Title: Maurice P. Coakley Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1935-1940

Creator:

• Coakley, Maurice P., 1906-1991

Call Number: Whitewater Micro 18; Micro 1037

Quantity: 3 reels of microfilm [35mm]

Repository:

Housed at the University Archives & Area Research Center, Harold Andersen Library, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; 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-Whitewater Library / Whitewater Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a former Republican state senator (1935-1942) from Beloit, Wisconsin, who also served as assistant to Governor Julius P. Heil. The papers, which are available only on microfilm, consist of alphabetically-arranged constituent correspondence for the 1935, 1937, and 1939 legislative sessions, publicity material relating to his 1938 reelection campaign, and congratulations on his appointment as Heil's assistant in 1940. Much of the correspondence concerns labor union legislation proposed in 1935. Prominent correspondents include Philip La Follette and George Parker.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr1037

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Former Republican state senator and gubernatorial assistant Maurice P. Coakley was born in Beloit, Wisconsin on January 9, 1906. He attended public schools in Beloit and Fond du Lac and graduated from Beloit College in 1926. In 1930 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin law school. To support himself while completing his education, Coakley worked as a foundryman, painter, and a machinist. His interest in electoral politics was evident at an early age and from 1927 through 1933 he was record clerk for the Wisconsin State Senate. At the same time he conducted a legal practice in Beloit and taught in the Political Science Department at Beloit College. Coakley was elected to the Senate in 1934 from the Rock County district and was reelected in 1938. During the 1939 session he served as Republican floor leader.

In July, 1940 Governor Julius P. Heil appointed Coakley as his personal secretary and his military secretary. One state paper praised this appointment, saying that the governor “could not have done better.” During the 1940 election campaign Coakley took a prominent role in the Heil campaign, often speaking on the radio in the governor's stead. Because Heil was a controversial figure, Coakley was instrumental in efforts to unite various factions within the Republican Party and as a result was publicly praised for his diplomatic genius. Coakley also served in the 1941 Legislature and was again selected as majority floor leader.

In 1942 Coakley did not run for reelection, instead joining the Naval Reserve with the rank of lieutenant. He served in Great Britain with the Judge Advocates Division. After leaving the military Coakley returned to Madison as field director for the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association. He retired from that position in 1972. In 1985 he moved to Texas where he died on March 15, 1991.

The Coakley papers are a small collection of constituent correspondence dating from the 1935, 1937, and 1939 legislative sessions. The papers are filed chronologically by year and alphabetically by name thereunder. In addition, there is a folder of campaign material from Coakley's 1938 reelection campaign and a folder of congratulatory letters pertaining to his appointment as Heil's top aide in 1940. The majority of the correspondence comes from Rock County businessmen and industrialists, with opposition to tax increases and union organizing legislation being the most frequent topic. Prominent correspondents include Governor Philip La Follette and George Parker, but there are very few letters from other politicians or members of the Legislature.

Because the collection consisted of a large quantity of deteriorating, high-acid paper, the entire collection was microfilmed and the originals destroyed.

The Julius Heil Papers held by the Historical Society contain further references to Coakley's tenure as the governor's private secretary, as well as a number of the speeches which he wrote and delivered in behalf of Heil.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Maurice P. Coakley, Madison, Wisconsin, 1985. Accession Number: M85-253

Processing Information

Prepared for microfilming by Carolyn J. Mattern, 1985.

	1935
Reel   1 Frame   1	A - S
Reel   2 Frame   1	T - Z
	1937
Reel   2 Frame   226	A - N
Reel   3 Frame   1	O - Z
Reel   3 Frame   375	1938 campaign material
Reel   3 Frame   382	1939
Reel   3 Frame   709	1940