University Libraries - Special Collections and Archives

The University of Iowa Libraries has extensive holdings relating to the political history of the state of Iowa, including papers of governors, state and national senators and representatives, and papers of politically influential groups.

See also the Iowa Women’s Archives subject guide Women, Politics, and the Law; Iowa Legislature Heritage Digital Collections.

Papers of U.S. Presidents and Vice-Presidents from Iowa

Herbert Hoover. MsC627. The University possesses a small collection of Herbert Hoover’s papers. For the bulk of his collection, see the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum.

Henry Agard Wallace. The Libraries has an extensive collection of the papers of Vice-President Wallace. Also included are papers from the years before and after his Vice-Presidency, including his plant experiments, his time as Head of the Commerce and Agriculture Departments, his 1948 run for President on the Progressive Party ticket, his editorship of the New Republic, and his later years at Farvue Farm. MsC177

Papers of Iowa Governors (entries arranged chronologically)

Clarke, George W., 1913 — 1917. Iowa House of Representatives, 1901; Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1909– 1913. MsC47

Turner, Daniel, 1931 — 1933. Iowa State Senate, 1904. Republican. MsC198

Herring, Clyde, 1933 — 1937. U. S. Senate 1937 — 1943. Democrat. MsC310

Kraschel, Nelson, 1937 — 1939. Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1933 — 1937. MsC174

Blue, Robert Donald, 1945 — 1949. Iowa House of Representatives, 1934 – 1942; Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1943 — 1945. MsC466

Hoegh, Leo, 1955 — 1957. Iowa House of Representatives, 1937. Iowa Attorney General, 1953 — 1954. Republican. MsC98

Loveless, Herschel, 1957 — 1961. Mayor of Ottumwa, 1949 — 1953. Democrat. MsC184

Erbe, Norman, 1961 — 1963. Iowa Attorney General, 1956 — 1961. Republican. MsC206

Hughes, Harold, 1963 — 1969. U.S. Senate 1969 — 1975. Democrat. MsC385

Papers of United States Senators (entries arranged alphabetically)

Allison, William B., U. S. House of Representatives 1863 — 1871, U. S. Senate 1873 — 1908. Republican. Candidate for nomination for president, 1888, 1896. MsC173

Clark, Dick. Papers, 1973 — 1979. Worked on Edward Kennedy’s unsuccessful bid for nomination for the U.S. presidency. Democrat. MsC414

Culver, John. U.S. Representative, 1965 — 1975. U.S. Senator, 1975 — 1981. Democrat. MsC810

Dickinson, Lester Jesse, 1919 — 1931. U. S. House of Representatives, 1931 — 1937. Considered for nomination for Vice-President in 1924 and for president in 1936. Republican. MsC94

Herring, Clyde, 1933 — 1937. U. S. Senate 1937 — 1943. Democrat. MsC310

Hughes, Harold, Governor of Iowa, 1963 — 1969. U.S. Senate 1969 — 1975. Democrat. MsC385

Kenyon, William S., 1911 — 1922. Progressive Republican. MsC506

McDill, James Wilson, U.S. Representative, 1873 — 1877. U.S. Senator, 1881 — 1883. In 1881 he was tapped to fill the vacancy in the Senate created when Samuel Kirkwood was appointed to the cabinet. Republican. MsC204

Turner, Daniel, 1931 — 1933. Iowa State Senate, 1904. Republican. MsC198

Papers of United States Representatives

Allison, William B., U. S. House of Representatives 1863 — 1871, U. S. Senate 1873 — 1908. Republican. Candidate for nomination for president, 1888, 1896. MsC173

Biermann, Frederick Elliott, 1933 — 1939 Democrat. .MsC128

Blue, Robert Donald, Governor, 1945 — 1949. Iowa House of Representatives, 1934 – 1942. Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1943 — 1945. MsC466

Bromwell, James E., 1961 — 1965. When he was defeated in his re-election bid in 1964, he tried for nomination to the U.S. Senate in 1968. This was also unsuccessful. Repulican. MsC441

Campbell, Ed Hoyt., Papers. Served in the Iowa Senate, 1924 — 1926 and the Iowa House, 1911 — 1913, as well as U. S. Representative to the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Congress, 1929 — 1933. Republican. MsC175

Carter, Steven V., Elected to the Eighty-sixth Congress in 1959, he served less than one year, dying in office. Democrat. MsC250

