COLLECTION FINDING AID



MICHAEL KELLY

Political Campaign Ephemera Collection 1896-2008



CONTENTS

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

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

This collection consists of printed material and memorabilia from assorted presidential campaigns from 1896 to 2008.

QUANTITY
 19.5 linear feet (approximately 39,000 pages)

DONOR
 Michael Kelly (2010-NLF-006)

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
 Michael Kelly donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.

Prepared by John J. O’Connell, 06/05/2018
[S:BIN/Finding Aids & Guides/Kelly, Michael - Ephemera Collection]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION


Michael Kelly


1949 - Born in Flint, Michigan

1966-70 - B.A. in Government and Communication, University of Notre Dame

1995-97 - M.A. in Communication, Wayne State University

1977-81 - Director, Home Learning Center Project, Flint Community Schools

1977-87 - Host/Producer, WFBE Public Radio

1986-90 - Executive Director, Michigan Chiropractic Society

1990-97 - Senior Director of Education & Information, Michigan Credit Union League

1993-97 - Executive Director, Michigan Credit Union Foundation

1997-2015 - Executive Director of Public Information, Mott Community College, Flint Michigan

1972-Present - Michigan Republican precinct delegate

1992-Present - Editor, The Keynoter

INTRODUCTION

Michael Kelly is an avid collector of political memorabilia and Editor of The Keynoter, the primary publication of the American Political Items Conservators.

The Michael Kelly Political Campaign Ephemera Collection consists of printed material and other memorabilia related to presidential campaigns from 1896 to 2008. The collection is divided into six series: Presidential File, Presidential Nominees File, Presidential Hopefuls File, Minor Parties File, Non-Party Presidential Candidates File, and Bull Moose Newsletters File. The collection is strongest on the years 1964 to 1992.

The collection contains much material on well-known politicians such as Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Nelson Rockefeller, George Romney, Eugene McCarthy, and Robert Kennedy. Of particular interest are the large number of candidate biographies from the 1964, 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, and 1992 presidential contests, as well as materials on the civil rights movement, Vietnam War, anti-war protests, labor unions, the Christian right, Watergate, Cold War, Gulf War, and sexual misconduct.

The collection also contains strong materials on minor political parties and obscure presidential candidates. Of interest will be the campaign literature on a variety of ideologies ranging from white nationalism to populism, libertarianism, socialism, communism, and Christian fundamentalism, as well as candidate literature for Homer Tomlinson, Gus Hall, Angela Davis, George Lincoln Rockwell, Lyndon LaRouche, and J Quinn Brisben. Topics include white supremacy, integration, welfare, taxes, black power, labor unions, women’s rights, and Protestant Evangelicalism.

In sum, this collection provides insight into U.S. presidential campaigns and campaign issues over the years, including how candidates utilized language, symbols, and images to make their message known.

Related Materials (April 2018):
Related materials are located in a number of other collections. For example, the Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers contain campaign brochures, memorabilia, newsletters, publications, precinct maps, and other miscellaneous materials relating to Ford's congressional campaigns, 1948‑72. In addition, the President Ford Committee Records contain the working files of the staff of President Ford's 1976 presidential election campaign committee, including materials on public opinion polling, advertising, press relations, and appeals to special interest groups.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Presidential File, 1912-2008. (Boxes 1-10, 42; 4.9 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence, bumper stickers, posters, pamphlets, matchbooks, newsletters, flyers, platforms, sheet music, cartoons, donation mailers, newspaper clippings, and magazines related to presidents from 1912 to 2008. Areas of particular strength include campaign literature on Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Also documented are the issues and tactics Presidents used during the 1964, 1968, 1972, 1988, and 1992 general elections.

Arranged alphabetically by last name with oversize material at the end of series.

View container list for this series

Presidential Nominees File, 1896-2008. (Boxes 11-15; 2.2 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence, bumper stickers, posters, pamphlets, matchbooks, newsletters, flyers, platforms, sheet music, cartoons, donation mailers, newspaper clippings, and magazines related to presidential nominees for the Democratic and Republican Party from 1896 to 2008. Areas of particular strength include material on Barry Goldwater, Hubert Humphrey, Adlai Stevenson, Michael Dukakis, Bob Dole, and John McCain. Also documented are the issues and tactics presidential nominees used during the 1952, 1956, 1964, 1968, 1988, and 1996 general elections.

