Why did the senate not function effectively during the late nineteenth century?

Page 2

JULI 1982

LIBRARY DEPOSITORY Senate Bicentennial Study Group

XARRXXXXXXXXXXX At its initial meeting on March 24, notated bibliography of three thousand necessary. Foremost among them are a 1982 the fifteen-member Study Group senatorial biographies, an historical biographical directory of the Senate's on the Commemoration of the United almanac of the Senate, and an edited former members, an inventory of Senate States Senate Bicentenary elected former collection of addresses by Democratic records at the National Archives, a Republican Leader Hugh Scott as its Leader Robert C. Byrd on the Senate's preservation program for deteriorating chairman. The panel then examined a history and traditions.

19th century Senate records, audionumber of tentative proposals as it The second category is composed visual materials, and conferences focusbegan work to develop "a program of of new projects also likely to require no ing on the Senate's unique constitutional exhibits, symposia, ceremonial events, significant additional funding. It in- role. and related activities to mark the cludes ceremonial events, special ex- The Study Group directed staff in Senate's 200th anniversary in 1989. hibits, guides to the Senate's collection the offices of the Senate Curator and the

The proposals were divided into of artistic and historic objects, com- Senate Historian to expand the prelimithree categories according to anticipated memorative stamps and medals, and nary proposals with the assistance of the cost. The first group, requiring no ad- publication of the older minutes of

Library of Congress, the National Arditional funding, includes such ongoing Senate party caucuses.

chives, and other interested organizaprojects as a guide to the research col- The final category consists of pro- tions and individuals. lections of all former senators, an an- jects for which additional funds will be Transcripts of the Study Group's

meeting are available from the Senate Historical Office. The panel is composed of ex officio and appointed members as follows:

Ex Officio Members Majority Leader

Howard Baker, Jr. Minority Leader

Robert C. Byrd Executive Secretary, Commission on Art and Antiquities ..... William F. Hildenbrand

Librarian of Congress .... Daniel Boorstin

Archivist of the
United States

Robert M. Warner
Chairman, Senate Historical Office Advisory Committee (Director, Dwight D. Eisenhower Institute for Historical Research, Smithsonian Institution) ... Forrest C. Pogue

Member, Senate Historical

Office Advisory Committee (University of

North Carolina) ... William E. Leuchtenburg

Member, Senate Historical Office Advisory Committee (Rice University)

Harold Hyman Appointed Members Current Senators

John Warner Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.

Slade Gorton Claiborne Pell

Wendell Ford Former Senators

Hugh Scout

Milton Young Wendell Anderson

Study Group members (Clockwise): Mr. Pogue, Mr. Hyman, Mr. Hildenbrand, Senator Scott, Senator Baker, Senator Young.

Page 3

Poll of Outstanding Former Senators

Lee Metcalf Papers Opened a Who have been the most outstanding U.S. Senators since 1789? David L. Porter,

In the summer of 1970 Archivist ! Professor of History and Political Science at William Penn College in Oskaloosa,

Dale Johnson of the University of MonIowa and author of two books on the U.S. Congress, recently decided to seek the

tana received what he considered "one views of 40 of the nation's leading political historians, asking each to select the ten

of the most unusual calls to emanate greatest U.S. Senators since 1789. The participants were mostly college and univer

from a Senator's office." Senator Lee sity professors who have written significant books on the U.S. Congress and political

Metcalf (D-MT) asked Johnson to join history. Senators were evaluated according to their accomplishments in office and

his Washington staff for a year to begin their overall impact on American political history.

processing office files and personal Twenty-six of the 40 historians responded to Porter's survey. In numerical rank,

papers accumulated since the start of his the historians' choices for the ten greatest U.S. Senators were:

congressional service in 1953. During the following year Johnson separated ma

terials of permanent value from those of Major

Years of Rank Senator

Party State Service Votes

short term utility and prepared a find1 Henry Clay

'Whig Kentucky

1806-07

ing aid listing file folder titles for non1810-11

current records. He then shipped the 1831-42

papers to the Montana Historical 1849-52

Society. 1 Robert La Follette, Sr. Progressive Wisconsin

1906-25

Johnson returned to the senator's 3 John C. Calhoun

Democrat South Carolina 1832-43

office for two months every two years

1845-50 Daniel Webster

Whig Massachusetts 1827-41

23 to process additional papers and update 1845-50

the finding aid. At the time of Metcalf's 5 George Norris

Republican Nebraska

1913-43

death in 1978, Johnson had transferred 6 Robert Taft, Sr.

Republican Ohio

1939-53

nearly 500 cubic feet of research ma7 Stephen Douglas

Democrat Illinois

1847-61

14 7 Hubert Humphrey

Democrat Minnesota

1949-64

terials to the historical society. 1971-78

As a result of this careful prepara9 Lyndon Johnson

Democrat Texas

1949-61

13 tion, the Montana State Historical 10 Charles Sumner Republican Massachusetts 1851-74

Society in January of this year was able to honor Senator Metcalf's wish that his

papers be opened to the public exactly Five served in the nineteenth century, while the remainder held office since 1900. five years following his death. For furPolitically, this distinguished group included four Democrats, three Republicans, ther information about the collection two Whigs, and one Progressive. Sectionally, five came from the Middle West, three contact the Society at 225 North Roberts from the South, and two from New England.

Street, Helena, Montana, 59601. What common qualities helped make these Senators the ten greatest? Most served during critical periods of American history, exhibiting their astute leadership on significant political, economic, social, and foreign policy issues. Framers of major legislation, many chaired key Senate committees and profoundly influenced national $250,000 to Process thought and constitutional development. These Senators acted courageously, often Javits Papers speaking their convictions regardless of popular sentiments. Skilled debaters and effective written communicators, their influence transcended political and sectional On July 30, 1982, Governor Hugh lines. Although idealistic by nature, they realized that politics is the art of Carey signed legislation appropriating compromise.

$250,000 to the State University of New Twenty-six other U.S. Senators were mentioned in the poll. Nine members

York at Stony Brook for housing and received at least three votes:

processing of former Senator Jacob K. Javits' public papers, manuscripts, and

memorabilia. One of the largest grants Major

Years of

of its kind, the funding will ensure that Rank Senator

Party State

Service Votes the collection, representing Javits' 11 Robert Wagner

Democrat New York

1927-49

twenty-four years in the Senate, will be 12 J. William Fulbright Democrat

Arkansas