Clark, Rush, Letters to Constituents.Iowa House of Representatives, 1860 — 1864, 1876. U.S. Representative, 1877 –1879. Died in office. Republican. MsC168

Clarke, George W., 1913 — 1917. Iowa House of Representatives, 1901; Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1909– 1913. MsC47

Culver, John, U.S. Representative, 1965 — 1975. U.S. Senator, 1975 — 1981. Democrat. MsC810

Cunningham, Paul, 1933 — 1937. Iowa House of Representatives. U.S. House of Representatives, 1941 — 1959. Republican. MsC107

Dawson, Albert Foster, 1905 — 1911. Republican. MsC67

Dickinson, Lester Jesse, 1919 — 1931. Also served in the U.S. Senate. Republican. Considered for nomination for Vice-President in 1924 and for president in 1936. MsC94

Dolliver, James I., 1945 — 1957. Republican. MsC243

Eicher, Edward Clayton, 1933 — 1939. Democrat. MsC49

Goodwin, Robert K., 1940 — 1941, delegate to Republican National Convention in th 1950s. MsC462

Hansen, John Robert. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Sixth District Democratic Chairment, and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1960. Member, Iowa State Highway Commission. MsC300

Henderson, David Bremner, 1883 — 1903. Speaker of the House 1899 — 1901. Republican. MsC95

Hoeven, Charles Bernard, 1943 — 1965. Iowa State Senate, 1937 — 1941. Republican. MsC197

Jensen, Benton Franklin, 1939 — 1965. Conservative Republican. Interested in preserving natural resources. MsC147

LeCompte, Karl M., U. S. House of Representatives, 1939 — 1959. State Senator, 1916 — 1920., Republican. MsC131

Letts, Fred Dickinson, 1925 — 1931. Cousin of Lester Jesse Dickinson. Republican. MsC72

Mayne, Wiley, 1966 — 1975. Republican. MsC448

McDill, James Wilson. U.S. Representative, 1873 — 1877. U.S. Senator, 1881 — 1883. In 1881 he was tapped to fill the vacancy in the Senate created when Samuel Kirkwood was appointed to the Cabinet. Republican. MsC204

Pickett, Charles Edgar, 1909 — 1913. Chairman of the Republican State Convention, 1899, 1916. MsC171

Price, Hiram, 1863 — 1896, 1877 — 1881. MsC455

Ramseyer, Christian William, 1915 –1933. Republican. MsC132

Schwengel, Fred, 1954 — 1963, 1966 — 1973. Iowa House of Representatives, 1944 — 1954. Republican. MsC456

Vincent, Earl W., 1923 — 1926. Member of Congress from the 9th district, 1928 — 1929. MsC234

Wade, Martin J., Papers. 1903 — 1905. Democrat. MsC50

Weaver, James Baird, 1879 — 1881. Weaver also ran for President on third party tickets twice — in 1880 for the National GreenbackParty, and in 1892 for the People’s Party. He also served in the fiftieth Congress from 1885 — 1889 as a Democratic/Greenback-Laborite. He also served as the mayor of Colfax, Iowa from 1901 — 1903. MsC48

Wolf, Leonard George, 1959 — 1961. Democrat.MsC151

Papers of Iowa State Legislators

Allen, Sewell Ellyson. MsC337

Breen, Edward J., Senator, 1936 — 1942. Papers. President of the Young Democrats Club of Iowa in 1933. Unsuccessful candidate for U. S. Representative and governor. MsC334

Burma, Henry Willibord, Iowa House of Representatives, 1943 — 1944 (?) MsC321

Butler, Guy G., Papers. Served in the Iowa House and Senate in the 1950s and 1960s. Republican. MsC233

Calhoun, John N., Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1933 — 1937. Unsuccessful candidate for Congress. Republican. MsC274

Campbell, Ed Hoyt, Papers. Served in the Iowa Senate, 1924 — 1926 and the Iowa House, 1911 — 1913, as well as U. S. Representative to the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Congress, 1929 — 1933. Republican. MsC175

Clarke, George W., 1901 — 1909. Also served as Lieutenant Governor (1908) and Governor of Iowa (1912). Worker’s Compensation, Highway Commission, and Election Reform. Republican. MsC47

Cosson, George, 1909 — 1911. Also Attorney General of Iowa, 1911 — 1917. Nominated for governor in 1916, he lost. In 1932 ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost. Republican. MsC498

Cunningham, Paul, 1933 — 1937. Iowa House of Representatives. U.S. House of Representatives, 1941 — 1959. Republican. MsC107

