This page is best viewed at a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels.Copyright, The Carl Albert Center
1910-1998 (bulk: 1946-1998)
1007 cubic feet
Biographical Files Inventory
Campaign Files Inventory
Clippings Files Inventory
Departmental Files Inventory
General Files Inventory
Legislative Files Inventory
Map Inventory
McAlester Office Files Inventory
Miscellaneous Files Inventory
Office Files Inventory
Oversize Files
Post Office Files Inventory
Projects Files Inventory
Speeches and Press Releases Inventory
Travel Files Inventory
From 1947-1977, Carl Albert (1908-2000) served as the representative of Oklahoma's Third District to the U.S. House of Representatives. During the last three terms, he was the Speaker of the House. Known as the "Little Giant from Little Dixie," Albert held more power than any other Oklahoman.
The Albert Collection is the largest held by the Carl Albert Center, and it contains a prodigious amount of material generated and received by Albert's congressional offices. It is mostly comprised of correspondence, and correspondents include constituents, prominent personalities, congressional colleagues, and Oklahoma state politicians. There is a small amount of letters to and from presidents.
The papers of the Carl Albert Collection reveal part of the long history of Congress; they house materials documenting Albert, his congressional colleagues, and the legislative debates of the late 1940s to mid-1970s. There is also information on the Capitol, events at the Capitol, and the administration of the House during the 1960s and 1970s. Other well documented topics include political campaigns, visits of VIPs to Oklahoma, agriculture, housing and urban development, the Korean War, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Civil Rights Act, veterans affairs, and Native Americans. The collection also contains files on the major issues of Albert's years as Speaker, when the debates over Vietnam, busing, the economy, the energy crisis and policy, gun control, and Watergate were played out in the Oval Office and the chambers of Congress. Information on Sam Rayburn, Richard Nixon and Adam Clayton Powell can also be found in this collection.
Because of Carl Albert's representation of his district, the history of Oklahoma from the 1940s to the 1970s unfolds in his papers as well. In particular are documents that tell the story of various programs and projects--federal, state, and local-- that literally changed the face of the state: the highway system that paved thousands of miles of roads, the Arkansas River Navigation System that made Tulsa an inland port, dozens of reservoirs that created hundreds of square miles of lakes, soil conservation measures that halted devastating erosion, and economic development programs that encouraged small business growth.
Major series are:
1910-1976, 8.2 cubic feet of clippings, correspondence, press releases, and short biographies prepared by Albert's office staff. The first three boxes focus on Albert's life. The remainder of the series contains biographical material on and correspondence with Albert's congressional colleagues, as well as Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, during the 1960s and 1970s. This material is arranged alphabetically. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1946-1976, 222 cubic feet of files (arranged chronologically) on Carl Albert's election campaigns, as well as the presidential campaigns of 1960-1976 (including material on the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon contest and the 1968 campaign trip of Edmund Muskie to Oklahoma). There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1927-1976 (bulk dates 1947-1976), 9 cubic feet of files arranged alphabetically by topic. These files consist of clippings from national, state, and local newspapers as well as organization newsletters. Many examine the topic on a national level, although there are state and local implications mentioned. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1946-1976, 142 cubic feet of communications between Albert's office, federal agencies, constituents, and Oklahoma state officials. Folders are arranged chronologically and then by federal agency. Topics include agriculture, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the economy, water projects, and Native Americans. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1946-1976, 96 cubic feet of correspondence, publications, clippings, and other documents, arranged chronologically and then by subject. Topics include national and Oklahoma politics, Albert's life and career, and water projects constructed in Oklahoma. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1934-1976 (bulk dates 1947-1976), 238.5 cubic feet of correspondence, bills, reports, and other documents on legislation and Carl Albert's leadership roles as majority whip, majority leader, and speaker of the House. Files are arranged by Congress and then by House committee. Topics include education, labor, civil rights, busing, gun control, the Vietnam War, revenue sharing, executive impoundment, school prayer, the energy crisis, Watergate, and the administration of the House. An important subseries are memos from John Barriere, executive director of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1946-1976, 6 cubic feet of correspondence on a variety of topics relating to local post offices and general postal service concerns. These files are arranged alphabetically by topic and town. General topics include postal rates, postmaster appointments, the new United State Postal Service in 1971, commemorative stamps, and obscene mailings. Local post office topics include postal delivery service including rural and star routes, postmaster appointments, new post office buildings, and post office closings or consolidations. Much of the correspondence includes responses from Regional Directors and The Postmasters General during Albert's term in office. Assistant Charles Ward was a key correspondent from the Speaker's office. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1956-1975, 14.75 cubic feet of materials concerning federally funded programs and projects in Oklahoma. These include airport, building, and dam construction projects, as well as economic development programs. Arrangement is alphabetical. A voluminous amount of material exists on Arkansas River projects. There is a box and folder title inventory to this series available on this web site.
1927-1976 (bulk dates 1947-1976), 24 cubic feet of Albert's speeches, press releases, statements, and broadcast transcriptions. They are arranged by year. Some speeches and press releases of Albert's colleagues are also included. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1962-1977, 12 cubic feet of files on appointments, scheduling, telephone logs, meetings, office staff, and interns. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1948-1976 (bulk dates 1963-1976), 7.75 cubic feet. Files exist on Albert's trips to Oklahoma and throughout the United States, and these are arranged chronologically. Filed in a separate chronological order are materials on international travel, including trips to South Korea, China, and countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1938-1998 (bulk dates 1977-1995), 21.5 cubic feet. These files are primarily from Albert's life after he left the House of Representatives. Materials are arranged alphabetically. Topics also included in this series are the House Office Building Commission as well as the impeachment and pardon of Richard M. Nixon. In addition, there are several folders concerning the Spanish course in which Mr. Albert enrolled. There are many folders concerned with Albert's autobiography, Little Giant. There is a box and folder title inventory to this series available on this web site.
1945-1976, 5 cubic feet of files not fitting into the other series. An assortment of topics are covered, but there is more than a cubic foot on Magna Carta ceremonies held in the U. S. Capitol in 1976. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
1946-1976, 13 cubic feet of files, plus several scrapbooks. These files consist primarily of newspapers arranged by series from which they were removed. There is also several pieces of memorabilia. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
191 maps; 1945-1976. The primary focus of these maps is on water projects in southeastern Oklahoma. There are also a number of blueprints/drawings of various buildings on Capitol Hill from the Architect of the U.S. Capitol. There is a box and folder level inventory to this series available on this web site.
The collection contains an additional 400 cubic feet of cases files, post office files, military academy files, invitations, newspapers clippings, and other materials.
Inventories to this collection vary from folder-title to others which detail folder contents. Subject and name indexing has been entered into a computer database for part of the collection. The Albert Collection is enhanced by the Carl Albert Photograph Collection. For more information on the archival holdings, please contact the Carl Albert Center.
See also the biography of Carl Albert.
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