COLLECTION FINDING AID



GWEN A. ANDERSON FILES, 1974-77

 Deputy Assistant to Counsellor Robert T. Hartmann;
Director of Presidential Messages and Research, Editorial Staff





CONTENTS

Summary Description | Biographical Information | Introduction | Series Descriptions | Container List

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Primarily material prepared or accumulated by Anderson documenting her work scheduling presidential appearances, acting as liaison with local, state and national Republican party organizations, and responding to requests for presidential assistance. Extensive materials relate to the 1976 presidential campaign.

QUANTITY
 11.6 linear feet (ca. 23,200 pages)

DONOR
 Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77‑42, 77‑107, 83‑26)

ACCESS
 Open. Some items may be temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT
 Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION


Guinevere (Gwen) A. Anderson


June 3, 1930 - Born, Lignite, North Dakota

1968 - Office Manager, Nixon for President Committee, Seattle, Washington

1968‑72 - Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman, Washington State Republican Central Committee

1971‑72 - Owner and manager, Val-Mar Employment Service, Richland, Washington

1972 - Executive Director, Washington State Committee for the Re-Election of the President

1972 - National Republican Committeewoman

1973‑74 - Management Analyst; Special Assistant to Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of HEW

Jan.-Aug. 1974 - Consultant for Public Affairs; Deputy Assistant for Non-Governmental Organizations, Office of Vice President Gerald R. Ford

Aug.-Nov. 1974 - Assistant to Counsellor to the President for Political Affairs Dean Burch

1974‑76 - Deputy Assistant to the Counsellor to the President Robert T. Hartmann

1976 - Editor of Presidential Messages and Research, Office of Editorial Staff

1980 - Surrogate speaker, Reagan/Bush Campaign

1981 - Protocol chairman, Presidential Inaugural Committee

1981‑82 - Consultant, Executive Vice President, Small Business Foundation

INTRODUCTION

Gwen A. Anderson, Washington State Republican Party official and former Republican National Committeewoman, joined Vice President Ford's staff in January 1974. In this capacity her major duties were to coordinate Ford's appearances at political events and fundraisers; to act as liaison with Republican groups; and to handle requests for messages, photographs and auction items. Upon Ford's succession to the presidency in August 1974, she transferred to the White House as an assistant to Counsellor Dean Burch, and later, to Counsellor Robert Hartmann; her duties did not change significantly.

Anderson was responsible for routine White House liaison with the leaders of local, state and national Republican Party organizations, including the Republican National Committee (RNC) and its subsidiary committees. Her duties included making recommendations and coordinating scheduled presidential appearances for campaigns and fundraisers; compiling the accompanying briefing materials; administering responses to requests for presidential messages, photographs and auction items; and corresponding with Republican Party officials regarding political opinion and local political situations. She wrote, edited or approved presidential messages and letters.

During 1974 and 1975, she assisted with Republican campaigns for governor and Congress. In 1976 her work involved not only Republican candidates for Congress, but especially, the presidential campaign. Anderson began coordinating the 1976 political invitations and presidential appearances between the RNC, the Counsellors Office and the Scheduling Office, as well as offering her recommendations. She represented the White House at political functions, especially Republican women's groups. She also delivered remarks on behalf of the president, appeared on television and met with party supporters for the RNC, which covered her expenses. In January 1976, she acquired the additional title of Editor of Presidential Messages and Research under Hartmann, who directed the Editorial/Speechwriting staff.

The Anderson files are uneven. While the Republican Party Series includes some substantive material on interactions between the White House and the Republican Party regarding party matters, the majority of the files represent the routine functions of her office and only occasionally include her own decisions and recommendations. The routine material includes requests for presidential assistance and the actions taken; lists of candidates and election results; and briefing materials for presidential appearances. There are no copies of her speeches and presentations.

Related Materials (May 1985)
 Related materials include the files of Dean Burch, John Calkins and Rogers Morton, Office of Counsellors to the President, concerning Republican Party liaison and campaign materials. White House Central File category, Political Affairs (PL), contains material on national, state and local Republican Party affairs. Other 1976 campaign material is described in a listing available from the reference archivist. Anderson's files prior to August 1974 are available in the vice presidential papers.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Events File, 1974‑76. (Boxes 1‑14, 5.6 linear feet)
Copies of advance reports, briefing materials, speeches and schedules collected or compiled by Anderson. The materials concern presidential appearances, especially political events in 1975 and 1976. Also occasional correspondence, memoranda and newspaper clippings regarding these events.

Arranged alphabetically by state and thereunder chronologically by event.

View container list for this series

Campaign File, 1974‑76. (Boxes 15‑18, 1.6 linear feet)
Correspondence and memoranda, lists of candidates, schedules, copies of telegrams and endorsement letters, question and answer sheets, newspaper articles and printed material created or accumulated by Anderson concerning the presidential, congressional and gubernatorial campaigns of 1974, 1975 and 1976. Topics for the presidential election include the Republican National Convention, local support for Ford, finance and contributions. For other elections, the majority concern presidential appearances and endorsements, photograph and taping sessions, and post-election responses.

Arranged by year and alphabetically by subject thereunder.

View container list for this series

Republican Party File, 1974‑77. (Boxes 19‑22, 1.4 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, newsletters, membership lists and printed material exchanged between Anderson and officials of national and state Republican party organizations. Correspondence with Mary Louise Smith, RNC chairwoman, covers fundraising, scheduling and travel; other topics include requests for presidential assistance, party and local issues, finances and appointments. Also covered are concerns of the Republican Spanish speaking community, especially the status of Cuban refugees.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Subject File, 1974‑77. (Boxes 22‑29, 3 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, lists of attendees, copies of presidential messages, polls, advance reports, newspaper articles and printed material. Subjects include presidential appearances at Bicentennial events, an analysis of Ford's voting record and routine matters such as messages and scheduling.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Photographs, 1974‑77. 
Photographs related to Anderson's work as an assistant to Counsellor Robert Hartmann. Topics include the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum; the Pacific Northwest; commemoration the Bicentennial of the U.S. Army; and various events attended by President Ford.

Arranged in parallel to the textual materials.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Events File

Box 2 - Events File

Box 3 - Events File

Box 4 - Events File

Box 5 - Events File

Box 6 - Events File

Box 7 -  Events File

Box 8 - Events File

Box 9 - Events File

Box 10 - Events File

Box 11 - Events File

Box 12 - Events File

Box 13 - Events File

Box 14 - Events File

Box 15 - Campaign File

Box 16 - Campaign File

Box 17 - Campaign File

Box 18 - Campaign File

Box 19 - Republican Party File

Box 20 - Republican Party File

Box 21 - Republican Party File

Box 22 - Republican Party File

Box 22 (Continued)- Subject File

Box 23 - Subject File

Box 24 - Subject File

Box 25 - Subject File

Box 26 - Subject File

Box 27 - Subject File

Box 28 - Subject File

Box 29 - Subject File