The Michael N. Bleicher Papers consists of papers documenting the political activities of Michael Bleicher during the years 1961 to 1987 (particularly focusing on the years 1968-1977). The papers are divided into six series based primarily on Bleicher's roles or activities: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY, CAMPAIGNS, OTHER PROJECTS, and PHOTOGRAPHS.
The NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE series consists of files documenting Bleicher's involvement in national politics, mostly through his positions on the Democratic National Committee and as delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1968, 1972, and 1976. Many of these documents were generated by other entities, such as the documents issued by the Democratic National Convention, or correspondence addressed to Bleicher regarding decisions made as a member of various committees. Bleicher himself was also involved in the creation of many of these documents, usually as a member of a committee (the reports issued by the Rules Committee are examples of this). The series covers a wide range of subjects, including the development of a charter for the Democratic Party, procedural changes for selection of the Vice Presidential candidate at conventions, and evaluating the credentials of delegates to the National Convention. The latter topic in particular is heavily documented in the series, due to Bleicher's membership on the Credentials Committee while a delegate to the National Convention.
The STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE series documents Bleicher's activity as a member of various committees of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Delegate selection is the major subject documented in this series. In addition to the records from the Delegate Selection Commission, Bleicher received materials from other committees which provided input on the issue. Other groups represented are the Executive Committee and the Legislative Liaison Committee. There is some documentation of Bleicher's race for Party Chair in 1977, but the collection contains no material on his chairmanship itself. The folders are labeled by subject and organized alphabetically.
The DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY series documents Bleicher's involvement at the local level of the Democratic Party. The most noteworthy files relate to Bleicher's position as head of the Tenth Ward of the Dane County Democratic Party in 1964. Also included are general circulars (1973-1975) printed by the Dane County Democratic Party, of which Bleicher was a National Committee Liaison.
Within the CAMPAIGNS series, the bulk of material pertains to the Presidential campaigns of Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Fred Harris. The McCarthy subseries consists mostly of campaign literature, as well as a transcript of Bleicher's interview by the McCarthy Historical Project. The McGovern subseries consists of campaign literature, lists of contributors, and several issue and endorsement files. The Harris subseries is the most extensively documented of the campaigns, with records concerning events Bleicher coordinated, correspondence with other campaigners, and files on rival candidates. The other subseries consist of an assortment of campaign literature and correspondence documenting the campaigns of Toby Reynolds, Midge Miller, Leo Cooper, and Paul Soglin.
The OTHER PROJECTS series is divided into three subseries: Energy Research Advisory Board (ERAB), Organization and Issues Files, and Mathematics Files. The Energy Research Advisory Board Files consist of minutes and subject files of the ERAB although Bleicher's role is unclear from the record. The Organization and Issues Files document two types of records: those authored by various groups that Michael Bleicher may have either belonged to or received mailings from, and general subject files. The organizations include the New Democratic Coalition, a liberal political advocacy group of which Bleicher was a member, and the Wisconsin Political Education Foundation, which published a newsletter co-edited by Bleicher, the Wisconsin Progressive Democrat. The issue folders document Bleicher's interest in the Vietnam War, impeachment of Richard Nixon, and the Spanish government. The Mathematics Files document a portion of Michael's work as a mathematics professor, including printed class handouts, notes, and copies of articles he authored. It consists of a single folder.
The PHOTOGRAPHS series includes photographs of Michael Bleicher, Eugene McCarthy, and Fred Harris.
