Williams Family Sub-Group

From the Collection:

The Harrison A. Williams, Jr. papers (HAW papers) comprise 959 cubic feet of material.

The collection is organized into two sub-groups: Harrison A. Williams, Jr. and Williams Family. The Harrison A Williams, Jr. sub-group comprises by far the bulk of the collection and is further discussed below. The Williams Family sub-group consists of 2 cubic feet of material, from HAW's mother, father, and other ancestral family members, dating primarily 1909-1979. The family sub-group also includes an 1862 letter from a Civil War soldier. Generally, these family papers were acquired by HAW upon the death of HAW's mother.

The HAW papers hold a wide variety of documentation types including, correspondence, project proposals, internal office notes, working files, legislative bills, Committee Reports, campaign material, press releases, speeches, Senate floor remarks, published or otherwise printed material, photographs, awards, memorabilia, microfilm, audio and video recordings.

The HAW papers have a number of strengths for research use. The collection documents:

• · the activities of HAW and his office and Committee staffs on legislative initiatives, regulatory oversight, and constituent service;
• · the concerns of individuals from across the nation in the areas of pension benefits, employment discrimination, union organizing, and other labor-oriented matters;
• · New Jersey constituent perspectives on international, national, regional, state, and local issues;
• · HAW's positions on US foreign and domestic matters, the influences on his positions, and the various means by which HAW articulated his positions to constituents, other legislators, and industry representatives or other interested parties;
• · local initiatives of municipalities, companies, community organizations, universities, and other institutions (principally from New Jersey) seeking government funding for projects; and
• · the analyses, tactics, finances, public statements, and other materials related to HAW's House and Senate campaigns, as well as HAW's efforts on behalf of Robert Meyner in the 1957 gubernatorial race; and
• · a multi-faceted perspective of the Abscam affair, HAW's final days in the Senate, and his prison term.

The bulk of the collection dates from 1953-1982, encompassing HAW's years in the House of Representatives and, especially, the Senate. A number of themes are well represented in the collection, including:

• · the involvement of the Federal government in managing the natural and built resources of the United States through programs impacting mass transit, public works, energy, land conservation, urban renewal, housing, and others;
• · the search for social justice, economic equity, and the development of America's human resources through civil rights legislation, protection of workers' rights and benefits, the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid, community development projects, the expansion of educational opportunities and training programs, and the like;
• · the attempts of individual citizens to comprehend the meaning of the Vietnam War, its impact on American society, and the war's aftermath;
• · tensions over economic and social costs, as reflected in concerns over cutbacks or limits on compensation for Federal employees or benefit payments under Social Security and other government programs, the level of taxation, the high cost of living, drug and alcohol addiction, persistent urban poverty, and crime;
• · concerns of business-including the pharmaceutical, textile, steel, telecommunications, trucking, agricultural, and other industries-with foreign competition, export/import restrictions, government contracts, regulation, deregulation, and other commercial matters;
• · Americans' interpretation of US geopolitics, particularly through a Cold War viewpoint, in relation to support for Israel, arms sales to Middle Eastern nations, Soviet dissidents, foreign aid generally, world hunger, the Panama Canal Treaty, and other international matters.

The Harrison A. Williams, Jr. sub-group comprises the bulk of the collection and is organized into the following series:

CASE FILES, WASHINGTON OFFICE and SPECIAL PROJECTS FILES include correspondence and other materials related to the work HAW and his Washington office performed on behalf of constituents seeking benefits, grants, contracts, jobs, services, visas, loans, rulings, and other favorable considerations from Federal and state departments and agencies. CASE FILES, WASHINGTON OFFICE principally pertains to individual constituent matters; SPECIAL PROJECTS FILES principally relates to matters raised by companies, non-profit organizations, universities, municipalities, school districts, and other institutions.

CASE FILES, NEWARK OFFICE includes casework handled by HAW's Newark, NJ office. (No casework from Toms River or HAW's other New Jersey offices are in the collection.) CASE FILES, COMMITTEE ON LABOR & HUMAN RESOURCES includes casework concerning issues that fell within the scope of HAW's Committee assignment and were referred (or "bucked") by HAW's office to his Committee staff for resolution.

