James Francis O'Connor Papers - Archives West (original) (raw)

Overview of the Collection

Creator

O'Connor, James Francis, 1878-1945

Title

James Francis O'Connor Papers

Dates

1937-1945

19371945

Quantity

3 linear feet

Collection Number

Collection 1059, MtBC, us (collection)

Summary

The James Francis O'Connor Papers consists of papers and correspondence from O'Connor's Livingston office. Topics include: O'Connor's ranch properties in Park County, MT, the WPA, Farm Credit Administration, House Committee on Indian Affairs, the America First Committee, the Fort Peck Dam, Senator James E. Murray, and Senator Burton K. Wheeler. The collection also contains newspaper clippings pertaining to O'Connor, speeches both in Montana and in Congress, and photographs of O'Connor, family, and associates.

Repository

Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages

English

Sponsor

Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

James Francis O'Connor was born May 7, 1878, near California Junction, Iowa. He attended public and normal schools in that state and graduated from the Nebraska Law School in 1904. He came to Montana in 1905 and practiced law in Livingston. He began his public career as a judge of the Sixth Judicial District and becoming a member of the Democratic Party. Later he was elected to the Montana House of Representatives and was elected Speaker in his first term. During much of his career he owned a ranch near White Sulphur Springs. In 1936 he was elected to the U.S. Congress from the Second District, representing eastern Montana, and was re-elected in 1938, 1940, 1942, and 1944. He served on several committees and was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. He died on January 13, 1945, while serving in Congress. His only son, Miles O'Connor, died the same year.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of 3 linear feet of papers and correspondence from O'Connor's Livingston office. The papers are arranged in topically labeled folders with a general effort to sort the material chronologically. Original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained. Series 1 contains papers pertaining to O'Connor's ranch properties in Park County, MT. Series 2 contains topical files concerning a wide variety of subject matter, including: the WPA, Farm Credit Administration, House Committee on Indian Affairs, the America First Committee, the Fort Peck Dam, Senator James E. Murray, and Senator Burton K. Wheeler. Newspaper clippings pertaining to O'Connor are arranged in Series 3 under broad subject headings. Series 4 contains a number of O'Connor's speeches both in Montana and in Congress arranged chronologically from 1937 to 1944. Series 5 contains 15 photographs of O'Connor, family, and associates.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1 Ranch Papers, 1931-1945

Series 2 Topical Files, 1937-1945

Series 3 Newspaper Clippings, 1942, undated

Series 4 Speeches, 1937-1944

Series 5 Photographs

Acquisition Information

Papers and correspondence from the office of U.S. Representative James Francis O'Connor of Montana were donated to Special Collections by Mrs. Geneva Lott of Livingston, Montana, the Congressman's only daughter, in 1970. The collection consists of office files kept in the Livingston office of Rep. O'Connor during his career in the U.S. House of Representatives. The office was managed by Miles O'Connor, the Congressman's son, who was also his law partner.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 19

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Ranch papers, 1931-1945Return to Top

Handwritten and carbon copies of typed letters relating to O'Connor's ranch properties in Park County, Montana. Includes letters to his hired men during his terms in Washington D.C. regarding management of his ranches.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1 2K Ranch, Elmer Dobson correspondence 1942-1943
1/2 2K Ranch, J. Kirchbaum correspondence 1931-1938
1/3 2K Ranch, Kirchbaum correspondence 1939-1940
1/4 2K Ranch, Kirchbaum correspondence 1941-1942
1/5 2K Ranch, Kirchbaum, correspondence 1943-1945

