The Biographical Files provide background on Conte's life and political career. This series has been artificially created by drawing from other series within the collection. Materials within folders in this series are arranged chronologically and include biographical sketches generated by aides; feature articles on Conte; transcripts of interviews; guest lists and notes regarding both of Conte's well-known annual celebrations the Labor Day Atlantic salmon party (1985-1989) and his birthday party (1983-1986) at the Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C. There are also obituaries and several folders containing newsclips with substantive biographical content. This series contains a compilation of the famed rhymes he recited on the House floor and a few of his published writings. Tax returns from 1959 to 1975, and a few cards and notes from family members round out this key series.

The State Senate Files document Conte's eight-year tenure as a Massachusetts State Senator representing the Berkshire District. This series makes possible insight into Conte's formative years as a politician and public servant. The files reflect Conte's early involvement in what would become his major career interests: health and human services, education, the environment, and transportation. As a State Senator he served on more committees than had any other member of the state Legislature, and was the youngest legislator, in the history of the Commonwealth, to serve as chairman of the important Committee on Insurance.

This series documents his extensive involvement in legislative and investigative committees and his correspondence with constituents. Included in the nine boxes are campaign materials, correspondence, speeches, and subject files.

The one box of campaign materials is arranged in chronological order according to campaign year. Files for each campaign include addresses, correspondence with constituents and colleagues, newspaper clippings, endorsements, and campaign expenditures. Senator Conte's campaign addresses are particularly useful in revealing his political convictions as well as issues central to 1950s politics.

The four boxes of correspondence are the largest group of files within the State Senator series and reveal his diligent attention to his district's concerns and his dedication to serving his constituency. The correspondence, comprised of both incoming and outgoing letters, is almost entirely constituent-oriented with nearly one quarter of the correspondence consisting of general requests made by constituents, all of which were dutifully completed. The files are arranged both alphabetically by the name of the correspondent and by general subject.

Perhaps more than any other group of files in this series, Conte's speeches reveal his personality and opinions. Conte's speeches were candid, often humorous, and suggest that he was not afraid of difficult fights. The box of speeches is arranged in alphabetical order by subject or location of speech. Often folders contain more than one speech made on a single subject.

The subject files consist of three boxes and are arranged alphabetically. Each subject file contains an assortment of materials including correspondence, background material, newsclippings and Conte's handwritten notes. Most of the files pertain to legislation or committee activity. Prominent issues reflecting public sentiment during the 1950s McCarthyism, the Cold War and defense spending, unions, and the push for public works are recurring themes. During his years as a State Senator, Conte was particularly well known for his investigative work into mismanagement of union health and welfare trust funds; for authoring legislation establishing accident and health insurance for all state, city, town, and county employees, the first such law in the United States; and for introducing a bill outlawing communism in Massachusetts.

Also well documented in the subject files is his interest in the environment, evidenced in his work as chairman of the Conservation Committee and illustrated by his repeated efforts to obtain new state conservation and recreation areas.

His efforts to curb juvenile delinquency and his investigations of such health insurance agencies as Blue Cross and Blue Shield foretold his future vigorous support for health and social service programs in Congress. Conte also received attention for his vehement opposition to Governor Foster Furculo's proposal to establish the first sales tax in Massachusetts.

Included in the subject files are five folders of newsclippings provided by a newsclip service to which Conte subscribed. The clippings are extremely useful in obtaining background information on Conte's legislative and campaign activities.

The variety of subjects represented shows the diversity of Conte's interests, ranging from farming legislation to foreign affairs, and from an investigation of Gypsy Moths to authorship of a "Witches Bill" which exonerated the final eight victims of the Salem Witch Trials. Many topics represented in the subject files also appear in the State Senate speech files.

The 10 boxes in this series consist of accepted invitations and daily schedules. The original size of this series was reduced by sampling. Whenever possible daily and weekly summary sheets of Conte's appointments were retained. Arranged chronologically, this series reveals the sheer volume and diversity of requests made on the Congressman's time.

The 80 scrapbooks in this collection cover Conte's eight years in the State Senate as well as every year Conte was in Congress. Compiled by staff, the majority of the scrapbooks comprise news clippings in which Conte's name appears. There are also campaign scrapbooks from the years 1952, 1954, 1958, 1960 (2), 1964, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, topical scrapbooks on the 1976 Republican presidential primary, the 1976 election, the 1980 election, the Fall 1987 budget appropriations process and three scrapbooks documenting the annual congressional baseball game for the years 1973-1974 and 1977-1979.

There is a small amount of memorabilia contained in Series 8. Items include a model General Electric power transformer, a framed Treasury check payable to the University of Massachusetts, and House of Representatives cufflinks. There are numerous campaign pins, bumper stickers, and fliers.

