Title: Democratic Party of Dane County Records
Inclusive Dates: 1950-1979

Creator:

• Democratic Party (Dane County, Wis.)

Call Number: Mss 651

Quantity: 1.0 c.f. (1 record center carton)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records, mainly 1955-1972, of Wisconsin's Dane County Democratic organization that played a vital role in the reformation of the state party during the late 1940s and early 1950s and which has since been the state Democratic “intellectual power base.” Included are constitutions, minutes of executive board and general membership meetings, correspondence, mailings, financial records, membership records, and subject files dealing with several special projects.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00651

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The precise origins of the Democratic Party of Dane County, Wisconsin are not clear because no documentation from its early years is included in the records held by the Historical Society. A 1950 membership solicitation letter indicates that the organization was founded as the Dane County Democratic Club in June 1947 and that Carl Thompson was elected chairman. Its organization in order to unite liberals and raise funds for election campaigns was spurred by the death of the Progressive Party in 1946 and by Carl Thompson's loss as a Democrat in a special congressional election in April 1947. Many of the individuals active in the founding of the Dane county organization went on to be leaders in the formation of the state-wide Democratic Organizing Committee in 1948. In March 1949 the club became a chartered county unit of the DOC. The club was successful in absorbing many former Progressives who had long dominated county politics, and by 1950 the club boasted over 500 members and, with the exception of one office, had elected an entirely Democratic slate. In 1957 the club officially became known as the Democratic Party of Dane County.

Throughout its history the group has engaged in the activities typical of all local political organizations: membership drives, fundraising, education, and campaign support. However, it has been atypical in the degree to which its predominantly liberal philosophy has controlled state party platforms and policy. Indeed, columnist John Wyngaard called the Dane County Democrats the “intellectual power base of the Democratic Party.” In addition, the county has produced leaders such as Gaylord Nelson, William Proxmire, Patrick J. Lucey, David Carley, and Robert Kastenmeier. This intellectual leadership which contrasts with the much larger block of Democratic voters delivered by Milwaukee County has led to a traditional rivalry between the two counties for control of the party structure.

The records of the Democratic Party of Dane County held by the Historical Society were presented by Kitty Barbash who served as unofficial archivist for many years. The records provide documentation on many activities of a typical county political organization (such as fundraising and membership drives), but they are not complete and they unfortunately fail to document the special leadership role which the group has played in the state party. There are no records prior to 1950 and very few which predate 1955.

Included in the collection are constitutions, minutes, correspondence, mailings, financial records, membership records, lists, and subject files.

The constitution files include drafts and a final version of the 1965 constitution and two earlier undated versions of the constitution of the Dane County Democratic Club. Minutes of the meetings of the executive board and the general membership are complete from 1955 through 1965 and for that period offer the most valuable documentation in the collection. The minutes summarize discussions on fundraising, organizing efforts, and policy and include financial reports and budgets. Unfortunately, summaries of programs and presentations at the general membership meetings are not included. Consistent documentation is also offered by the publications issued by the group. Of these, the newsletter, which began publication in 1955 and which has continued under various titles, has been transferred to the Historical Society Library. Remaining in this section in the Archives are mailings, announcements, form letters, and county-wide campaign advertising. The correspondence in the collection is fragmentary and incomplete.

Financial records consist of check stub books, bank statements, and records on miscellaneous projects. The stubs and statements are virtually complete for the period 1964-1972, and while they fail to present a record of club finances in accounting ledger format, they do offer a general picture of the group's financial situation and detailed information on expenditures. Membership records include dated lists from the 1950s and 1960s and reports to the state organization. The subject files are miscellaneous in character except for documentation on ongoing poll-watching and get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Kate Barbash, Madison, Wisconsin, May 25, 1983. Accession Number: M83-130

Processing Information

Processed by Carolyn Mattern, May 1985.

Box   1 Folder   1	Constitutions, 1965, undated
Box   1 Folder   2-3	Minutes, 1952, 1955-1965
Box   1 Folder   4-5	Correspondence, 1952-1972
	Publications
Box   1 Folder   6	General mailings, 1950-1979
Box   1 Folder   7	Fundraising mailings, 1953-11960
Box   1 Folder   8	Newsletter draft materials, 1965, undated
Box   1 Folder   9	Badger Reporter and county-wide campaign advertising, 1954-1966
	Financial records
Box   1 Folder   10	Bank statements, 1964-1972
Box   1 Folder   11	Check stub books, 1964-1972
Box   1 Folder   12	Miscellaneous financial reports, 1955-1971
Box   1 Folder   13	Spring luncheon, 1954
	Membership records
Box   1 Folder   14	Reports, 1963-1971
Box   1 Folder   15	Analyses, undated
Box   1 Folder   16	Officers, 1961-1972
Box   1 Folder   17	Convention delegates, 1955-1973
Box   1 Folder   18-21	General membership lists, 1955-1968
Box   1 Folder   22	Miscellaneous lists, undated
	Subject files
Box   1 Folder   23	Clippings, 1954-1968
Box   1 Folder   24	Levine-Finman chairmanship contest, 1968
Box   1 Folder   25	Poll-watching/Get-out-the-vote projects, 1950-1968
Box   1 Folder   26	Rural consistent voter survey, 1967-1968
Box   1 Folder   27	Miscellaneous voting analyses, circa 1958
Box   1 Folder   28	Ward activity, 1966-1969
Box   1 Folder   29	Press releases, advertising contracts, 1954-1972