Correspondence can be found in most series in the collection, regardless of the primary content of the files. Nevertheless, the bulk of correspondence received by HAW, especially that from constituents, was retained by his office staff in centralized correspondence files. Over the course of HAW's twenty-three years in the Senate, a variety of filing structures were used for correspondence, and the correspondence series are organized accordingly. The correspondence series consist principally of letters written to HAW by individual New Jersey constituents, with a carbon copy or other form of response from HAW attached. Correspondents also include US Presidents, other legislators, committee staff members, department and agency officials, and representatives of companies, unions, industry associations, and other institutional interests. The correspondence series also include carbon copies (with little or no other attached documents) of HAW-initiated letters to editors, Presidents, other Senators, government officials, etc. The correspondence series include:

· SUBJECT CORRESPONDENCE (1959) reflects a short-lived filing system and includes issue-related constituent correspondence.

· DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE (1959-1965; 1972-1977) includes constituent correspondence on regulatory issues and government programs referred to departments and agencies by HAW's office for review and comment. Particularly in the 1960s, HAW's office was not consistent in distinguishing issue-oriented departmental correspondence from casework and projects involving departments, so these materials can be found to some extent in DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE as well.

· LEGISLATIVE / ISSUE CORRESPONDENCE (1959-1982) includes correspondence regarding specific pending or proposed legislation (e.g., Civil Rights Act of 1964) or general public policy matters (e.g., Vietnam War).

· GENERAL, ADMINISTRATIVE, & PUBLIC RELATIONS CORRESPONDENCE (1959-1981) includes the wide range of topics that did not fit into departmental or legislative correspondence, from routine requests or congratulatory notes to substantive correspondence on political affairs and New Jersey state issues.

· CENTRAL CORRESPONDENCE reflects the principal correspondence filing system in place from 1965 to early 1972 and includes departmental, legislative, and general correspondence.

· LAUDATORY CORRESPONDENCE principally includes expressions of support or gratitude to HAW for his positions on legislation, his assistance on matters concerning grants, contracts, and other project or case-like matters, and the like. The correspondence is often substantive and some files include noteworthy matters, such as correspondence from presidents and foreign leaders.

· MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE includes material dating principally circa 1980 concerning legislative matters that were not filed with the main correspondence files.

· CMS ENCYCLOPEDIA includes the text of HAW's outgoing correspondence generated by the Correspondence Management System (CMS) from 1977-1982.

· OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE includes carbon copies of HAW's correspondence to notable individuals, including presidents, cabinet officers, and other senators.

HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & HUMAN RESOURCES includes HAW's copy of author and Committee staff member Thomas A. Lindsley's 1980 draft of the Committee history that would be published in 1981, along with some related documents. COMMITTEE RECORDS includes photocopies and original duplicates of staff memoranda and other documents that were in the collection but were returned to the Senate in 2006 because they were determined to be records of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources and the Committee on Banking and Currency.

LEGISLATION FILES principally pertains to bills, including private bills, introduced or co-sponsored by HAW during his years in the Senate. In addition to printed bills, the files often include draft bills, correspondence from other legislators, remarks, reference material, and/or staff notes. The series also contains HAW co-signed letters and correspondence to HAW from other Senators ("Dear Colleague letters") regarding bills which HAW chose not to co-sponsor. BRIEFING MATERIALS includes documents used by HAW as preparation for hearings, meetings, and on other occasions. VOTING HISTORY & LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY REPORTS includes records of HAW's votes on legislation and bills he introduced or co-sponsored. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OFFICE FILES includes bills, subject files, correspondence, and press releases dating from HAW's years in the House.