Series 2: Topical files, 1937-1945Return to Top

Papers and correspondence pertaining to a wide range of topics and arranged chronologically by year (whenever possible). Folder titles are, for the most part, original and generally denote the issues which were of interest at different periods of O'Connor's stay in the House of Representatives including the WPA, Farm Credit Administration, the Democratic Party, Indian Affairs, the America First Committee, Senator James E. Murray and Senator Burton K. Wheeler. Folders in Box 5 have been taken out of the chronological sequence since their contents are not restricted to a single year.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/6 Drought Crisis 1937
1/7 WPA
1/8 WPA and the Drought Crisis 1937
1/9 Henry A. Wallace 1937
1/10 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1937
1/11 Farm Credit Administration 1937
1/12 Farm Credit Administration, Special Cases 1937
1/13 Farmer's Union 1937
1/14 Federal Land Bank 1937
1/15 Fort Peck Dam 1937
1/16 Home Loans 1937
1/17 Labor Unions 1937
1/18 Correspondence 1937
2/1 Department of Agriculture 1937
2/2 Appointments (Requests for) 1937
2/3 Correspondence, Requests 1938
2/4 Great Falls to Receive Federal Crop Ins. 1938
2/5 Public Debt 1938
2/6 Correspondence 1939
2/7 Announcement of Candidacy 1940
2/8 Campaign Appointments 1940
2/9 Correspondence, Democratic Committee, etc. 1940
2/10 Correspondence, Democratic Party
2/11 Correspondence, Individuals 1940
2/12 Campaign Correspondence, Attorneys 1940
2/13 Correspondence, Associations, Agencies 1940
2/14 Form Letters 1940
2/15 Campaign Advertising 1940
2/16 Indian Vote (Rober Yellowtail) 1940
2/17 Lewistown Postmaster Affair 1940
3/1 Labor Unions 1940
3/2 U.S. Cabinet, etc. 1940
3/3 U.S. Congress, Lyndon B. Johnson, John W. McCormack, Sam Rayburn 1940
3/4 Thank You Letters, Campaign 1940
3/5 Election Returns 1940
3/6 Congratulations 1940
3/7 Correspondence 1941
3/8 Criticism of Administration 1941
3/9 Labor Unions 1941
3/10 Announcement and Filing 1942
3/11 Correspondence 1942
3/12 Correspondence, general July-December 1942
3/13 Form Letters 1942
3/14 Democratic Committees (National) 1942
3/15 Democratic Committees (State) 1942
3/16 Democratic Workers (State) 1942
3/17 Form Letters about campaign announcement 1942
4/1 Correspondence about Candidacy 1942
4/2 Postmasters 1942
4/3 Correspondence from VIPs, Sam Rayburn, etc. 1942
4/4 Government Officials, general correspondence and Papers 1942
4/5 Campaign Materials 1942
4/6 About F.F. Haynes, Campaign Opponent 1942
4/7 James Murray, FDR, etc. 1942
4/8 Campaign Correspondence, Clippings, Jerry O'Connell 1942
4/9 Indian Vote 1942
4/10 Labor Unions 1942
4/11 Correspondence, Congratulations 1942
4/12 Bridger Times Condemns O'Connor 1942
4/13 Controversy over News Stories 1942
4/14 Murray, Sen. James campaign of 1942
4/15 Voting Record 1942
4/16 Columnists Drew Pearson and Robert Allen attack O'Connor
4/17 Cut Bank Pioneer Press Endorsement of O'Connor, Criticism of Murray
4/18 Letters of Congratulation 1942
4/19 Thank You Letters 1942
4/20 Election Returns 1942
4/21 Certificates of Election
4/22 Correspondence 1943
4/23 Obituaries and Memorials 1945
5/1 Unamerican Activities Smear 1941-1942
5/2 Unamerican Activities Smear, "People's Voice"
5/3 Vocational Education
5/4 Fraser, Willard
5/5 Haynes Fritz 1942
5/6 Melvin Hoiness GOP Opponent 1942
5/7 Murray, Sen. James E.
5/8 O'Connell, Jerry 1940
5/9 America First, Correspondence about
5/10 Crop Loans
5/11 Fish
5/12 Forest Service
5/13 Ft. Harrison Reopenings 1937-1938
5/14 Fort Peck Dam 1937-1938
5/15 Ft. Peck Game Reserve
5/16 Freight Rates, all years
5/17 Housing
6/1 Sugar
6/2 Supreme Court Packing Issue
6/3 Townsend Plan 1937-1942
6/4 Wheeler, Burton K., correspondence

