Title: Raymond C. Bice Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1939-1984

Creator:

• Bice, Raymond C., 1896-

Call Number: La Crosse Mss BI

Quantity: 2.8 c.f. (2 record center cartons and 2 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Special Collections & Area Research Center, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections.

Archival Locations:

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

UW-La Crosse Murphy Library / La Crosse Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of Raymond C. Bice, a Republican legislator from La Crosse, Wisconsin. The papers relate almost entirely to Bice's 22 years in the Legislature (1944-1968) and consist of correspondence with constituents and colleagues, writings, subject files and biographical material. Of special interest are the files on Bice's efforts in behalf of highway safety and his many articles and radio talks on the nature of government, political events, and local history. The collection also includes a transcript of a 1968 oral history interview.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-lx00bi

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Former Wisconsin Republican legislator Raymond C. Bice was born on April 5, 1896 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. For a few years his family owned a farm near Onalaska, but when Bice was thirteen the family returned to La Crosse. Not long after, Bice dropped out of school in order to go to work.

During World War I he served overseas with the American Expeditionary Force. Later he became a building contractor and lumber wholesaler in La Crosse. Between 1920 and 1960 the Bice-Olson Manufacturing Co. built over 300 homes. Nevertheless, Bice also found time to play a prominent role in local civic and political affairs including serving as president of the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce, member of the American Legion, and chairman of the Oak Forest Sanatorium Board. In 1931 Bice was elected to the county board, and he served several terms until the Depression-era demands of the position adversely affected his business. As a member of the board, Bice played a prominent role in the development and construction of the La Crosse County airport which was dedicated in 1935.

In 1940 Bice ran unsuccessfully in the Republican congressional primary. However, in 1946 he was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly and was reelected in 1948, 1950, and 1952; he moved up to the Senate in a special election in 1953. Bice continued to hold that seat until 1968 when he was defeated in the Republican primary by Milo G. Knutson.

As a legislator Bice's interests were broad, with highway safety, education, and health and welfare issues being predominant. In 1949 he was largely responsible for implementation of Wisconsin's first highway speed law, and his ongoing interest in highway safety led him to write and work for Gov. Warren P. Knowles' highway safety bill in 1967. As part of this legislation Bice unsuccessfully championed a uniform 21-year-old beer law for Wisconsin. Bice was also very interested in education, having served on the board of the Coleman Technical Institute for 27 years (he received his high school diploma from that institution at age 46) and he served in the Senate Education Committee. Other committee assignments are detailed in editions of the Wisconsin Blue Book.

In addition to his business and political careers, Bice was a man of many vocations. As a young man he studied magic with Walter Mieklejohn, eventually becoming an accomplished amateur magician himself. He was also a woodworker and a watercolorist and a published writer on local history and government. Since leaving the legislature Bice has continued to reside in La Crosse.

The Bice Papers consist of correspondence, writings, subject files, biographical material and an oral history transcript. Except for a few autobiographical references, the collection almost entirely concerns his 22 years as a member of the Wisconsin Legislature. Even for these years, the coverage is not complete, and there is virtually no documentation on his early years in the Assembly or his efforts in behalf of the “65/55 speed limit” law. Papers on the 1961-1962 and 1963-1964 legislatures are also absent. There is valuable material, however, on his important work in behalf of the Knowles highway safety bill and the uniform 21-year beer law. Also of special interest is the transcript of the oral history interview with Bice conducted in 1968, an autobiographical philosophy of government, and the large, although still incomplete, file of his weekly radio talks. Taken together, these writings and the correspondence provide the researcher with an unusually revealing and complete philosophy of government. The documentation is even more interesting because of Bice's reputation as a maverick Republican who supported the interests of individual citizens. Researchers may find additional biographical information in Bice's book of collected articles, Years to Remember (1985). This book is available in the Society's Library.

The collection is organized into five series. First is filed a 1968 ORAL HISTORY interview, which may duplicate a separately-catalogued interview held by the UW-La Crosse ARC.

The majority of the collection consists of CORRESPONDENCE from constituents and colleagues. Unfortunately, the original order of this section was masked by work done on the collection in 1971. In 1985 processing was completed, and the correspondence was rearranged chronologically by month. For the 1967-1968 legislature a small portion of correspondence was filed by bill number when notations so indicated on the material. Although many of Bice's letters are variations on form letters, others are revealing of his views and actions. For the 1953, 1955, and 1957 sessions the correspondence dates primarily from the months when the Legislature was in session. There are no papers for the 1961-1962 and 1963-1964 sessions.

