See catalog entry to request materials from Part 2 and for additional information.

General correspondence of Warren P. Knowles during his tenure as governor. The series consists of an alphabetical subject file containing correspondence from constituents, legislators, state and party leaders, and governmental executives; memoranda; notes; reports; and background material. Topics which are particularly well documented include the economic development of the state, highway safety, conservation and the environment, the state budget and taxation, and education. In addition there are significant files on civil rights, student protests at the University of Wisconsin against the Vietnam War, and Republican electoral politics.

This series contains the bulk of the Knowles gubernatorial papers, and it is, as a result, the most important source for research on his administration. Unlike the more specialized series described below, this series includes a variety of types of documentation including correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, and background material. Used together with the other gubernatorial series, it provides a comprehensive record of the Knowles years as well as an excellent picture of the operation and administration of the executive office.

The material, which originally amounted to about 200 cubic feet, was transferred to the Archives in increments beginning in 1966. After extensive weeding, the series was organized essentially as it was in Knowles' office - an alphabetical subject file within each calendar year. Unfortunately, the governor's staff did not utilize subject titles consistently. To overcome this difficulty, the container list includes references to alternate file headings. However, this cross referencing is not comprehensive, and the researcher should be prepared to seek other related topics in the container list.

Within the files, researchers will find material of differing levels of importance. There are many letters concerning issues high-level policy from legislators, political leaders, businessmen, and department heads, but one can also find numerous letters with ordinary citizens concerning various problems with state government and replies drafted by agency personnel for the governor's signature. Such constituent correspondence, which is generally filed by the name of the state agency to which the inquiry referred, has been extensively weeded to remove items of limited historical value.

Breaking from standard archival practice, the individual folders in this series have not been physically rearranged. Instead, the container list serves as an index, bringing all folder titles together into one alphabetical list. As a result, browsing within boxes may not be particularly useful for this series, and researchers are urged to rely upon the container list as their primary aid for identifying material of interest. Series 2136, an additional finding aid, consists of a name index to the correspondence.

Among the topics of most interest are materials on Knowles' major legislative initiatives - state economic development, water pollution legislation, highway safety, education, and taxation. Because his administration coincided with the social upheaval of the 1960s there are also significant files on civil rights and the student protests against the Vietnam war at the University of Wisconsin. The series also includes files on Knowles' electoral campaigns, although these are not as extensive as the material in the William Kraus Papers or the McDonald Davis Records.