DeKoster, Lucas James, 1967 –1983. Iowa State Senator. Republican. MsC289

Edson, Willis Charles, 1919 — 1927, Iowa House of Representatives. Speaker of the House beginning in 1925.Nominated for lieutenant governor in 1936. MsC279

Elijah, Earl, Iowa State Senator, 1952 — 1964. MsC244

Frey, Thomas J. Iowa House 1951 — 1959; Iowa Senate 1967 — 1970. MsC 293

Gallagher, James V., Iowa State Senator, 1973 — 1985. Democrat. MsC327

Garrett. Harry Freeland, Iowa House of Representatives, 1931 — 1933. Also Iowa Attorney General, 1933 — 1937. MsC276

Hill, George Raymond, Iowa State Senator, 1935 — ?. Republican. MsC246

Hill, Philip, 1971 — 1974. Iowa House of Representatives. Republican. MsC384

Hoegh, Leo, Governor of Iowa, 1955 — 1957. Iowa House of Representatives, 1937. Iowa Attorney General, 1953 — 1954. Republican. MsC98

Judd, William Nelson, 1936 — ?. Republican. MsC235

Kelly, E. Kevin, State Chairman of the Iowa Young Republicans 1970 — 1974. Elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1971, later he was elected to the Senate, where he served until 1978. In 1988, he changed his affiliation, and became a Democrat. MsC393

Kluever, Lester L., State Representative, 1957 — 1970. Republican. MsC338

LeCompte, Karl M., U. S. House of Representatives, 1939 — 1959. State Senator, 1916 — 1920., Republican. MsC131

McManus, Edward Joseph, Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1955 — 1959, when he was elected Lieutenent Governor. Ran for governor in 1960, but lost to Norman Erbe. Democrat. MsC258

Neu, Arthur A., Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1967 — 1972, Lieutenant Governor, 1973 — 1978. MsC460

Nicholas, William Hall, Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1946 — 1948, elected twice as Lieutenant Governor, in 1951 and 1957. Ran for nomination as governor three times in th e1950s and 1960s and lost each time. Republican. MsC288

Schwengel, Fred, Papers. 1954 — 1963, 1966 — 1973. Iowa House of Representatives, 1944 — 1954. Republican. MsC456

Smith, Marvin W., Papers. Iowa House of Representatives, 1956, Iowa Senate, 1968. MsC 263

Trowbridge, Delbert Laten, Papers. 1970s. MsC286

Vincent, Earl W., 1923 — 1926.Member of Congress from the 9th district, 1928 — 1929. MsC234

Weber, George William, Papers. State Senator, ??– ?? MsC269

Whitehead, Glenn E., Papers. State Senator and Representative ??–?? MsC237

Willits, Earl M., Papers. Iowa House of Representatives, ? Iowa State Senate, 1972. Assistant Attorney General, 1976. MsC390

Wolfe, Harold E., Papers. Iowa House of Representatives, 1967 –1970. Chairman of the Iowa Liquor Control Commission. Also chief of police in Mason City, Iowa for sixteen years. Republican. MsC261

Multiple Congress people

Liddel-Westefeld Congressional Candidate Oral History, 1978 — 2004. Interviews, conducted by an undergraduate honors student in 2007, with eleven unsuccessful candidates for the U. S. Congress. MsC864

Others

Lieutenant Governors of Iowa

Blue, Robert Donald, Governor, 1945 — 1949. Iowa House of Representatives. 1934 – 1942; Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1943 — 1945. MsC466

Clarke, George W., 1913 — 1917. Iowa House of Representatives, 1901; Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1909– 1913. MsC47

Kraschel, Nelson, 1937 — 1939. Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, 1933 — 1937. MsC174

Neu, Arthur A., Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1967 — 1972, Lieutenant Governor, 1973 — 1978. MsC460

Nicholas, William Hall, Papers. Iowa State Senator, 1946 — 1948, elected twice as Lieutenant Governor, in 1951 and 1957. Ran for nomination as governor three times in th e1950s and 1960s and lost each time. Republican. MsC288

Iowa Secretary of State

Bonney, Josiah Hinman. Correspondence. MsC305

Iowa Attorney General

Cosson, George, Papers. MsC498

Erbe, Norman, Governor of Iowa, 1961 — 1963. Iowa Attorney General, 1956 — 1961. Republican. MsC206

Garrett, Harry Freeland, 1933 — 1937. Also Iowa Representative, 1931 — 1933. MsC276

