Summary Information
John C. Gower Papers
1959-1978
Green Bay Mss 99
6.4 c.f. (4 record center cartons and 6 archives boxes)
UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers of a Wisconsin attorney and assemblyman from Green Bay (1975-1978) consisting of correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, minutes, constitutions, financial and membership reports, bill files, press releases, newsletters, constituent questionnaires, reference material, meeting files, instructional material, and biographical material. The files not only concern Gower's service in the Wisconsin Assembly, but also his involvement in Republican politics, his leadership of the Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans, and his work as Brown County district attorney and member of the Brown County Board of Supervisors and its Airport, Personnel, and Youth Home Special Study committees. Topics which are well documented in the legislative files include the numerous Republican policy committees on which he served, the attempted closure of the Green Bay Reformatory, the gubernatorial candidacy of Lee S. Dreyfus, and regulation of commercial fishing.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0099 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Green Bay attorney and conservative Republican Assemblyman John C. Gower was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 10, 1941. He attended Kankakee High School (Illinois) and received his A.B. (1963) and J.D. (1966) degrees from Marquette University.
Gower's legislative career was foreshadowed by many years of involvement in Republican electoral politics. He began at age 13 by distributing campaign literature door-to-door. As a student at Marquette he became active in the Young Republicans, an involvement which ultimately led to a progression of leadership positions: president of Marquette University Young Republicans, 1959-1960; deputy college director of the Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans, 1960-1961; college director, WFYR, 1961-1962; vice-chairman of the Milwaukee Third Ward Republican Club, 1963; vice-chairman and chairman of the Milwaukee County Young Republicans, 1965; and state chairman, WFYR, 1967-1969. He was also a delegate to numerous state, regional, and national Republican conventions and conferences. In 1962 Gower was an unsuccessful candidate for the Assembly. (A full listing of all of these activities is included in the Biographical Material in the papers.)
After graduating from law school Gower was employed as an attorney for Inland Steel. In 1967 he moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to become assistant district attorney and shortly thereafter Brown County district attorney. He continued in this position until 1971. In that year Gower successfully sought a position on the Brown County Board of Supervisors. After one term he was elected to the State Assembly. In the Legislature, Gower's assignments, which are fully listed in the Wisconsin Blue Books, included the Criminal Justice and Public Safety and Judiciary committees and the Joint Committee on Audit. He was also appointed to the Legislative Council's Special Committee on Criminal Penalties. Gower was defeated in his bid for reelection in the 1978 Republican primary by Gary Dilweg.
Gower's many civic and charitable activities include: the Wisconsin Bar Association, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Kiwanis, the National Rifle Association, and the Community Council on Drug Abuse (of which he was co-founder). He married Helen Coman in 1963, and they are the parents of three children.
Scope and Content Note
Unlike the papers of many Wisconsin legislators, the John Gower Papers include documentation not only on his tenure in the Legislature, but also on the numerous and varied other political offices he held. The papers include correspondence, memoranda, notes, minutes, reports, newsletters,
questionnaires, reference material, meeting files, instructional material, and biographical material. The papers are arranged into the four chronological periods of his political career:
Wisconsin Young Republicans, 1958-1972
Brown County District Attorney, 1967-1973
Brown County Board of Supervisors, 1972-1975
Wisconsin Legislature, 1972-1978
The YOUNG REPUBLICAN FILES are in many ways the most valuable and unique portion of the collection. This arises from the fact that Gower was active in the Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans in a leadership capacity over an extended period of time and that he received and saved documents or copies of documents pertaining to high-level activities of the organization. This documentation is especially valuable to researchers because no official state Young Republican records are held by the Historical Society, and because Gower was active in the organization during the 1960s, a period when the role and function of the organization experienced considerable stress and change. The majority of these files comprise one chronological run of documentation consisting of correspondence, executive board minutes, financial and membership reports, constitutions of both the state organization and various local chapters, convention records, and miscellaneous newsletters and publications. Other smaller files pertain to various other Young Republican groups to which Gower belonged or conferences and conventions with which he was involved. The file also included a large literature file pertaining to Republican politics which has been extensively weeded. The publications which were in this file are now available in the SHSW Library.
