short reprieve from Washington, Hogan served briefly as President George W. Bush’s Active Deputy Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The Collection
The bulk of John Hogan’s papers originate from his time as Republican Counsel to the House Agriculture Committee. The collection includes Hogan’s research, legislation documentation, and correspondence. Some notable topics addressed in these files include the 1990 and 1995 Farm Bills, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
James Marvin Leath (1931-2000) worked as special assistant to Rep. W. R. Poage (TX-11). When Poage retired in 1978, Leath ran for his seat and won, a position he held until January 1991. A conservative Southern or “Boll Weevil” Democrat, Leath remained ideologically aligned with Republican colleagues on fiscal matters. He supported free market policies, spending cuts, and worked for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Leath also advocated for increased defense spending and nuclear armament. While in Congress, he served on the Armed Services and Public Works committees and chaired the House Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs and Defense of the Budget Committee.
Throughout his tenure, Leath was devoted to the interests of the U.S. Army installation Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos). He lobbied to keep the TCATA program in Texas rather than moving it to Fort Ord in California. Leath made an unsuccessful, but highly touted, bid for the chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee. Other major legislative priorities for Leath included agriculture, banking and finance, veterans’ affairs, oil, and social security reform.
The Collection
This collection contains materials from Leath’s career in the U.S. House of Representatives (1979-1991). In the Executive Branch series, personal correspondence exists between Leath and President Reagan concerning the latter’s economic plans. The Legislative series, the largest in the collection, covers materials by Topic, Leath-authored bills, and bills Leath supported from the 96th to the 101st Congresses. The Press series contains his famed but blunt newsletters as well as constituent comments on the newsletters. A sizeable audiovisual series houses photographs of Leath with presidents, Congressional leaders, and constituents as well as radio recordings of his newsletters.
Mattie Mae McKee began her career as a legal secretary and attained certification with the National Association of Legal Secretaries in 1966. At that time, McKee was one of twelve Certified Professional Legal Secretaries in Texas and the ninety-sixth certified in the country.
In 1968, McKee entered the political arena as a congressional aide to Rep. O.C. Fisher (D), representing TX-21. In 1974, McKee joined Rep. W. R. Poage (D), representing TX-11. She remained on staff, becoming the new Office Manager in 1978 for Poage’s successor, Rep. Marvin Leath. Under Leath, McKee faced the challenging task of establishing the office of a freshman Representative.
In 1980, McKee left the House of Representatives to become the Executive Secretary for Sen. John Tower (TX), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 1985, McKee then accepted the Executive Assistant position for Sen. John Warner (VA) until 1989 when she left Washington and returned to San Angelo. In 2014, McKee recounted her experiences in her book, “In the Shadow of the Greats: From Texas' Square Roots to Capitol Hill's Inner Circle.”
The Collection
The Mattie Mae McKee papers are ten boxes ranging from 1940 to 2018 with the bulk from her career in Washington, D.C. (1968-1989). McKee worked as a congressional aide and staff member for three U.S. Representatives and two U.S. Senators: Rep. O.C. Fisher (1968-1974), Rep. W. R. Poage (1974-1978), Rep. Marvin Leath (1979-1980), Sen. John Tower (1980-1985), and Sen. John Warner (1985-1989). These politicians represented McKee’s home state of Texas except for Sen. Warner (VA).
The first five series follow McKee’s career and are divided by the official for whom she worked. Materials such as correspondence, photographs, clippings, and programs are found throughout the collection. The final series contains McKee’s personal materials relating to her autobiographical book, research, and personal correspondence.
Hyde Murray worked for the Office of General Counsel, U. S. Department of Agriculture, for 10 months in 1958 before he joined the staff of the House Committee on Agriculture. There he served more than 20 years as minority counsel on the House Agriculture Committee and almost a decade as counsel to the Minority Leader.