Arranged alphabetically by last name with oversize material at the end of series.

View container list for this series

Presidential Hopefuls File, 1912-2008. (Boxes 16-30, 42; 7.1 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence, bumper stickers, posters, pamphlets, matchbooks, newsletters, flyers, platforms, sheet music, cartoons, donation mailers, newspaper clippings, and magazines related to major party presidential hopefuls from 1912 to 2008. Areas of particular strength include material on Edward Kennedy, Gary Hart, Patrick Buchanan, Jesse Jackson, George Wallace, and Harold Stassen. Also documented are the issues and tactics presidential hopeful candidates used during the primaries.

Arranged alphabetically by last name with oversize material at the end of series.

View container list for this series

Minor Parties File, 1912-2008. (Box 31-39, 42; 4.5 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence, bumper stickers, posters, pamphlets, newsletters, flyers, platforms, sheet music, cartoons, mailers, newspaper clippings, and magazines related to minor political parties from 1912 to 2008. Areas of particular strength include material on the American Independent Party, American Nazi Party, Communist Party, Greenback Party, Prohibitionist Party, Socialist Labor Party, Theocratic Party, Universal Party, and Workers World Party. Also documented are the issues and tactics minor political parties used to promote their message.

Arranged alphabetically by name of party with oversize material at the end of series.

View container list for this series

Non-Party Presidential Candidates File, 1960-2000. (Box 40; 0.4 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence, bumper stickers, posters, pamphlets, newsletters, flyers, platforms, cartoons, mailers, and newspaper clippings related to non-party presidential candidates. Areas of particular strength include material on professional pranksters Jeanne Abel (aka Yetta Bronstein) and Austin Burton (aka Chief Burning Wood), as well as populist candidates James S. Greenlee, Emil Matalik, and Meryl Stoddard.

Arranged alphabetically by last name.

View container list for this series

Bull Moose Newsletters File, (1975) 1980-1989. (Box 41; 0.4 linear feet)
This series contains assorted copies of the Bull Moose Newsletters edited by the Third Party and Hopeful Chapter of the American Political Items Collector. Published quarterly, the Bull Moose contains articles about third party items and third party presidential candidates in American political history.

Arranged chronologically by date.

View container list for this series

Audiovisual Materials, 1952-2008.
This series consists of photographic materials, audio recordings, video recordings, and electronic media documenting various presidential campaigns from the 1950s to 2008. It contains many portraits and photographs of well-known politicians such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George Romney, and Robert Kennedy, as well as lesser known ones such as Dr. John Hagelin and Paul Laxalt. Many contenders of the presidential primary campaigns as well as candidates from minor parties are included. There are also some photographs of campaign materials such as buttons, posters, and billboards. This series also includes video recordings relating to John McCain, Wesley Clark, and John Kerry; an audio recording from the 1956 Democratic National Convention; and a floppy disk containing Bill Clinton screen savers.

Arranged in parallel to the textual materials.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Presidential File

Box 2 - Presidential File

Box 3 - Presidential File

Box 4 - Presidential File

Box 5 - Presidential File

Box 6 - Presidential File

Box 7 - Presidential File

Box 8 - Presidential File

Box 9 - Presidential File (Oversized Materials)

Box 10 - Presidential File (Oversized Materials)

Box 11 - Presidential Nominees File

Box 12 - Presidential Nominees File

Box 13 - Presidential Nominees File

Box 14 - Presidential Nominees File

Box 15 - Presidential Nominees File (Oversized Materials)

Box 16 - Presidential Nominees File

Box 17 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 18 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 19 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 20 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 21 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 22 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 23 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 24 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 25 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 26 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 27 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 28 - Presidential Hopefuls File

Box 29 - Presidential Hopefuls File (Oversized Materials)

Box 30 - Presidential Hopefuls File (Oversized Materials)

Box 31 - Minor Parties File

Box 32 - Minor Parties File

Box 33 - Minor Parties File

Box 34 - Minor Parties File

Box 35 - Minor Parties File

Box 36 - Minor Parties File

Box 37 - Minor Parties File

Box 38 - Minor Parties File

Box 39 - Minor Parties File (Oversized Materials)

Box 40 - Non-Party Presidential File

Box 41 - Bull Moose Newsletters File

Box 42 - Oversized Materials from the Presidential File, Presidential Hopefuls File, and Minor Parties File