Highlights Archives
Society Unveils Papers of Senator William Proxmire
Through the generosity of former Senator William Proxmire and his family, the records of the political career of this Wisconsin legend are now available for research at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
For 32 years Democratic Senator William Proxmire represented the state of Wisconsin in Congress, chairing the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Joint Economic Committee, and serving as subcommittee Chairman on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Widely regarded as a political maverick, Proxmire was known for his devotion to curbing governmental waste and mismanagement, issuing a monthly Golden Fleece Award for that month's most "wasteful, ridiculous or ironic use of the taxpayers' money." From 1967 to 1986, Proxmire also gave daily speeches on the Senate floor in support of the international Genocide Treaty, finally ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1986.
Focused primarily on his years in office (1957-1989), the Proxmire papers comprise more than 200 boxes of correspondence, speeches, books, articles and newsletters, 216 tape recordings, more than 650 photographs, and over 20 films and video recordings that document Proxmire's life and many of the issues for which he became known, including international genocide, military spending, the fairness doctrine, and Great Lakes shipping.
As a depository library for state and federal government materials, the Society also holds all of the official government publications produced by the committees Proxmire led while in office. Proxmire materials also appear in a number of other manuscript collections in the Society's archives, such as the records of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the gubernatorial records of two Wisconsin governors, Walter Kohler (1951-1957) and John William Reynolds, Jr. (1963-1695). The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, a joint project with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and housed in the Society's archives, has a number of film reels featuring Senator Proxmire, who made good use of radio, film and television while in office to connect with the citizens of Wisconsin. These include a series of weekly reports from Washington on a variety of topical issues, a 1964 biography, and all of his political campaign ads.
Additionally, a selection of documents relating to the career of Senator Proxmire is available online through the Society's digital collections. As Senator, Proxmire sent a newsletter to constituents that explained why he opposed defense projects like the B-1 bomber and the "Star Wars" strategic defense initiative. He also championed ratification of the international genocide treaty, delivering more than 3,000 speeches like this one between 1967 and 1988 before it was finally signed into law in November 1988 by President Reagan. Photos spanning the length of Proxmire's political career show him at work with some of the prominent political leaders of his day, including Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and Senator William Fulbright of Arkansas.
The Wisconsin Historical Society wishes to thank the Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times newspaper, for its financial support of the Proxmire collection and its processing.
You can find more about William Proxmire by using the online catalog, ArCat.
:: Posted November 18, 2005
|
