The Fred A. Risser Papers consist almost entirely of documentation on his legislative career, with the bulk of the documentation covering the 1958-1974 period. There are no personal or legal papers, and except for clippings almost no documentation pertaining to his reelection campaigns. However, in a separately catalogued interview with former Society archivist Frank DeLoughery (Audio 601A and SC 1131), Risser discussed his family history, as well as his legislative responsibilities. (The Society also holds the manuscript papers of Frederic E. Risser and Ernest N. Warner.)

The original collection is arranged into five series: CORRESPONDENCE, SUBJECT FILES, COMMITTEE FILES, JERRY EMMER REFERENCE FILES, and BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL. Both the correspondence and the subject files, together the largest portion of the collection, date from the late 1950s through 1974 and are arranged by legislative session. Researchers should be aware, however, that divisions between the two-year sessions are not always precise. For both of these sections the documentation on the 1969-1970 legislative session is quite scarce.

The CORRESPONDENCE consists of letters to and from constituents and others filed alphabetically by name. After the 1965-1966 session, correspondence filed by topic may also be found. Many prominent Wisconsin politicians such as Robert Kastenmeier, Patrick J. Lucey, Gaylord Nelson, and Paul Soglin have segregated correspondence files.

The SUBJECT FILES have been extensively weeded, with the remainder consisting primarily of documentation about Risser himself and his legislative activities and material which is not more readily available in published or other archival sources. In general the subject files pertain to the legislative process and the inner workings of the Legislature, and the contents include material issued by lobbyists and advocacy groups and by other legislators. Files dating from the late 1960s and 1970s contain numerous memoranda and reports prepared by the staff of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Topics which are well covered include abortion, family planning, and the 1974 Committee for a Democratic Senate. The subject files also include many press releases, form letters, speeches, and statements issued by Risser's office.

When the oringinal collection papers were processed no constituent correspondence or subject files had been received by the Society for the post-1974 period, the documentation which had been received (COMMITTEE FILES), has been treated as a separate series. Included are alphabetically-filed material on the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Legislative Council, and the State Building Committee. Also includes, because of its volume, correspondence, minutes, clippings, and other documentation of the Joint State of Wisconsin-City of Madison Planning Committee, 1968-1972. These files document the planning attendant to the state's decision to concentrate its offices in downtown Madison, a decision in which Risser was instrumental. The documentation on JOCER, the Legislative Council, and the State Building Commission have all been extensively weeded to remove information which can be found in the files of those organizations.

Of uncertain provenance but related to the Madison Planning Committee files are JERRY EMMER REFERENCE FILES which appear to be copies of correspondence and other papers of Jerry Emmer, DOA Building Commission Program Coordinator.

The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of three reels of clippings about Risser and issues with which he was involved.