Archives West Finding Aid

This series covers all the bills that Mansfield introduced during his time in the House of Representatives. They include the 78th to the 82nd Congress. The series contains a broad range of materials relating to all aspects of legislation. The number of bills introduced by Mansfield increases with each Congress as the gains seniority. The bills also grow more substantive and related to national policy issues.

The series contains copies of each bill introduced and correspondence relating to the bill. When a bill was introduced in more than one session, the folder generally contains all previous drafts of the bill. Many folders have original working drafts of bills that include notes and revisions in Mansfield's hand. The folders also contain newspaper clippings and numerous letters from constituents, interest groups, and Congressional colleagues. A number of the bills are personal relief bills introduced on behalf of constituents in need of help. They provide a glimpse of the hardships many Montanans faced during World War II and its aftermath. Many cases relate to immigration difficulties and the struggles of veterans. There are letters from various government agencies, particularly the War and State departments, relating to relief cases. The relief folders often contain photographs and effusive thank-you notes.

The folders contain Mansfield's speeches to Congressional committees and on the House floor. There are several handwritten working drafts of speeches that include Mansfield's corrections. Planned testimony on pending legislation and specific pages from the Congressional Record are included as well.

Letters from constituents relating to pending bills offer insight into the political and economic opinions of Montanans during this era. A number of bills relate to federal land management, Native American policies, and large federal work projects in Montana. These folders contain numerous maps, blueprints, and photographs relating to specific projects. Of particular interest is the vigorous support for mining, flood control, and irrigation.

The rest of the series is comprised of Mansfield's replies to constituents, reports to congressional committees, telegrams, press releases, and memorandums. There are also copies of public laws after legislation was passed, letters from Senator James Murray, newsletters from constituent interest groups, and legal documents from various cases.

This series consists of material relating to all the legislation Mansfield's office handled during his time in the House of Representatives. The series is inclusive and covers a broad range of bills in both the House and the Senate. While the series does not contain every piece of pending legislation during this time, any bill that related to Montana or Mansfield's committee assignments is included. The series generally consists of correspondence, committee reports, copies of the pending bills, and newspaper clippings.

More specifically, the folders contain a predictable sequence of documents throughout the series. In general all material relating to a specific piece of legislation is contained in a single file, though some bills, like the Smith-Connolly Bill of 1943, take up several folders. The information contained in the series covers a broad spectrum of issues and includes virtually any subject that might have relevance to Mansfield's tenure in the House. Included in the files are bills relating to wildlife conservation, veteran's benefits, housing, the Kerr Commission, Civil Service, Armed Forces, coal, World War II, agriculture, mining, timber, and foreign relations. A file typically will have all the information on a particular bill, though this covers a broad sweep of documents. The majority of the series consists of correspondence. The letters are predominantly from constituents and interest groups with concerns over the effect of a specific piece of pending legislation. The constituent letters provide a reflection of the concerns of average Montanans during and following World War II. They project an intimacy between Mansfield and Montana citizens that seems a remarkable reflection of both Mansfield's appeal and a more communal era in Montana politics. The letters from interest groups reveal the key players in Montana politics, particularly the strong voices of farmers, ranchers, loggers, and miners. Groups representing these constituencies are very well represented in this series and their letters appear in virtually every folder. A copy of each bill being considered is included in the relevant file and both previous and subsequent drafts of the bill often appear. Some of the bills have Mansfield's handwritten notes, offering his objections or suggestions. Reports to House and Senate Committees and copies of Committee hearings accompany specific legislation. To supplement reports and testimony, interest groups often produced their own reports to convince Mansfield and his Congressional colleagues of the merits of their particular viewpoint. The rest of the series is rounded out by letters and memorandums from Congressional colleagues, press releases, Mansfield's speeches and testimony, newspaper clippings sent by constituents, telegrams, and reports and letters from federal agencies.

This series contains information relating to Montana projects and concerns while Mansfield was a member of the House of Representatives. The files include material linked to legislation and more general information relating to constituent concerns and federal policies and works projects affecting Montana. The folders usually contain information of specific interest groups in the state. A single file typically has letters, legislation, reports, and newspaper clippings relevant to an interest group and spanning the whole era in which Mansfield was in the House.

The majority of the material focuses on either Montana interest groups or public works projects. In addition to these two categories, folders relate to specific businesses, government agencies, and issues in Montana. Many folders have copies of any legislation that a particular group expressed interest in or concern about. Besides copies of bills, there are numerous reports from various federal agencies with information about mining, airports, dams, flood control, labor, and agriculture. The extent of specific files is a gauge of the importance of various groups and issues in Montana. For example, the Bureau of Reclamation's flood control work on the Flathead River occupies an entire box, while the West Yellowstone Airport folder contains only a few letters from constituents and the Department of Commerce. Groups like the Montana Wool Growers Association, the Montana Farmer's Union, and the Mining Association of Montana have thick files filled with letters from members advocating support of their groups. Public works also receive support from constituents, and there are numerous letters urging Mansfield's backing for legislation and appropriations of federal projects.

The series is rounded out with newsletters and policy directives from interest groups. There are letters from Congressional colleagues, cabinet members, and various other officials from both the federal and Montana government. Of particular interest are letters from Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes on mining policy. There are copies of Mansfield's press releases and newspaper clippings submitted by constituents in almost every folder, providing a gauge of public opinion on a range of issues. Blueprints, photographs, petitions, and telegrams are present as well.

Much of the material here relates to material in other series, including Legislation, Projects, Federal Agencies, and Case Mail. Since this series is relatively short, it may be a good starting point in a search for materials and topics that may appear in several places in the collection.