The Stanley York Papers document his activities as a Republican Assemblyman, pastor, and executive in various public sector and non-profit positions. The papers date from approximately 1964-1996 with the majority of the materials created during his tenure in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1967-1970. A smaller amount of materials relate to his post-legislative career. The papers are divided into eight series based upon his various professional roles: LEGISLATIVE RECORDS; COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPT. OF INDUSTRY, LABOR AND HUMAN RELATIONS; COMMISSIONER OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LEAGUE OF WISCONSIN MUNICIPALITIES; EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT OF THE DEPT. OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES; DIRECTOR OF THE WINNEBAGO MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE; PASTOR; and PUBLIC APPEARANCES

The LEGISLATIVE RECORDS series contains three subseries: Committees, Correspondence, and Legislation. The Committee subseries is arranged by the committees on which York served: Education, Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Joint Committee to Study Disruption at the University of Wisconsin, Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission Legislative Advisory Committee; and Public Welfare.

The Education Committee materials are mostly from 1968-1969 and deal with sex education and school aid (the formula to determine the state's participation in funding of local school district costs). Materials pertaining to the school aid issue include various graphs and charts; copies of related legislation; staff briefs; and reports. Materials regarding sex education include guidelines for sex education curriculum; copies of materials used in classrooms; copies of related legislation; and meeting transcripts.

Records of the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization are primarily from 1969 and deal with the running of the legislature and contain various legislative reports, committee minutes, and legislative brochures. The records generated by the Joint Committee to Study Disruption at the University of Wisconsin constitute the bulk of the committee records. The committee was formed by Senate Joint Resolution 20 in an attempt to study the causes of the protests that resulted in destruction of property and numerous arrests on the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin in February 1969. Most of the materials in this part of the collection were created in 1969 and cover committee meeting minutes, copies of University policies, copies of legislation relating to the University of Wisconsin and other institutions of higher learning, reports of campus arrests and disciplinary actions, notes, newspaper articles, meeting transcripts, and correspondence.

The materials relating to the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission Legislative Advisory Committee date from 1967-1969 and deal primarily with the attempt to create the Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission with Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin as member states. Records include copies of federal law pertaining to water resource issues, copies of materials from other states that have created similar commissions, newsletters, correspondence, and reports. The smallest amount of committee materials concern York's work on the Public Welfare committee. Records include materials relating to legislation on youthful offenders and aid to disabled persons, as well as statistics, reports and press releases.

Besides the Committee subseries, the largest portion of the collection is the Correspondence subseries which consists of correspondence from constituents during York's time in office. The bulk of the correspondence, labeled “District Correspondence,” is filed in folders in increments of 100, with the exception of the last folder. Each set of correspondence inside the folder is assigned a number. The range goes from 1 to 2209, covering a time period from January 1967 to June 1970. Accompanying the correspondence is a card catalog that is divided into two sections: subject index and name index. The subject index contains cards that are arranged alphabetically by a particular subject heading such as highway safety, pending legislation, and school aid (see the Appendix for the full list of subject headings). On each card is the number assigned the correspondence pertaining to that subject heading, the name of the correspondent, and in some cases, the date of York's response. The name index is arranged alphabetically by the last name of correspondent. Besides the correspondent's name, on each card is his or her address, if available; the number his or her correspondence was assigned; a general subject heading regarding the contents of the correspondence; and the date that York responded.

In addition to the District Correspondence, there is correspondence relating to aid to students of private schools, and petitions on various issues, as well as newsletters created by York for his constituents about topics he was dealing with at various times during his tenure. Other materials include correspondence and copies of legislation that deal with various issues such as family planning, tax exempt properties, and municipal employment labor relations.

The series COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPT. OF INDUSTRY, LABOR AND HUMAN RELATIONS consists of correspondence and subject files which include materials on sexual discrimination, unemployment compensation and worker's compensation consisting of reports, correspondence, advisory council meeting minutes, and various related publications.

The COMMISSIONER OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION consists of contains one piece of general correspondence from 1983.

The EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LEAGUE OF WISCONSIN MUNICIPALITIES series contains a position description from 1984.

The EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT OF THE DEPT. OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES and DIRECTOR OF THE WINNEBAGO MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE series contain similar materials. Both contain copies of meeting agendas, memoranda, and correspondence. The EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT series, from 1988-1991, also contains a list of speeches given, location and date of speech, and the topic, in addition to speech and essay guidelines. The DIRECTOR series, from 1991-1996, also contains recruitment guidelines, job descriptions, a press release, and several newspaper clippings.

The PASTOR series contains various worship materials including copies of sermons, pastoral prayers, church bulletins, and notes for religious retreats and seminars from 1961-1985.

The PUBLIC APPEARANCES series contains three files of speeches and notes from York's assorted appearances from the 1960s through the 1990s.