The BROWN COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILES appear fragmentary and incomplete and consist largely of reference material of a legal nature and some instructional files. The most important exception to this are the files on the Community Council on Drug Abuse which Gower co-founded.
Although the BROWN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FILES theoretically duplicate county public records held by the Green Bay ARC (and on this basis would not be retained in the Gower Papers), the official files actually contain little of the support documentation and agenda items which comprise a large portion of this section of the papers. As a result this portion of the Gower Papers has been retained virtually unweeded. In addition, this section includes minutes and agenda materials for meetings of the Airport Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Youth Home Special Study Committee, and files on the enactment of a county mental health ordinance.
Because of his scrupulous recordkeeping while a member of the Young Republicans, Gower's LEGISLATIVE FILES are disappointing and incomplete. This section consists of an alphabetical subject file and bill files pertaining to the 1977-1978 legislative session. In addition to correspondence and reference material, the subject files also include copies of Gower's press releases and constituent questionnaires. Most interesting in the legislative materials are the files on the numerous Republican policy committees on which Gower served, the attempted closure of the Green Bay Reformatory, and bill files concerning regulation of commercial fishing. Although this section includes no information on Gower's own election campaigns there is a file documenting his early support of the gubernatorial candidacy of Lee S. Dreyfus.
A single file of general BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL AND MEMORABILIA is filed at the end of the collection.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by John C. Gower, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1975, 1979.
Accession Number: M75-251 and M79-371
Processed by Carolyn J. Mattern, 1985.
Contents List
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Series: Young Republican Files
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Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans
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Box
1
Folder
1-17
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1959-1967, October
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Box
1
Folder
18
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1967, October-1968, March
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Box
2
Folder
1
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1967, October-1968, March, Continued
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Box
2
Folder
2-11
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1968, March-1972, May
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Publications, 1962-1966
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Membership lists
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Box
2
Folder
13-14
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1960-1965
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Box
3
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1966
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Marquette University Young Republican Club, 1959-1966
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Door County Young Republican Club, 1961-1963
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Box
4
Folder
3-4
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Milwaukee County Young Republican Club, 1960-1967
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Young Republican National Leadership Training School, 1962
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Midwest TAR conference, 1966
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Box
4
Folder
7-8
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Midwest Federation of Young Republicans, 1962-1966
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Box
4
Folder
9
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National Young Republicans Convention, 1967
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Box
4
Folder
10-17
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Political reference file, 1966-1972
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Series: Brown County District Attorney Files
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Abortion, Illegitimacy, 1970, n.d.
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Airport parking, 1967-1970
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Civil procedure, 1970
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Criminal Code revision, 1969
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Criminal investigations, 1967
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Criminal law course, Marinette Vocational School, 1973
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Community Council for Drug Abuse
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Agendas, membership material, 1969-1971
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Box
5
Folder
8-9
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Correspondence, reports, notes, 1969-1972
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Box
5
Folder
10
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Reference correspondence, 1968-1972
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Box
5
Folder
11
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Fan mail, 1969-1970
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Federal taxation course, Badger Business College, 1972
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Box
5
Folder
13
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Green Bay fair housing ordinance, 1968
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Juvenile court, 1968-1971
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Box
5
Folder
15
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Miscellaneous material, n.d.
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Box
5
Folder
16
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Municipal court, 1968
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Box
5
Folder
17
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Nonsupport, 1962, n.d.
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Box
5
Folder
18
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Police, 1967-1970
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Box
5
Folder
19
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Political science course, Badger Business College, 1972
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Box
5
Folder
20
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Preliminary hearings, n.d.
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Box
5
Folder
21
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Sentencing, 1968-1970
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Box
5
Folder
22
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Speeches, 1968-1970
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Box
5
Folder
23
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Wisconsin Association of District Attorneys, 1970
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Series: Brown County Board Of Supervisors Files
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Box
5
Folder
24
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General material, n.d.
