The Robert M. La Follette Papers consist of the papers which constitute the microfilm edition produced in 1972, and three boxes of additional records located later which were then subsequently microfilmed by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The first group of files are organized in six series: Series 1: Correspondence, Series 2: Governor's Letterbooks, Series 3: Speeches and Writings, Series 4: Wisconsin Republican Party Records, Series 5: Financial Records, and Series 6: Miscellaneous Volumes. The additional three boxes consist of Wisconsin Republican Party Records similar to those in Series 4. There are also two volumes of applications and endorsements for positions in La Follette's first gubernatorial administration. These three boxes are described and listed in the Contents List as Series 7.

Series 1: Correspondence

The largest section of the La Follette Papers consists of personal, political, and legal correspondence. In addition there are papers other than La Follette's own correspondence. For example, letters to his law office regarding cases which his partners handled, letters to the managers of his campaign offices, and mail between members of the reform coalition are included. It is likely that La Follette may never have seen a good deal of this type of correspondence, and it is unclear why he held these papers except that, as Fola La Follette Middleton stated, La Follette was a great hoarder of documents. Unfortunately there is little personal correspondence among members of the immediate family in this collection, for the majority of the personal papers are in the La Follette Family Papers in the Library of Congress (see the note on manuscript sources in the bibliography). While the researcher is thus warned that he will find little of a precise biographical nature in this collection, he will find in these papers a great deal of information on the La Follette progressive movement in Wisconsin.

The correspondence from before 1900 is largely related to La Follette's law practice, although there is some mention of his emerging role in politics. After this date constituent correspondence predominates. This mail includes opinions and questions on pending legislation, speaking invitations, and numerous job applications. Preceding each election, the incoming correspondence became quite heavy while the La Follette organization attempted to ascertain local support. La Follette's office stamped all incoming correspondence with the date of the governor's reply; these replies may be found in Series 2: Governor's Letterbooks.

The correspondence which dates after La Follette's election to the Senate in 1906 consists of letters from Wisconsin residents. The subjects of this correspondence are chiefly those issues upon which La Follette had established a national reputation. In addition routine correspondence from the 1908 Presidential campaign and the 1910 Senatorial campaign is included.

An appendix to this finding aid contains a more detailed description of the contents of each reel; however, the citations indicate only a portion of the information which may be found on the individual reels.

Series 2: Governor's Letterbooks

Series 2 consists of thirty-one volumes of outgoing correspondence from La Follette's five years as governor of Wisconsin and one volume of his messages to the legislature about specific bills. (His oral messages to the legislature are in Series 3: Speeches and Writings.)

The bulk of this outgoing correspondence is official, although a few personal letters are included. The majority of the letters are routine acknowledgments and form letters, many of which were written by his secretaries, Jerre Murphy and John Hannan, during the governor's frequent absences from the capitol.

The researcher is warned that the series of outgoing official correspondence is incomplete, for there are lapses in the chronological arrangement within several volumes. In addition, occasional replies may not be found, although the stamp code on letters in Series 1 indicates their existence. In many cases microfilming of the letterbooks was difficult because the onion skin carbons had deteriorated. Wherever possible, typescript copies of the damaged pages were made and placed following their respective originals.

The appendix to this finding aid contains reel notes for this series which include textual references to volume and page numbers.

Series 3: Speeches and Writings

Series 3 consists of several types of materials--speeches and drafts, messages to the legislature (see Series 2: Governor's Letterbooks), statements and proclamations, remarks, books and articles, and some campaign documents. These materials are in chronological order. If more than one draft exists for a particular document, they were arranged with the earliest identifiable draft first. The undated 1903 material includes a large amount of research material on railroad rates for La Follette's speeches; the speeches themselves are arranged alphabetically by town.

The researcher is warned that some of the material in this series may not be La Follette's writing; also filmed are documents which handwriting or external evidence indicates were edited by La Follette. Fragments which could not be dated or identified have been filmed at the end of the series and are arranged according to subject.

Series 4: Wisconsin Republican Party Records

The Wisconsin Republican Party Records consist of correspondence, voter lists, registers of electors, legal material for the 1904 convention, and miscellaneous material.

