Collections: Politics

The Archives maintains a substantial number of the collections on Colorado politics and politicians, both republican and democratic. These collections include the papers of long-term U.S. Representatives and Senators, State office holders, political aspirants, partisan organizations and issue-oriented activists.

These materials include: diaries, correspondence, constituency files, campaign materials and papers of career legislators; political correspondence and activity records of one-time or aspiring office holders; the office files of single issue or public interest organizations; and the political materials within larger organizations such as labor unions and the University of Colorado. Diaries, journals, and correspondence of early Colorado politicians describe the issues surrounding the settlement and economic promotion of Colorado, including the issues of Populism, temperance, strikes, and Progressivism. Major legislative collections pertain to the period between World War II and 1970, dealing with such topics as water resources, economic growth, labor relations, the Cold War, and party politics.

Since 1970, individual legislative collections have mushroomed in volume, including topics such as the environment, military affairs, growth control, Watergate, welfare, and minority issues, in an ever wider array of public concerns. These same issues are reflected in those portions of collections of part-time political office holders and candidates. The papers of single issue and constituency groups reflect the interaction between lobbying groups and the federal and state government in the areas of labor, agriculture, peace, women, temperance, and the environment. The various levels of political party activity are revealed in both organizational and personal collections.

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