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Box
5
Folder
25
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Airport Committee, 1972-1974
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Box
5
Folder
26
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Assessor plan, 1975
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Box
5
Folder
27
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Mental Health Board, 1973
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Box
5
Folder
28
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Mental health ordinance, 1972
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Box
5
Folder
29
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Newsletter, 1972
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Personnel Committee, 1972
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Box
5
Folder
30-34
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I-V
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Box
6
Folder
1
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VI
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Box
6
Folder
2-9
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Supervisors meeting files, 1972-1974
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Box
6
Folder
10
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Surveyor, n.d.
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Box
6
Folder
11
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Welfare, 1971-1972
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Box
6
Folder
12
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Youth Home Special Study Committee, 1973
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Series: Wisconsin Legislative Files
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Subseries: Subject files
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Box
6
Folder
13
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Abortion, 1973-1975
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Box
6
Folder
14
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Administrative rules, 1977-1978
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Box
6
Folder
15
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Assembly Republican Campaign Committee, 1976-1978
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Box
6
Folder
16
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Assembly Republican Caucus secretary, 1976
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Box
6
Folder
17
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Assembly Republican Study Committees - General, 1975
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Box
6
Folder
18
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Assembly Republican Committee on Civil Service, 1977
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Box
6
Folder
19
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CETA, 1977
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Box
6
Folder
20
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Coastal areas, n.d.
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Box
6
Folder
21
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Congratulations, 1972-1974
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Box
6
Folder
22
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Corrections, Special Assembly Republican Committee on, 1977
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Box
6
Folder
23
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Community Center for Leadership Development, LAB audit, 1977
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Box
6
Folder
24
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Dreyfus, People for, 1977-1978
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Box
6
Folder
25
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ERA, 1973-1977
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Box
6
Folder
26
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Energy, 1973-1978
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Box
6
Folder
27
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Environment, 1973
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Box
6
Folder
28
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Ethan House, 1973
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Box
6
Folder
29
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Ethics Code, 1973-1974
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Box
6
Folder
30
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Family planning, 1978
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Box
6
Folder
31
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Farmland Preservation, 1977-1978
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Box
6
Folder
32
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Fiscal notes, 1975-1978
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Box
6
Folder
33
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Foster care rates, 1977
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Gettleman Act, 1975-1977
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Governor, 1973
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Green Bay, 1975-1978
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Green Bay Reformatory
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Box
7
Folder
4-5
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Background material, 1972-1977
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Box
7
Folder
6
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Correspondence
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Gresham, 1975-1977
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Box
7
Folder
8
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Gun control, 1975
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Mining, 1977-1978
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Box
7
Folder
10
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Miscellany and loose material, n.d.
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Box
7
Folder
11
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Pharmacies letter, 1975
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Political campaign literature, 1976
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Box
7
Folder
13
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Press releases, 1973-1978
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Questionnaries
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Results and corespondence, 1975-1978
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Preparation file, 1973-1977
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Reapportionment
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Republican Assembly Policy Committee on Probation and Parole, 1975
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Republican Party, Campaign report, 1976
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Speeches, 1973-1975
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Box
8
Folder
6
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State Elections Board, 1977
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Box
8
Folder
7
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State employees, 1972
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Box
8
Folder
8
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State Ethics Board, Reports to, 1975-1977
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Box
8
Folder
9
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Tax Reform and Budget, GOP Policy Committee on, 1975
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Taxation, 1978
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Transportation, 1975-1978
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Box
8
Folder
12
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Transportation, Special Assembly Republican Committee on, 1977
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Box
8
Folder
13
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Unemployment, 1976
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University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
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Box
8
Folder
14
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Background file, 1969-1972
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Box
8
Folder
15-16
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1973-1978
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Subseries: Bill files, 1977-1978
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Assembly bills
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Box
9
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AB 52-874
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Box
10
Folder
1
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AB 910-1095
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Senate bills
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Box
10
Folder
2
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SB 15 (Binding arbitration)
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Box
10
Folder
3
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SB 107-195
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Box
10
Folder
4
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SB 253-370
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Box
10
Folder
5
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SB 409 (Commercial fishing regulation)
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Unintroduced amendments
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Box
10
Folder
7-8
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SB 426 Landlord/Tenant legislation
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Box
10
Folder
9
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SB 451, 705, SJR 33
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Box
10
Folder
10
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Series: Biographical Material and Memorabilia
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