The Alvin Baldus Papers are not a large manuscript collection when compared to those created by many of his colleagues in the House of Representatives. Its relatively small size (25 cubic feet) can be attributed to the fact that many of the records of both the Washington and the three district offices were destroyed prior to contact from the Historical Society. Of the 63 cubic feet accessioned by the Society, a large quantity consisted of duplicates, print material separated to the Library, and material of minimal research value. Despite the collection's size, however, the Baldus Papers are of considerable value for particular types of research. Taken together, the manuscript papers and the sound and photographic material provide excellent documentation of a representative's efforts to maintain contact with his district, both during election campaigns and during the interim. While working files on legislation are virtually nonexistent in the collection, the files on Baldus' committee work are excellent though of limited duration. There is extensive documentation of various kinds on subjects with which Baldus was prominently identified: agriculture and the dairy industry, solar energy and energy conservation, and the problems of small business.
The bulk of the collection comprises material received in 1980 and 1981 and organized in 1985; this portion dates 1965-1980. The final series of the collection is additions received and organized in 1997; these papers total only 6 boxes and dates 1989-1995.
The material organized in 1985 is arranged into these categories: personal and biographical material; office administration records; press and publicity files; constituent correspondence; and projects, casework, committee, and campaign files. With the exception of scattered clippings, press releases, and correspondence which date from his service in the Wisconsin Legislature, the collection almost totally concerns Baldus' public career as a member of the House of Representatives, 1974-1980.
PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of family correspondence primarily dating from Baldus' tenure in the Wisconsin Legislature, miscellaneous biographical information, ratings by various advocacy groups, microfilmed clippings scrapbooks and memorabilia, and personal income tax forms. The scrapbooks which contain clippings, photographs, and autograph letters were also returned to the donor after microfilming. This correspondence provides perhaps the best view of Baldus as a individual. Here the researcher will find personal comments on the activities of the Wisconsin Legislature as well as several letters concerning the fatal illness of his son.
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION FILES include a copy of the staff operations manual, minutes and recordings of a few staff meetings, schedules, and reports and memoranda prepared by district staff members. (Of these, the reports submitted by Assemblyman Richard Shoemaker are of note). These reports and memos provide a detailed look at the problems and concerns of many constituents and the political climate of the district.
Unlike the legislative files and the correspondence, which is described below, the PRESS AND PUBLICITY is quite complete and includes extensive files of
newsletters, Columns of Comment, speeches (and some notes, drafts, and recordings), miscellaneous mailings, questionnaires and summaries of results, and extensive recordings of radio news feeds. This section is supplemented by numerous publicity photographs separated to the Visual and Sound Archives. The sound recordings and the videotape are briefly described in the container list in this register. More detailed information on contents may be found by consulting the audio control sheets in the Sound and Visual Archives.
Baldus' CORRESPONDENCE is of three types. The original extent of the correspondence is suggested by an alphabetical card file (only A-T, however) which recorded all correspondents and briefly noted the subject of each letter. Legislative correspondence consists of letters from constituents concerning specific bills and is filed chronologically by year and then alphabetically by the committee to which the legislation was referred. If the volume of letters warranted, there are subdivisions for subcommittees and subjects. Miscellaneous correspondence consists of routine congratulations and letters of thanks, and other correspondence which because of its fragmentary nature was not appropriate to other parts of the collection. Third District county correspondence is an incomplete file of letters filed alphabetically by the residence of the constituent. There is no correspondence from any of Baldus' three district offices, although there are some miscellaneous recordings of dictation from the Eau Claire office.
The DISTRICT PROJECTS FILE and the CONSTITUENT CASEWORK FILE are similar in that they both deal with district problems: the casework files concern the problems of individual and the projects files concern issues of more general concern. Of special note within the alphabetical project files are the materials on the Cuban refugees at Fort McCoy in 1980 and the controversial dam on the Kickapoo River at LaFarge. The case file is divided first into federal and Wisconsin agencies. Those concerning federal agencies have been extensively weeded and only those which related to issues in which Baldus had a special concern such as agriculture and small business have been retained. Because of their smaller volume, the Wisconsin cases have been weeded based on content.
COMMITTEE FILES concern Baldus' service as chairman of the Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee and the Energy, Environment, Safety, and Research Subcommittee of the Small Business Committee. Although both segments cover only limited periods of time, both are the files maintained by the committee counsels on Baldus' staff, and both are of high quality. Included are correspondence, memoranda, subject files, reports, and case files.
The CAMPAIGN FILES, are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by subject. Included are correspondence, planning and organizational material, literature, schedules, and press releases.
The ADDITIONS ORGANIZED IN 1997 reflect Baldus' re-election to the Wisconsin in 1988 as a representative of the 29th Assembly district to his 1996 retirement. The collection includes campaign literature; clippings about Mr. Baldus; files relating to his work as a member of the Assembly Committee on Insurance, Securities and Corporate Policy, especially concerning tort reform; constituent correspondence (1994 only) and newsletters; and a few legislative files, most significantly files concerning AB 103, establishing a labor concession lien (also known as the “Uniroyal Bill”) which was prompted by the closing of the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company plant in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