Hoegh, Leo, Governor of Iowa, 1955 — 1957. Iowa House of Representatives, 1937. Iowa Attorney General, 1953 — 1954. Republican. MsC98

Willits, Earl M., Iowa House of Representatives, ? Iowa State Senate, 1972. Assistant Attorney General, 1976. MsC390

Mayors of Iowa Cities

Hickerson, Loren, Mayor of Iowa City, 1968 — 1972. MsC464

Loveless, Herschel, Governor of Iowa, 1957 — 1961. Mayor of Ottumwa, 1949 — 1953. Democrat. MsC184

MacVicar, John, Mayor of Des Moines, 1896 — 1898, 1898 — 1900, 1916 — 1918, 1928. MsC51

Weaver, James Baird, U. S Representative, 1879 — 1881. Weaver also ran for President on third party tickets twice — in 1880 for the National GreenbackParty, and in 1892 for the People’s Party. He also served in the fiftieth Congress from 1885 — 1889 as a Democratic/Greenback-Laborite. He also served as the mayor of Colfax, Iowa from 1901 — 1903. MsC48

Iowa Adjutant General’s Office

Iowa Adjutant Generals’ Office. Papers, 1887 – 1891. MsC15

Iowa State Conservation Commission

Trost, Ewald George. MsC278

Iowa State Planning Board

Iowa State Planning Board. Records, 1933 — 1935. MsC102

Politically Influential Groups

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Iowa Federation. Msc306

Bailey, Henry B., Relating to the organization of the Young Republican League in the First Congressional District of Iowa, 1932 — 1935. MsC530

Baldwin, Calvin Benham, Relating to the Progressive Party. MsC343

Baxter, Raymond Willard, Chairman of the Iowa Stevenson for President in 1956. MsC348

Beck, Robert Knowlton, Republican Party. MsC394

Bogan, Gerald LeRoy, Public Affairs consultant. Republican Party. Includes Iowans for Right to Work and Iowa Good Roads Association. MsC352

Gilliland, Whitney, Chair of State Republican Central Committee, 1948 — 1950 and chair of the Iowa Republican delegation to the 1948 National Convention. MsC316

Goodrich, William H., State Finance Chairman of the Republican Party in Iowa, delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention, and regional coordinator of delegate operations for President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. MsC351

Governor’s Commission of Economic and Social Trends in Iowa. MsC123

Iowans for McGovern-Shriver. Records, 1972. MsC273

Jurgenmeyer, Louis Leroy, State Chairman of the Republican Party in Iowa, 1957 — 1959. MsC411

Kehoe, Louis. Newspaperman and unsuccessful candidate for US Congress and Iowa Governor. MsC219

League of Iowa Municipalities. MsC248

Martin, Vernon Richard, Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party 1959 — 1961. MsC298

McDermott, Edward A., Co-Chairmon of Iowans for Kennedy, 1960. MsC241

Meredith, Edwin T., Ran for governor in 1916.Strong supporter of Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations. Democrat. MsC121

Mitchell, Donald J., Chairman Democratic Party in Iowa 1963 — 1968. MsC330

More, Jake, Chairman of Iowa Democratic State Central Committee. MsC187

Nelson, David Theodore, Republican party official. MsC176

Norris, Paul G. Delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1956 and 1968. MsC283

Nye, Frank. Newspaperman who wrote on politics. MsC437

Pierson, Donald Charles, Chairman of the Iowa Republican State Central Committee, 1954 — 1957. MsC292

Reno, Milo, Iowa Farmers Union. MsC44

Riley, William Francis. A supporter of Democratic causes and candidates. This collection contains a large volume of autograph and typed letters signed by United States Presidents, Vice Presidents, cabinet members, high government officials, military leaders, civic leaders, Iowa Governors, and members of Congress from Iowa. MsC 192

Shover, John L., Farmer’s Holiday Association. MsC137

Smith, Paul A., Democratic Party Documents, 1968 –2003. MsC808

Stevens, John L., Progressive Party in Iowa. MsC5

Stover, Fred, Progressive Party Materials, 1948 — 1954. MsC165

Thorne, Clifford, Candidate for U.S. Senate. MsC188

United Nations Association of the United States of America, Inc., Iowa Division. MsC332

United States. Works Projects Administration. Iowa. MsC447

Weaver, William O., Eisenhower campaign in Iowa, 1952. Republican. MsC416

Compiled by Jacque Roethler