Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
League of Women Voters of Walla Walla County Records, 1949-1988
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- League of Women Voters (Walla Walla, Wash.)
- Title
- League of Women Voters of Walla Walla County Records
- Dates
- 1949-1988 (inclusive)19491988
- Quantity
- 9.8 linear feet, (17 boxes)
- Collection Number
- WCMss.026
- Summary
- Administrative records, publications, and scrapbooks of the League of Women Voters of Walla Walla County, a non-partisan organization dedicated to the political education of American citizens.
- Repository
-
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The League of Women Voters, a national organization committed to the political education of all American citizens, was founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt. The League is a non-partisan group that strives to assist voters in making informed decisions at the polls. A grassroots organization, the League works at the national, state, and local level.
The League of Women Voters of Walla Walla County appears to have been founded as a provisional league in 1949. The Walla Walla League achieved full League membership status in 1953. Its first president was Mrs. W. A. Story. The governance structure of the League included a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and First and Second Vice Presidents. The League's board of directors was not a policy making board. Rather, members set priorities and made decisions, and the board carried them out. Membership was originally open to women only; between the 1970s and early 1980s, membership was opened to men.
The League was very active in local and state government. It hosted candidate forums, held information sessions on ballot initiatives, conducted studies of schools and government at the city and county level, and campaigned for state legislative redistricting. The League also wrote reports on a number of local issues, created educational brochures for the citizens of Walla Walla, and participated in local debates on issues ranging from water use to juvenile protection. Local issues of particular importance include the campaign to institute a council-manager form of government in the city of Walla Walla and the effort to move the Walla Walla fire station.
In the 1980s, the Walla Walla League of Women Voters experienced difficulties in recruiting members with the time and willingness to serve the organization. While membership remained relatively strong, active membership declined precipitously. It appears that the organization ceased to exist in 1988.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection documents both the history of the League of Women Voters as an organization and the political history of the city and county of Walla Walla. It therefore provides a wealth of information about both women's political activity in the Walla Walla Valley and important political and social issues for the citizens of the City and County of Walla Walla. The Scrapbook and Minutes series contain the most information about the League itself, while the Publications and Miscellaneous have more content relating to political life in the Walla Walla Valley.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
1: Scrapbooks, 1952-1978Return to Top
Primarily consist of newspaper clippings concerning League news and state, regional, and local political news. Topics covered include water resources, urban development, child care, education, population growth, juvenile protection, city and county government financing, and state and local elections.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Scrapbooks |
1952-1964 |
| 2 | Scrapbooks |
1965-1970 |
| 3 | Scrapbooks |
1970-1975 |
| 4 | Scrapbooks |
1975-1978 |
2: Minutes, 1949-1988Return to Top
This series contains minutes of several types of meetings. The minutes of Board Meetings contain information on activities of the organization, such as updates on projects, committee reports, and summaries of correspondence received by the board. Files also include meeting agendas, membership lists, and treasurer's reports. Annual Meeting minutes document the annual expenditures of the Walla Walla League and the election of League leaders. These files also include meeting agendas and reports (Researchers should note that the 1953 annual meeting minutes are filed with the board minutes). The minutes of the Morning Unit Group seems to document the activities of leading members of the Walla Walla Provisional League of Women Voters.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 5 | 1-7 | Board Meeting Minutes |
1949-1969 |
| 6 | 1-3 | Board Meeting Minutes |
1970-1988 |
| 6 | 4-5 | Annual Meeting Minutes |
1956-1986 |
| 6 | 6 | Unit Meeting Minutes |
1952-1953 |
| 6 | 7 | State Board Minutes and Agenda |
1986-1987 |
3: Publications, 1952-1988Return to Top
The majority of this series consists of the Walla Walla League of Women Voters newsletter (1953-1988). Its name changed many times over its run: from "Bulletin" to "Walla Walla Voter" to "Voter" to "Bulletin" to "Walla Walla Voter" again. White papers, reports, pamphlets, and other Walla Walla League publications may be found in this series as well. The series is rounded out by an assorted collection of Washington State and National League of Women Voters reports and publications, as well as a selection of white papers, reports, and ephemera pertaining to Walla Walla and the state of Washington.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 7 | 1 | "Bulletin" |
1953-1957 |
