The Thomas Petri Papers relate entirely to his two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate. The papers are of a highly administrative character, consisting of general constituent correspondence, bill files, and committee files. There are no campaign files or public relations materials and very few personal references. The files were received in a disordered state from Petri's legislative office, but internal notations have permitted reconstruction of much of the original order. It seems likely not all Petri's files from this period in his career were transferred to the Wisconsin Historical Society. They also do not appear to be included with the 2014 accession with Petri's Congressional records.
Petri received extensive constituent correspondence on some of the most controversial legislation of the period. Included are letters on abortion, alcohol and raising the drinking age, education and collection bargaining for teachers, the Equal Rights Amendment, the state budget and taxes.
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE includes letters from constituents dealing with issues not specifically identified by bill number and with a host of individual problems. The file is arranged alphabetically by correspondent name, with a segregated file of prominent correspondents such as Lee Sherman Dreyfus, Tony Earl, Harold V. Froehlich, Jack Kemp, Patrick J. Lucey, and William Steiger.
The BILL FILES are arranged by legislative session then by bill number and include constituent correspondence, a small quantity of Legislative Council memoranda, and materials distributed by various advocacy groups for floor debate. A small segment of Assembly bills, 1977-1978, were not received by the Society at the time of donation in the 1970s.
The COMMITTEE FILES, which was also reconstructed, includes minutes, correspondence, memoranda, and reference material for the Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Republican Task Force on Welfare Reform, the Senate Human Services Committee, the Joint Audit Committee, and for several other legislative committees on which Petri served.
MISCELLANEOUS, includes form letters and reference materials.