A few of the many plaques and awards Conte received over the years can be found here as well. These have been listed below in chronological order.

The Voting Record contains printed summaries of Conte's votes in Congress. In addition to the record supplied each member by the House Clerk, this series also includes vote analyses supplied by special interest organizations such as the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Farmer's Union. From the 86th to 89th Congresses there are charts comparing Conte's vote with the votes of House and Senate leadership and the GOP; and from the 87th to 91st Congresses there are useful summaries that provide a synopsis of the bill's intent and the rationale for Conte's vote.

Beginning with the 99th and continuing through to the 102nd congress the more voluminous Clerk-produced "Legislative Activity Guides" replace the smaller Roll Calls. To supplement these guides there are "Legi-Slate" reports for the 98th and 99th congresses. These reports were obtained for members by the Congressional Research Service using a commercial on-line database and are simply a compilation of all votes by the congressman for that particular session, with a short explanation of the bill.

Series 3, House Appropriations Committee Files, consists of the files created and maintained by the minority staff assistants who helped Conte to meet the responsibilities of his position as ranking minority member of the Appropriations Committee.

This series does not fully cover Conte's Appropriations Committee activities. Prior to Conte becoming ranking minority member in 1979, most appropriations-related materials were filed by his staff in the Legislative Subject/Correspondence files.

The files span the 1970's through 1991, and contain documentation of many of Conte's favorite issues and important legislative initiatives. In addition to a subseries for each subcommittee, there are also subseries for General Budget Files, Correspondence, and Markup Books.

Several of the subseries have been further divided. The Interior Subcommittee files have been subdivided into four segments: Acid Rain files, Department of Energy files, Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC), and Tim Shea Subject Files. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee files have been further divided into Health and Human Services (HHS) files and Education and Labor files and the one box of materials on the Joint Commission on the Coinage has been placed under Treasury-Postal Service Subcommittee files.

There are no files on the Legislative Subcommittee or the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary.

The General Budget Files represent files not directly related to any one subcommittee but created as a result of Conte's leadership role and expertise in the appropriations process.

Subseries 3l, Markup Books, consists of the background information compiled by staffers in their effort to monitor Subcommittee Appropriations bills. The typical markup book consists of a looseleaf binder containing budget justification tables, correspondence from lobbying groups, committee recommendations, report language, and floor statements.

Subseries 3m, two boxes, Appropriations Correspondence, consists of copies of minority staff assistants' outgoing correspondence, filed by the name of the staff member within chronological periods.

This series contains legislative materials relating to Conte's place on the District of Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee. Part of a group of appropriations subcommittee files maintained by Tim Shea, they have been segregated to reflect the work of the individual subcommittee. Although supplemental appropriations bills are all-encompassing, that is, not tied to individual subcommittees, supplemental issues relating only to District of Columbia appropriations have been included in this series.

The files relating to the Subcommittee on Energy and Water of the House Appropriations Committee contain materials relating to passage of specific appropriation bills and supplementals as well as to subjects of both one-time and ongoing interest. These subjects include the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), which provided federally funded employment through energy and water related projects and the Conte-sponsored "Buy American" provisions for government procurement contracts, particularly aimed at helping General Electric obtain contracts to provide generating equipment to hydroelectric plants. (Files related to JTPA can also be found in the L-HHS-ED Subcommittee files, Labor and Education subseries.) The appropriations bills are arranged chronologically by fiscal year and subject files follow in alphabetical order.

Also of interest are several files on individual hydroelectric projects, notably the Garrison project in North Dakota and the Dickey-Lincoln Lakes School project in northern New England, which illustrate Conte's efforts to balance clean energy production with the potentially devastating consequences of dam building to wetlands, conservation areas, and wildlife. Conte's dual concern for environmental and fiscal issues is also apparent in his opposition to the Clinch River breeder reactor and the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) projects. Many of the projects overseen and funded by the Subcommittee on Energy and Water were once the province of the now defunct Subcommittee on Public Works. For this reason some material in these files, generated during the latter part of the 1970s, may seem out of place here. Another issue outside the province of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water is the Synfuels debate. This Department of Energy issue relates to the Interior Subcommittee. Nevertheless, several folders of Synfuels material appear in this series.

In general, these files consist of materials relating directly to markup and passage of appropriations bills, including (but not limited to) floor statements, hearing materials, amendments, conference notes, staff memos and correspondence from colleagues, constituents and lobbying groups. Subject files contain correspondence of the types just mentioned, staff memos, newsclippings, and some printed materials from lobbying groups.

There is also material relating to First District projects funded by the energy and water appropriations bill in the Project/Grant Series.