Special Collections and University Archives

Located on the 25th floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library (open Monday through Friday,10 am-3 pm), the Special Collections and University Archives Department holds a number of manuscript collections that may be of interest to those conducting research in political science including the following:

Note: This listing is not exhaustive.

Anti-Slavery pamphlets
Principally United States with emphasis on anti-slavery movements in New England, especially Massachusetts, 1725-1911; includes speeches, sermons, proceedings of meetings, and publications of societies, including the American Colonization Society; some pro-slavery items

Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.Hampshire-Franklin Counties Chapter Records, 1947-73.
Administrative records, including minutes and correspondence of the Executive Committee, 1960-1973; correspondence and general files of chairmen Philip Eddy (1967-1968), David E. Matz (1969-1972), and Donn Kesselheim (1972-1973); as well as correspondence, briefs, and clippings related to legal cases and inquiries undertaken by the chapter.

John W. Haigis Papers
Western Massachusetts political leader, publisher, and banker (1881-1960), Trustee of the University of Massachusetts (1940-1956), and founder, editor and publisher of the Greenfield Recorder newspaper (1912-1928); political positions included State Representative (1909-1913), State Senator (1913-1915, 1923-27), and State Treasurer (1929-1930); in 1934, was Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, and in 1936, candidate for Governor.

League of Women Voters (Amherst) Records, 1939-
Non-partisan political organization based in Amherst that influences public policy through education and advocacy by registering voters, organizing candidate forums, publishing voting guides, and disseminating general information on the legislative process and the functioning of government on the local, state, and federal levels. Collection includes minutes, annual reports, financial records, publications, extensive files on specific programs, photographs, video- and audio-tapes, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings. Also contains information on two league members who rose to national prominence: Lucy Wilson Benson (Under Secretary of State in the federal government in 1977) and Jane F. Garvey (Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in 1997).

Maurice Donahue Papers
Elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1948 as part of its first Democratic majority. In 1950, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate, became Senate Majority Leader in 1958, and in 1964, became Senate President, a position he held until 1971 when he took the position of Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute for Governmental Services at the University of Massachusetts.

Silvio O. Conte Congressional Papers
U.S. Representative for the First District of Massachusetts, 1959-1991. He served on the House Appropriations Committee, 1959-1991 and as ranking minority member 1979-1991. He was a leader in Congress in the areas of Health and Human Services, Education and the Environment.

W.E.B. Du Bois Papers
Scholar, author in many genres, co-founder Niagara Movement and NAACP, crusading editor of The Crisis and other journals, convener of Pan African Congresses, international spokesperson for peace and for the rights of oppressed minorities. A son of Massachusetts who articulated the strivings of African Americans and demonstrated the significance of Black culture before a world audience.

University records are also located in the Special Collections and University Archives Department. Some collections of interest to those in political science include: records of student organizations and groups, including publications, that document student political views and activities, particularly around current issues of the day such as Vietnam war, women's rights, preservation of the environment, Affirmative Action, AIDS, etc.; papers of political science faculty at the University.