This collection documents Paul Soglin's career as a progressive politician in Madison during a period of political and economic transition for the city. The materials in this collection were created between 1967 and 2003, but primarily document two distinct periods, 1970-1979 and 2002-2003. The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, subject files, campaign materials, photographs, videocassettes, audio recordings, and legal documents. The papers are divided into five series: STUDENT ACTIVIST MATERIALS, ALDERMAN MATERIALS, MAYORAL MATERIALS (1973-2004), BIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLES and AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS.
The STUDENT ACTIVIST MATERIALS contain records related to Soglin's role as a member of the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s and early 1970s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is the smallest series in the collection and includes materials from Soglin's first forays into political activism. The most significant item in this series is the 1967 lawsuit brought against the University of Wisconsin-Madison by Soglin and other campus radicals. Along with the other materials in this series, the lawsuit provides documentation of Soglin's activities and philosophical development before he entered into publicly elected office.
The ALDERMAN MATERIALS contain records of Soglin's activities as a member of the Madison City Council from 1968 through 1973. This series is made up of correspondence files and media coverage from his time as an alderman including a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings from 1972 through 1973. These materials highlight Soglin's initial move into city government and his transition to the mayor's office. This period in Soglin's life marks his move away from campus-based politics towards a broader set of concerns that affected the city as a whole. Although this set of records is relatively small, the papers give an indication of the opinions and themes that Soglin would express throughout his political career.
The MAYORAL MATERIALS (1973-2003) contain the bulk of records in the collection and best reflect his role as a left-leaning public official in a traditionally progressive city. These records include wide-ranging, but ultimately inconsistent documentation of Soglin's six terms (1973-1979 and 1989-1997) as mayor of Madison and his failed attempt to regain the office in 2003. The series is made up of five headings: Appointment and Date Books, Campaign Files, Mayoral Correspondence, Subject Files, and Travel Files.
The Appointment and Date Books consist of three bound volumes that contain Soglin's date book from 1973 and his appointment books from 1989 through 1990 respectively. These volumes contain brief notations that provide evidence of Soglin's activities during the three years covered.
The Campaign Files contain chronologically arranged election materials from four of Soglin's campaigns to become mayor of Madison (1973, 1977, 1989, and 2003). These files include strategic, financial, and general information regarding Soglin's campaigns including: speech drafts, campaign finance reports, polling information, press releases, pamphlets, internal memos, and political ephemera.
The Mayoral Correspondence includes a sizable amount of chronologically arranged incoming and outgoing correspondence that documents Soglin's first three terms as mayor and includes a limited number of items from later in his career. The bulk of this correspondence is of an unofficial nature and generally illustrates Soglin's relationship with the members of the Madison community. Although these letters rarely provide substantive information, they illustrate the character of Soglin's administration and varied opinions held by the citizens he served.
The Subject Files contain alphabetically arranged files related to Soglin's mayoral career including: police management issues, construction projects, legal actions, and mayoral policy papers. In part, these files reflect a previously existing filing system that organized news clippings and documents in subject-based files. These files are often incomplete and the information they provide is sporadic in nature, but they provide a record of Soglin's activities and his mode of operation as mayor.
The Travel Files include records that document the three international trips made by Soglin during his first three terms as mayor (Cuba, Israel, and Japan) and one general file on his domestic travels. The files include correspondence, travel itineraries, receipts, visas, and travel notations made by Soglin. These files reflect Soglin's involvement with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and his commitment to international political issues.
The BIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLES contain clippings from local, regional, and national periodicals that document Soglin's political career. These files serve as a partial record of Soglin's career and his political impact both in Wisconsin and nationally. It should be noted that news clippings are also scattered throughout the collection.
The AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS are non-textual records that span the length of Soglin's political career. These materials are separated into three headings: Audio Recordings, Photographs, and Videorecordings. The Audio Recordings include radio shows, interviews, political advertisements, and speeches that predominately come from Soglin's first three terms as mayor. The Photographs record Soglin in all phases of his career and generally capture him acting in an official capacity. These records include a large set of photographic slides detailing Soglin's 1975 trip to Cuba. The Videorecordings include videocassettes that primarily document Soglin in the period from 1990 through 2003. They include campaign materials, televised interviews, and election-related television coverage.