Series 3: Newspaper clippings, 1942, undatedReturn to Top

Newspaper clippings from the period of O'Connor's Congressional terms. Clippings are of both articles and editorials, and are taken from numerous state and national newspapers, including the Great Falls Tribune, the Miles City Star, the Livingston Enterprise, and many others. Topics covered include O'Connor's campaigns, isolationism during the pre-war period, the America First Committee, FDR, the Democratic Party, and others. Clippings are arranged loosely by topic. In some cases, an entire newspaper page is included, and the article of scrutiny is marked. Box 8 contains two scrapbooks of mounted clippings.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6/5 Roosevelt 1942
6/6 Social Problems 1942
6/7 Labor and the War 1942
6/8 War Effort 1942
6/9 Montana 1942
6/10 O'Connor
6/11 O'Connor
6/12 O'Connor
6/13 Other Democrats
6/14 Roosevelt
6/15 War Effort
6/16 Political Issues-National
7/1 Political Issues-Montana
7/2 Indian Problems
7/3 Lindbergh, Col. Charles A.
Box
8 Scrapbooks2 volumes

Series 4: Speeches, 1937-1944Return to Top

Speeches delivered by Rep. O'Connor and others between 1937-1944. Some speeches were delivered in the House of Representatives and printed in the Congressional Record. Others are photostatic copies or typed pages. Topics include foreign affairs, farm production, election matters, Lend-Lease and other legislation.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
7/4 "Indians, Their Lands, Rights...Crow Indians of Montana" Congressional Record June 15, 1937
7/5 "Necessity for General Farm Legislation", "Crop Ins." Congressional Record August 5, 1937; August 10, 1937
7/6 "My Report..." (O'Connor's Activities in His 1st Session) August 16, 1937
7/7 "Pending Farm Legislation" Speech on CBS Radio December 20, 1937
7/8 "General Welfare Act...", "Plight of the Farmer", Congressional Record May 25, 1938; May 31, 1938
7/9 Speeches to Montanans 1938
7/10 "Our Duty to the Aged" Congressional Record May 31, 1939
7/11 "Neutrality" Congressional Record October 31, 1939
7/12 "My Fellow Democrats" Campaign Speeches in Montana 1940
7/13 "Reciprocal Trade", "Reclamation", "Townsend Plan", Congressional Record February 26, 1940; March 5, 1940; May 6, 1940
7/14 "Sugar Legislation", "National Farm Program", Congressional Record June 20, 1940; July 1, 1940
7/15 "Manufacturers' Sales Tax", Congressional Record March 26, 1941
7/16 "Lend-Lease Bill", Congressional Record February 17, 1941
7/17 "Old-Age Pensions", Congressional Record February 18, 1941
7/18 Indian Affairs April 14, 1941
7/19 "Extension of Sugar Act" December 1, 1941
7/20 "Hon. Charles Leavy", "Sugar...Industrial Alcohol", "Purchasing Power", Congressional Record February 19, 1942; April 27, 1942; June 1, 1942
7/21 "Nation's Part in War...", "Food Production...in War", Congressional Record June 25, 1942; September 22, 1942
7/22 Campaign Speeches in Montana Some by Miles O'Connor 1942
7/23 Speeches in Progress, Fragments of Speeches 1942
7/24 "Report to Montana", Congressional Record September 18, 1944
7/25 Speech to Montana Democratic Party audiotape reel and CD 1944

Series 5: PhotographsReturn to Top

15 black and white photographs of Rep. O'Connor, his home and family, and associates. Size varies from 4" × 5" to 8" × 10". Six autographed photographs of portraits including Sam Rayburn, are included. (Photographs 1-8 have matching negatives included in the folder.)

Container(s) Description
Box/Folder
7/26
#1: O'Connor with son Miles at ranch
#2: O'Connor with wife
#3: O'Connor's house in Livingston
#4: O'Connor's house in Livingston
#5: O'Connor with grandsons
#6: O'Connor and family
#7: O'Connor riding horse in Livingston parade
#8: O'Connor in Livingston parade
#9: Autographed Portrait of Sam Rayburn
#10: Group of Men at Office Table
#11: Autographed Portrait of E. E. Cox
#12: Autographed Portrait of J. Burrwood Daley
#13: Autographed Portrait [Raymand Genune?]
#14: Autographed Portrait [Paul Green?]
#15: Autographed Portrait [T. Leavy?]

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Personal Names

Corporate Names

Geographical Names