Edmund L. Nichols began his career in journalism and covered the 1955 inauguration of Gov. Allan Shivers in Austin. Nichols then joined Texas Agriculture Commissioner John C. White’s staff as a technical writer. After a two-year hiatus working in Hawaii, he rejoined Commissioner White’s staff, first as Administrative Assistant, then as Assistant Commissioner. In 1977, Nichols followed White to Washington, D. C. and was appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In D.C. he also served as the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Information and Legislative Officer.
Nichols moved to Rome, Italy in 1979 as the U.S. Agricultural Counselor to Italy and was commissioned by President Reagan to the rank of Minister-Counselor in the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. The President of Italy decorated Nichols as Commendatore of the Italian Republic for his role in advancing U.S.-Italian trade relations. In 1982, Nichols transferred to Copenhagen to serve as U.S. Agricultural Counselor to Denmark and Norway, and again in 1985 to Madrid, Spain. From 1989-1992, he served as Agricultural Minister-Counselor to the U.S. Mission to the European Communities in Brussels, Belgium. Lastly, he served one more year as U.S. Agricultural Counselor in Madrid, 1992-1993. During his service in Europe, Nichols served as chairman of the NATO Food and Agriculture Planning Committee, formed to plan security for Europe and America in the event of war.
The Collection
The Edmund L. Nichols papers, 1913-2010, cover Nichols’ public and personal life. This collection includes public and personal correspondence and photographs, speeches, mementos, and records from Nichols’ public service with the Texas Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, and diplomatic service abroad in Italy, Denmark and Norway, Spain, and Belgium. There is also a significant portion of material related to his education and reunions with Throckmorton High School and Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas. The bulk of the material spans 1941-2009.
Wright Patman was assistant county attorney of Cass County, TX from 1916-1917, until he joined the US Army as a private and machine-gun officer during World War I. Patman served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1924-1929. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat for TX-1 and served from 1929 until his death on March 4, 1976.
The Collection
The one box Wright Patman collection is comprised of a small amount of campaign items, correspondence sent to constituents by Patman’s administrative assistant after his death, and a list of bills introduced by Patman from 1929-1970. Also included is a small number of Patman’s weekly letters. The current arrangement is in four series: Campaign, Correspondence, Legislative, and Press.
Thomas A. Pickett practiced law in Palestine, TX beginning in 1929 and served as Anderson County Attorney 1931-1935. Then he served as district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District 1935-1945. Pickett (TX-7) ran for a seat in the House of Representatives and began his term in 1945. He served on the House Public Works, Veterans Affairs, and Administration committees. Pickett resigned from office in 1952 and was succeeded by John Dowdy in the same year.
After public office, Pickett served as vice-president of the National Coal Association, 1952-1961, and the Association of American Railroads 1961-1968.
The Collection
The Thomas Pickett papers contain six boxes and exemplify his service as a U.S. Representative for TX-7. In his House tenure, Pickett served on the Foreign Affairs, House Administration, and Judiciary committees. The collection documents Pickett's congressional campaigns, his legislative interests in the Tidelands case, public works projects on the Neches, Angelinas, and Trinity Rivers, and railroad bankruptcy and its impact on Anderson County, Texas.
Finding Aid for the Texas Development Collection | PDF
Finding Aid for the Campaign Collection | PDF
Finding Aid for the U.S. Government Papers | PDF
Finding Aid for the W. R. "Bob" Poage Personal Papers | PDF
William Robert “Bob” Poage graduated from Waco High School and joined the U.S. Navy during the last months of World War I. He graduated from Baylor University in 1921 with a bachelor’s degree in geology, taught geology at Baylor from 1922-1924, and earned his law degree and passed the Texas Bar in 1924. In the same year, Poage won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He served in the Texas House 1925-1929 while practicing law in Waco and teaching at Baylor Law School. In 1931, Poage filled a vacated Texas Senate seat by special election, ultimately serving in the Texas Senate from 1931-1937.
