The Alvin E. O'Konski Papers were originally presented to Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin by Mr. O'Konski in 1973. Nancy Ehlers and Karen Baumann of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin processed the papers for Nicolet at that time. The collection returned permanently to the State Historical Society in 1997 when Nicolet College presented the papers upon the closing of their archives.
The Papers are organized into five series: (1) Correspondence, (2) Public Relations Materials, (3) Printed Material, (4) Tape Recorded Interview, and (5) Photographs.
The bulk of the Papers consists of CORRESPONDENCE, largely from the Tenth District, but also including letters from overseas and other parts of the U.S. The correspondence illustrates the varied activities of a congressman, particularly his relationship to his constituents, how he responded to their opinions and aided them. A large amount of the correspondence concerns legislation, European post-war politics, immigration matters, and business with government agencies (e.g., the Post Office, State Department, and Patent Office). Two main issues are the 1961 call-up of the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Division, and European post-war politics. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically in a subject file and within each folder chronologically.
The remainder of the collection is more varied. One box holds the PUBLIC RELATIONS MATERIAL which includes news releases and speeches, each filed chronologically. Most of the speeches were clipped from the Congressional Record, and occasionally, related correspondence is filed with them. One folder contains PRINTED MATERIAL which was preserved as representative of the types of material received with the papers. The majority of printed material originally received, such as books, pamphlets, and reports of congressional hearings, which had no direct involvement with O'Konski, was removed from the collection and sent to the Nicolet College library.
A TAPE RECORDED INTERVIEW (ca. forty-five minutes in length) with Mr. O'Konski made ca. 1976 includes biographical information as well as a discussion of his contributions to the development of northern Wisconsin and his role in significant legislation. He discusses his wife's contributions to his career; his role in federal legislation, including the G.I. Bill, improvements to Social Security, and bills affecting Native Americans, farmers, and forest industries; his role in tourism development (particularly Mt. Telemark in Sawyer Co.), improvement of rural telephone service, and improvement of medical facilities; his opinions on federal government's role in education; his stance against the Vietnam War; and finally, his disenchantment with politics and his deep concern for the future of the country.
The collection also includes PHOTOGRAPHS which include portraits of the Congressman both alone and with Mrs. O'Konski; a publicity photo of the O'Konskis with the Dionne Quintuplets; and images of Mr. O'Konski with presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson.