WRITINGS include copies of articles, radio talks, speeches, columns, guest editorials, and press releases. Most interesting are the radio talks which are of two types. One sequence, which is arranged by number, appears to have aired under the title “Your State and Mine.” The second group is arranged solely by date. Bice also wrote a regular weekly column which appeared in the La Crosse Shopper under the title “This is America.” Although only a few of these articles are in the collection, it is likely that many of the “Your State and Mine” talks also appeared in the column. Other writings include “As I See It,” an extended unpublished essay on his philosophy of government; guest editorials from the La Crosse Tribune; press releases; and Treasures of the Forest, the second edition of a booklet he wrote about wood and the importance of forest conservation. Portions of “As I See It” and some of the La Crosse Tribune editorials were published as Years to Remember.

SUBJECT FILES consist of correspondence, memoranda, and reference material dating primarily from Bice's years in the Assembly and from the 1967 Senate term. Most interesting are the files on highway safety, the uniform 21-year beer law, and vocational education. Two files contain correspondence and memorabilia pertaining to several election campaigns.

The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of clippings and a 1968 roll call.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Raymond C. Bice, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1957-1982. Accession Number: M61-6, M68-383, M69-380, MCHC 70-136, M82-424. Some portions accessioned earlier without numbers.

Processing Information

Processed by AHD (1971) and by Carolyn J. Mattern (1985).

La Crosse Mss BI Box   1 Folder   1	Series: Oral History, 1968
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2-3	1953
Box   1 Folder   4-8	1955 January-June, October
Box   1 Folder   9-12	1957 January-June
Box   1 Folder   13	1958
Box   1 Folder   14-19	1959
Box   1 Folder   20	1960
	1965
Box   1 Folder   21-22	January-March
Box   2 Folder   1-6	April-October
Box   2 Folder   7-9	1966 February-December
	1967
Box   2 Folder   10	Assembly bills
Box   2 Folder   11-14	Senate bills
Box   2 Folder   15	Joint resolutions
Box   2 Folder   16-18	General correspondence
Box   2 Folder   19	1968
	Series: Writings	⇧
Box   2 Folder   20	Articles on historical topics, 1957
Box   2 Folder   21	As I See It, A Philosophy of Government, draft, circa 1967
Box   2 Folder   22	Column, 1967
Box   2 Folder   23	La Crosse Business articles, 1939
Box   2 Folder   24	La Crosse Shopper, 1954-1959
Box   2 Folder   25	La Crosse Tribune guest editorials, 1982-1984
	Radio talks
Box   2 Folder   26-27	“Your State and Mine,” 1950-1962
Box   3 Folder   1	Miscellaneous radio talks, 1948-1965
Box   3 Folder   2	Releases, 1963-1967
Box   3 Folder   3	Treasures of the Forest (2nd edition), 1957
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   3 Folder   4	Beer, 1967
Box   3 Folder   5	Centennial, 1948
Box   3 Folder   6	Conservation, 1967
Box   3 Folder   7	Cooperatives, 1946-1949
Box   3 Folder   8	Education-General, 1952-1968
	Election campaign
Box   3 Folder   9	Campaign materials, 1946-1953
Box   3 Folder   10	Reference material, 1951-1955
Box   3 Folder   11	Finances-General, 1955-1967
Box   4 Folder   1	Kellett Commission reorganization, 1967
Box   4 Folder   2	La Crosse State College, 1954
Box   4 Folder   3	Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission, 1967
Box   4 Folder   4	Motor Vehicle Department, 1947-1958
Box   4 Folder   5	Shoplifting, 1967
Box   4 Folder   6	Trading stamps, 1967
Box   4 Folder   7	Prison problems and welfare, 1952-1953
Box   4 Folder   8	Public welfare, 1951
Box   4 Folder   9	Reapportionment, 1951-1952
Box   4 Folder   10	Speed limit/highway safety, 1947-1949
Box   4 Folder   11	State Building Commission and building program, 1957-1962
Box   4 Folder   12	Veterans affairs, 1950-1956
Box   4 Folder   13	Vocational education, 1952-1962
Box   4 Folder   14	Series: Biographical Material, 1939-1978	⇧