Poage (D, TX-11) lost election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1934, but defeated O. H. Cross in 1936. In 1938, Poage married Frances Lenoir Cotton. He served in the U.S. House from 1937 until retirement in 1978, often campaigning unopposed. Poage championed life in rural America, seeking improvements such as water and telephone services and helping to establish the Rural Electrification Administration. Often referred to as “Mr. Agriculture”, Poage was a key member of the House Agriculture Committee 1941-1978, chairing the committee from 1967 to 1974. Poage was succeeded by Democrat Marvin Leath.
The W. R. Poage Legislative Library was opened in September 1979 in honor of Rep. Poage and serves as the repository for his personal and congressional papers. Poage wrote five books during his lifetime, including three in retirement: After the Pioneers (1969), Politics: Texas Style (1974), How We Lived (1980), McLennan County Before 1980 (1981), and his autobiography, My First 85 Years (1985). Poage died in 1987.
Poage’s papers are broken into six collections and date 1848-1994.
See also William Robert "Bob" Poage's State Legislative Collection
W. R. Smith
William R. Smith began his career practicing law in Tyler and Colorado, TX. He was appointed judge of the 32nd Judicial District in 1897. Smith ran for Congress in 1903 and served TX-16 until 1916. Smith was on several committees, including the Committee on Elections #3 and the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. He became chair of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands in 1911. After losing reelection, he was appointed US district judge for the Western District of Texas by Woodrow Wilson in 1917.
Smith married Frances Lipscomb Breedlove in 1890, and the couple had five children. He died in El Paso in 1924.
The Collection
The William R. Smith papers consist of two boxes and range from 1890-1953, covering the lives of Smith and his family. Included are letters between Smith and his wife Frances from their courtship and marriage, discussing personal matters with some references to Smith’s work. Also included are letters to and from extended family members. There are two letters from outside sources extending congratulations on Smith’s appointment to the district court in 1897. The General series contains an investment check made out for Frances Smith (likely a daughter of W.R. and Frances) and a news clipping pertaining to the 1912 Democratic Convention and the nomination of Woodrow Wilson over James Beauchamp Clark.
Alan Steelman (1942- ) represented Texas's Fifth District from 1973-1976 in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. At the date of his election, Nov. 7, 1972, Steelman was the youngest Republican member of the House at age 29. He was named one of TIME Magazine's "200 Emerging Young National Leaders" in 1974. Steelman served on two committees: Government Operations and Interior and Insular Affairs. Environmental issues were one area in which Steelman left his mark, particularly the fight against the Trinity River Canal and for the formation of Big Thicket National Preserve. Other legislative priorities for Steelman included energy, transportation, veterans, wage and price controls, and Social Security.
The Collection
The Alan W. Steelman papers contain materials from 1960-2003, the bulk of which are from 1973-1976 during Steelman's service as U.S. Representative of TX-5. The Administrative series consists of GOP office and district information, requests, and schedules. The Biographical series has personal information, Campaigns covers Steelman's 1972 House campaign and his 1976 Senate campaign, and Constituent correspondence is largely topical.
The Departments and Agencies series includes materials from federal agencies, 1973-1976, especially concerns on U.S. Postal Service. The District series highlights concerns of Dallas and individual cities in Steelman's district.
Legislation by Committee encompasses bills from ten different Congressional committees, including banking and currency issues, Government Operations, Interior and Insular Affairs, and the Judiciary Committee on President Nixon's impeachment and the Watergate break in.
The Legislative series contain topics on AMTRAK, Big Thicket, ecology, energy, commerce, conservation, Citizens Band (CB) radios, the EPA, healthcare, land use, FDA consumer vitamin labeling, the Trinity River, and veterans. The collection also contains magazine articles on Steelman, news clippings, his speeches and floor statements, and his voting record, and photographs.
Clark Wallace Thompson III served in the United States Marine Corps during World War I. After the war, he remained a member of the Marine Corps Reserves and in 1936, organized the Fifteenth Battalion of the USMC Reserves. His involvement in the military and his passion for national defense heavily influenced his political career.
In 1918, Thompson married Libbie Moody, the daughter of William L. Moody, Jr. and Libbie Rice Shearn of Galveston, Texas. The Moody family had been long-established in Galveston society and business. The Thompsons had two children, Clark and Libbie.