| 7 | 2-3 | "Walla Walla Voter" |
1957-1966 |
| 7 | 4 | "Voter" |
1966-1968 |
| 7 | 5 | "Bulletin" |
1969-1972 |
| 7 | 6-7 | "Walla Walla Voter" |
1972-1977 |
| 8 | 1-2 | "Walla Walla Voter" |
1978-1988 |
| 8 | 3 | Miscellaneous Walla Walla LWV Publications |
1952-1977 |
| 13 | 1 | Washington LWV "Legislative Newsletter" |
1986-1987 |
| 13 | 2 | "Washington State Voter" |
1953-1959, 1979-1987 |
| 13 | 3 | Washington LWV "Facts and Issues" |
1968-1976 |
| 8 | 4-5 | Miscellaneous Washington LWV Publications |
1950-1987 |
| 9 | 1 | "National Voter" |
1952-1967 |
Miscellaneous National LWV Publications |
1946-1987 | ||
| 9 | 3-4 | Miscellaneous Walla Walla Publications |
1952-1982 |
| 9 | 5 | Miscellaneous Washington State Publications |
1946-1960 |
4: Miscellaneous, 1950-1987Return to Top
This series includes: clippings, State and National Annual Reports, financial information, membership information, a subject file on Council-Manager city governance in Walla Walla (includes an oral history interview with transcript), Congressional correspondence primarily between the Walla Walla LWV and members of US Congress such as Henry M. Jackson, Warren G. Magnuson, and Catherine May, a subject file on the Fire Station Move (includes a copy of the lawsuit files against the city of Walla Walla), and two sound recordings ("A message from Ruth Clusen for all League members" appealing for donations to the League's ERA Special Fund and Miss Babara Ward: "Economic Policy for a Free World," Mrs. Phillips, Secretary Wirtz' formal address, President Johnson complete address). Walla Walla LWV activities such as hosting forums and other programs are also documented in the files. In addition, several files include reference information on local, state, and national topics of interest to the Walla Walla LWV.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | |||
| 1 | Account Book |
1967-1977 | |
| Folder | |||
| 13 | 5 | Annexation |
1976-1977 |
| 13 | 6 | Ballot Issues |
1985-1986 |
| 13 | 7 | Budgets -- Local |
1983-1986 |
| 13 | 8 | By-laws Local and Current |
1983 |
| 13 | 9 | Campaign Financing |
1983-1985 |
| 13 | 10 | Candidates Forum |
1974-1985 |
| 13 | 11 | Candidates Meetings |
1974-1983 |
| 13 | 12 | Chamber of Commerce Award |
1975-1976 |
| 14 | 1 | City-Council Committee |
1973-1988 |
| 14 | 2 | Civil Rights |
1984-1985 |
Clippings |
1954-1975 | ||
| 14 | 4 | Columbia Gorge Legislation |
1986-1987 |
| 14 | 5 | Committee Reports |
1967-1977 |
| 14 | 6 | Con-Con (Constitutional Convention) |
1968-1977 |
| 10 | 4 | Congressional Correspondence |
1952-1962 |
| 14 | 7 | Convention -- State |
1985 |
| 14 | 8 | Council-Manager Government |
1954-1987 |
| 11 | 5 | Council-Manager Government Committee |
1974-1975 |
| 11 | 1 | Council-Manager Government Correspondence |
1950-1959 |
| 11 | 6 | Council-Manager Government Oral History with Dorothy Robinson |
1987 |
| 11 | 3-4 | Council-Manager Miscellany |
1952-1977 |
| 11 | 2 | Council-Manager Notes |
1973-1975 |
| 12 | 1 | Council-Manager Scrapbook |
1959-1980 |
| 14 | 9 | Debates -- National |
1983-1987 |
| 14 | 10 | Dept. Functions -- City |
1956-1976 |
| 14 | 11 | Dept. Functions -- County |
1973-1976 |
| 14 | 12 | Domestic Violence Task Force |
1985 |
| 15 | 1 | Energy |
1976-1984 |
| 15 | 2 | Excellence in Education |
1983-1987 |
| 15 | 3 | Federal Lands Local Survey |
1983-1985 |
| 15 | 4 | Finance Drive |
1980-1987 |
| 10 | 5 | Financial Information |
1975-1987 |
| 10 | 7 | Fire Station Move |
1973-1975 |
| 15 | 5 | Hanford Forum |
1986 |
| 15 | 6 | Historical Material -- Local |
1974-1985 |
| 15 | 7 | Initiative 350 -- Education |
1978 |
| 15 | 8 | International Relations -- State |
1985 |
| 15 | 9 | Justice |
1975-1983 |
| 15 | 10 | Land Use -- State |
1975-1983 |
| 15 | 11 | League History |
1983-1986 |
| 15 | 12 | League Lingo |
1967 |
| 15 | 15 | LWV -- Local and State 1970s for Archives |
1959-1978 |
| 15 | 13 | LWV Archives 1980s |
1975-1983 |
| 15 | 16 | LWV Publicity |
1982-1985 |
| 15 | 18 | LWV Silver Jubilee |
1979 |
| 15 | 17 | LWV W2 Co. Policy Statement |
1975 |
| 15 | 14 | LWV: Human Resources |
1977-1985 |
| 15 | 19 | Media Clippings |
1983-1986 |
| 10 | 6 | Membership Information |
1952-1987; undated |
| 15 | 20-21 | Membership Lists |
1954-1987 |
| 16 | 1 | Membership Lists and Program Material |
1951-1956 |
| 16 | 2 | Membership Orientation |
1960-1977 |
| 12 | 3 | Miscellany |
1952-1987 |
| 16 | 3 | National Convention |
1986 |
| 16 | 4 | National Program |
undated |
| 16 | 5 | National Security |
1985-1987 |
| 16 | 6 | Nuclear Waste Hanford Site |
1985-1986 |
| 16 | 7 | Position Papers |
1977, 1983 |
| 16 | 8 | President's Packet |
1985-1986 |
| 16 | 9 | Program Planning |
1973-1987 |
| 16 | 10 | Representative Government Portfolio |
1971-1975 |
| 16 | 11 | Schools -- Local |
1975-1984 |
| 12 | 2 | Sound Recordings |
circa 1975; undated |
| 10 | 1-3 | State and National Annual Reports |
1955-1981 |
| 16 | 12 | State Board Reports |
1980-1987 |
| 16 | 13 | State Children's Services |
1985-1986 |
| 16 | 14 | Taxation -- State |
1975-1987 |
| 16 | 15 | Transportation |
1974 |
| 16 | 16 | Treasurer's Report |
1983-1987 |
| 16 | 17 | Unit Meeting Reports |
1983-1987 |
| 16 | 18 | USA Natural Resources |
1983 |
| 16 | 19 | Veterans Administration Proposal |
1986-1987 |
| 16 | 20 | Voter Material |
1984 |
| 16 | 21 | Water Activities in WW Mill Creek Watershed County |
1973-1987 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Colleen McFarland, Emi Hastings, and Janet Mallen
2006
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