The largest portion of Series 4 is made up of voter lists which were collected by La Follette and his supporters to use for campaign mailings and to aid in organizing local Republican committees. This section is one of the most valuable in the La Follette Papers, for it is the only record of personal party affiliation in Wisconsin during the crucial turn-of-the-century period. In addition, these lists provide notes on occupation, national origin, and degree of party influence. Together with federal census data and the Wisconsin state censuses of 1885, 1895, and 1905, they provide an invaluable resource for the statistical historian.

The voter lists have been filmed in chronological order; for each year they have been arranged alphabetically by county and town. When corrections or external evidence indicated that a voter list had been revised, it was filed according to the latest date it was used. A complete list of contents begins each reel.

The early lists from 1885-1890 relate only to the Second District and indicate Congressman La Follette's introduction of this systematic technique. Before 1900 The State newspaper handled the voter lists for the La Follette faction, but after La Follette's supporters won control of the party organization in 1901, chairmen Bryant and Connor sent out the lists. Many of the lists before 1900 are fragmentary, and are, no doubt, only a partial representation of the original mailings. After 1900, the lists include a request to include “fair-minded” Democrats. In 1904 two mailings were made, and hence the designation, 1903-1904, for the earlier mailing.

The registers of electors comprise lists of all registered voters for a small number of Wisconsin cities.

The 1904 convention material consists of the documents used by the La Follette slate to prepare its brief for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. These papers include research material; legal exhibits, with bound and unbound affidavits from delegates; and the drafts of the brief.

The section of miscellaneous materials consists of general lists. Many of these, although the subject is often unclear, are apparently related to the voter lists. The section also includes nomination petitions and a sample of the large volume of memoranda, probably dating from 1904, which has been retained to indicate the operation of the campaign office.

The correspondence consists of routine office mail from La Follette's Senatorial campaign of 1922 (signed by Robert M. La Follette, Jr.) and from the Wisconsin organization of La Follette's 1924 Presidential campaign. These are arranged alphabetically by county, and chronologically within each county unit. The 1924 correspondence includes contribution forms listing names, occupations, and amounts of contributions.

Series 5: Financial Records

The financial records, which derive chiefly from the pre-1900 period, consist of six types of materials: checks, check stubs, deposit books, bills and receipts, the personal financial records of Samuel A. Harper, and the records of La Follette, Harper, Roe, and Zimmerman.

In processing the collection no attempt was made to separate personal and business records or to divide the materials according to respective banking accounts. Thus, the types of materials to be found in the series range from grocery bills to itemized expenditures for political campaigns to carbons of the charges for legal services. In addition, the series includes a few personal financial records from La Follette's years as governor of Wisconsin.

The personal financial records of Samuel A. Harper include an account book and checks.

The financial records of La Follette, Harper, Roe, and Zimmerman consist of nine volumes of journals, ledgers, and cashbooks. The account journals are arranged by case and include daily entries for charges and services rendered.

Series 6: Miscellaneous Volumes

This short series consists of seven shorthand notebooks, a register of letters of application and endorsement, and two volumes from La Follette's law practice. The shorthand notebooks contain notations in the Pitman system; although the majority appear to be letters, longer sections may be dictated notes for speeches or articles.

Series 7: Additions

Primarily records on the Wisconsin Republican Party similar to those in Series 4, these materials include lists of the County Republican Committee members for each county in the state (1894); voter lists (1895, 1896, 1898, 1900-1904); and some miscellaneous correspondence regarding the voter lists. The voter lists fill some of the gaps in Series 4 of the microfilm edition and are arranged by year and then alphabetically by county and township. There are extensive lists for 1895 and 1900 but only scattered ones for the other years. The 1895 lists request the names of active Republicans and were sent out by La Follette's law partner Samuel Harper under the auspices of the Wisconsin Republican League. The various other mailings requested names of the Republican Township Committees and other active party members, names of influential Scandinavian Republicans, or names of “fair-minded Democrats.” All lists include addresses and generally either the occupation or nationality of those listed.

The record of applications and endorsements from La Follette's first gubernatorial administration includes requests ranging from janitorial positions to appointment to the State Board of Control. The record shows the name of the applicant, type of position desired, and names of those endorsing each applicant. Also present is an unidentified shorthand notebook probably in the Pitman system.