In 1933, Thompson (D-TX) was elected to the House of Representatives from TX-7 to fill Rep. Briggs’s vacancy until 1935.
Thompson served during World War II in the southwestern Pacific and became the Director of the Marine Corps Reserves in 1943. He held this position for three years until his retirement as a colonel in 1946. Thompson was awarded the Legion of Merit.
From 1947 to 1966, Thompson represented TX-9 after significant redistricting. Throughout his political career, Thompson served on several different committees including Agriculture, Maritime and Fisheries, and Ways and Means. In Washington, D.C., Clark and Libbie Thompson were important members of the 1950’s and 60’s social scene. Their house was often referred to as the “Texas Embassy” or the “Texas Legation.”
The Collection
The Clark Thompson papers focus on Rep. Thompson's years of service in the United States House of Representatives. The papers range from 1931 to 1966, but the bulk of the collection dates from 1959-1966.
Series I. Administrative and Agencies consists of materials related to government agencies in the 1960's, such as NASA, the FAA, and the SBA. Series II. Committees reflects the committees on which Thompson served, primarily the Agricultural, Maritime and Fisheries, and Ways and Means Committees.
Series III. Correspondence mostly contains Thompson’s replies to personal and political inquiries. Series IV. Departments contains information from the Agriculture, Post Office, and Health, Education, and Welfare Departments. Series V. Legislative contains bills and legislation from the 1940’s-1960’s with significant focus on the Panama Canal.
Series VI. Personal includes personal papers, including invitations regarding events in both Washington, D.C. and Texas, campaign materials from Thompson's first foray into politics, and records from his last years in office. Series VII. Public contains Thompson's communications with congressional districts, other branches of the government, and members of the media.
Series VIII. Scrapbooks contains eight scrapbooks, 1946-1964, filled with photographs, clippings, and other memorabilia from Congress. Series IX. Texas Affairs includes materials about Texas and the Galveston area, such as local harbors, weather disasters, public water access, and the Texas City Disaster in 1947.
Fowler C. West began his government career in 1965 on the staff of the House Committee on Agriculture and was involved with the Farm Bill of 1965 and the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act. From 1969 to 1971, he served as Administrative Assistant to Congressman W. R. Poage, acting as staff director and chief advisor.
In 1971, West returned to the Agriculture Committee as a staff consultant involved in the development and enactment of the Rural Development Act of 1972, the Farm Credit Act of 1971, and the Rural Telephone Bank Act of 1971. He was promoted to Staff Director of the Committee in 1973, leading major legislation development, including the Farm Bills of 1977 and 1981, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act of 1974 which created the CFTC. He served under Chairmen W. R. Poage, 1973-1974; Thomas S. Foley, 1975-1980; and Kika de la Garza, 1981-1982.
President Ronald Reagan appointed West a Commissioner of the CFTC in 1982 for a 5-year term. West participated in all significant CFTC decisions, including the designation of new markets, adoption of rules, commencement of enforcement actions, allocation of budget resources, ruling on appeals from Administrative Law Judges in customer reparation and enforcement cases, review of exchange disciplinary and emergency market actions, and maintaining industry oversight. West was reappointed for another 5-years in 1987.
The Collection
The Fowler C. West papers range from 1964-2009 and cover the career of Fowler West in Washington, D.C. The papers document his service on the House Agriculture Committee and his tenure as a commissioner with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. They are arranged in three series, including Agriculture Committee, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Personal.
Agriculture Committee topics include budgets, subsidies, farm problems and farm bills, grain and fuel legislation, rural development, and travel. This series also contains travel materials from delegations to Africa, Central America, India, and Southeast Asia.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission series includes eleven subseries: General, Advisory Committee on CFTC-State Cooperation, Campaigns I and II, Correspondence, Dissents and Separate Views, Meetings, News Clippings, Speeches and Statements, and Subjects.
The Personal series consists of items relating to Baylor University, biographical information, West’s promotions, invitations, and programs.