Title: Harold W. Clemens Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1952-1967

Creator:

• Clemens, Harold W., 1918-.

Call Number: Milwaukee Mss EJ; PH Milwaukee Mss EJ

Quantity: 1.2 c.f. (3 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; 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-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of Clemens, a Republican State Assembly member from Waukesha County, Wisconsin, from 1956-1968, who resigned his seat to become State Treasurer. Relating exclusively to Clemens' activities as a legislator, and except for the 1963 legislative session, most files are fragmentary and incomplete. They consist of correspondence, copies of legislation, and other items.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil000ej

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Harold W. Clemens, a Republican State Assembly member from Waukesha County (1956-1968), was born in Oconomowoc in 1918. He graduated from Milwaukee Technical High School and prior to his election to the State Assembly he operated a private boat livery, picnic, and swimming area in Oconomowoc. As an Assembly member Clemens had a variety of assignments. In 1957 he was a member of the Elections and Municipalities committees and vice-chairman of the Legislative Council's Boating Safety Committee. Clemens served on the Elections and State Affairs committees in 1959 and was vice-chairman of the Education and Transportation committees in 1961. Two years later, Clemens became speaker pro tem of the Assembly, chairman of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and vice-chairman of the Elections Committee. Clemens also served on the Legislative Council's Local Government Committee (1965-1967), its Aged Tax Relief Committee (1963-1965), and its Interstate Cooperation Committee (1963-1965). Harold Clemens resigned his Assembly seat in 1968 to accept an appointment as State Treasurer by Governor Warren Knowles.

The Harold W. Clemens papers are organized in three series: Correspondence on Proposed Legislation, General Files, and Photographs. The papers relate exclusively to Clemens' activities as a legislator and, except for the 1963 legislative session, are fragmentary and incomplete.

The CORRESPONDENCE ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION consists of both incoming and outgoing letters relating to specific bills before the Legislature. It is arranged by year and thereunder by bill number. In the 1957 portion of this series only one bill, a proposal affecting sales of proprietary medicines, has more than a few pieces of correspondence. In the more extensive materials for 1963, substantial amounts of correspondence are found for several issues. Clemens received both favorable and opposing views on increasing teachers' retirement benefits (AB 74, 228) and permitting merchandise trading stamps (AB 45, 543). Most correspondents opposed measures to provide public transportation for private religious school students and to give tax advantages to their parents (AB 39, 528, 554). Medical care providers split over the merits of allowing Blue Cross coverage for nursing care and dental and drug expenses (AB 131), and the value of an interstate mental health compact (AB 167). Proposals dealing with environmental concerns also received mixed reactions. They included regulation of billboards (AB 234), use of phosphates in detergents (AB 63), protection of the Wolf River (AB 360, 442), and changes in zoning laws (AB 83, 360). Groups representing women and minority groups favored fair housing (AB 367) and were opposed by realtors and other business groups. Law enforcement officials vehemently opposed a bill requiring them to give arrested suspects full explanation of their legal rights before questioning.

The GENERAL FILES consist of correspondence not related to specific bills before the Legislature, requests for information, annotated copies of bills, and reference materials on boating safety and daylight saving time.

The PHOTOGRAPHS include Clemens signing the General Obligation Bond of 1970 as well as two photographs of members of the State Assembly from 1957 to 1958 and 1959 to 1960.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Harold W. Clemens, Oconomowoc, July 30, 1969. Accession Number: M69-224

Processing Information

Processed by J. Sorenson and J. Fleckner, August 29, 1977.

Milwaukee Mss EJ	Series: Correspondence on Proposed Legislation
	1957, Bill Numbers,
Box   1 Folder   1	15-235
Box   1 Folder   2	263
Box   1 Folder   3	300-319
Box   1 Folder   4	333
Box   1 Folder   5	343-627
Box   1 Folder   6	1959, Bill Numbers, 1-893
Box   1 Folder   7	1962, Bill Numbers, 44-798
	1963, Bill Numbers,
Box   1 Folder   8	1-12
Box   1 Folder   9	23
Box   1 Folder   10	30-100
Box   1 Folder   11	102-195
Box   1 Folder   12	210-234
Box   1 Folder   13-14	238
Box   1 Folder   15	241-299
Box   2 Folder   1	301-362
Box   2 Folder   2	363
Box   2 Folder   3	378-396
Box   2 Folder   4	404-495
Box   2 Folder   5	500-528
Box   2 Folder   6-7	543
Box   2 Folder   8	545-598
Box   2 Folder   9	603-604
Box   2 Folder   10	615
Box   2 Folder   11	618-965
Box   2 Folder   12	1964, Bill Numbers, 1-639
Box   2 Folder   13	1967, Bill Numbers, 12-464
	Series: General Files	⇧
	General Correspondence,
Box   2 Folder   14	1956-1957
Box   2 Folder   15	1959
Box   2 Folder   16	1961-1962
Box   3 Folder   1-3	1963
Box   3 Folder   4	1964, 1967
Box   3 Folder   5	Undated
Box   3 Folder   6	Boating Safety Materials, 1952-1959, n.d
Box   3 Folder   7	Daylight Saving Time, 1957
Box   3 Folder   8-10	Elections Committee, 1957-1959
Box   3 Folder   11	Elfers and Olson Election Dispute, 1963
Box   3 Folder   12	Press Clippings, 1956, 1959, 1962-1963, n.d
PH Milwaukee Mss EJ Oversize Folder   1	Series: Photographs	⇧