NATIONAL INFORMATION FILES consists mostly of reference material on a wide range of subject areas, many of which had direct relevance to HAW's legislative or project initiatives. NEW JERSEY INFORMATION FILES also hold reference material with a focus on New Jersey matters. LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE FILES appear to be the central reference files for HAW's legislative assistants of the early 1960s. Similarly, SUBJECT FILES includes legislative assistant, administrative assistant, and press office background files. Although the bulk of these reference files include printed matter (i.e., government reports, trade publications, industry newsletters, etc.), many of the files also include substantive correspondence, draft bills, and other unique material.

CAMPAIGN FILES includes materials relating principally to HAW's bids for election and re-election to the House and Senate, and includes the subject files maintained by assistant Robert Barrie in preparation for HAW's first Senate race in 1958. CAMPAIGN FILES also includes HAW's files from his leadership position in Robert Meyner's 1957 gubernatorial race.

ABSCAM includes correspondence, clippings, legal filings, transcripts, and other material related to HAW's indictment, trial, appeals, conviction, and imprisonment stemming from the FBI's Abscam operation; the Senate investigation into HAW's conduct and the resulting expulsion proceedings; and the Senate and House's inquiries into the FBI's undercover investigative tactics.

APPOINTMENT BOOKS includes HAW's schedules from 1968-1981, with the important exception of 1979. OFFICE ADMINISTRATION includes a small amount of schedules, mail counts, office procedures, telephone logs, and other administrative records. The series also includes a small number of staff notes on substantive matters.

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS includes press releases and the constituent newsletter, "Report Home," issued by HAW's office. The series also includes some press releases issued by HAW's committees, subcommittees, and campaigns, along with other publicity material. REPORT HOME SURVEY RESPONSES are the responses from constituents to a 1968 survey conducted by HAW. MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICITY FILES include some transcripts of HAW's TV and radio broadcasts and distribution copies of materials related to key HAW initiatives from the early 1960s. Many of the transcripts date from 1963 and include the Edison disc with the original recording.

SPEECHES includes remarks made by HAW on the Senate floor, at commencement exercises, in testimony at hearings, to industry associations and other interest groups, and the like. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD SPEECH & BILL FILES includes indexes of HAW appearances in the Congressional Record, tearsheets of remarks from the Record, press releases, and other records of HAW remarks. CLIPPINGS includes a limited number of clippings related to HAW's activities retained from the original collection.

PHOTOGRAPHS includes photos documenting HAW's career, campaign activities, and personal life. There are photos of many celebrities, other senators, presidents, and other dignitaries. There are many photos documenting the working and living conditions of migratory labor. AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL includes film, video, reel-to-reel tapes, audiotape cassettes, and phonograph records. A limited number of these items have had digital access copies made. MICROFILM includes images made by HAW's office of clippings, speeches, press releases, and other material. MICROFILM also includes computer-output microfilm generated by the Correspondence Management System, which holds index information about the correspondence answered via CMS.

BOOKS includes books accepted into the collection. Various series include materials acknowledging HAW's life and career accomplishments, were presented as gifts, or have other connections to HAW's career, including MEMORABILIA, RESOLUTIONS, HONORARY DEGREES, CERTIFICATES, EDITORIAL CARTOONS, POSTERS,ARTWORK, and PLAQUES.

BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL includes material prepared by HAW's staff of a biographical nature, with a focus on HAW's legislative accomplishments. MISCELLANEOUS PERSONAL MATERIAL includes documents related to HAW's role on advisory councils and other such boards outside the legislative arena, as well as correspondence and other material on personal matters.

The Williams Family sub-group amounts to 2 cubic feet and is organized into the following series:

SCRAPBOOKS include photocopies of clippings from 1953-1965 originally collected by HAW's mother and is primarily centered on HAW's political career. CORRESPONDENCE includes various items of Williams family correspondence. It includes an 1862 Civil War soldier letter with its original envelope and a letter from Senator John F. Kennedy to an uncle of HAW. MISCELLANEOUS includes clippings, ephemera, campaign material, and other matter. Much of this material relates to HAW. Some documentation of HAW's youth, including his high school years and a grade school report card, are included in the series. LEDGERS are a set of financial records maintained by HAW's father.