Scope and Content Note
The papers of Thomas Terry Connally (1877-1963) span the years 1896-1952, with the bulk of the material dating from 1929 to 1952. The papers relate primarily to Connally's years in the United States Senate and include correspondence, speeches, press releases, scrapbooks, voting records, printed matter, and photographs. The collection is organized largely as received in two parts. Part I contains twenty series: Diary , Correspondence , Political File , Legislation File , Texas File , Servicemen , Veterans , Postmasters , Current Jobs , Nominations , Thank You Letters , Commendatory File , Callers File , Mexican Claims , Speech File , Voting Records , Miscellany , Clippings , Scrapbooks , Addition , and Oversize .
The Correspondence series is lacking for the years 1932-1938, 1941, and 1944, and the file is fragmentary for the years 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943 and 1945. Prominent topics in the Correspondence and other series include veterans concerns and affairs, political campaigns, immigration, tidelands oil, the American Mexican Claims Commission, defense, and atomic energy. The Speech File includes speeches, remarks, and press releases primarily from Connally's years in the Senate. The papers indicate the senator's support for such issues as the United Nations, the European Recovery Program, the North American Treaty Organization, aid to China, and his participation in inter-American relations and in the tidelands oil controversy.
Scrapbooks documenting Connally's career from 1915 to 1952 are available only on microfilm. With the exception of the scrapbooks, there are very few papers in this collection from Connally's service in the Texas legislature or in the United States House of Representatives. Among his Senate papers is a Legislation File consisting primarily of public reaction to Connally's legislative program on foreign affairs and on such domestic issues as tidelands oil, taxes, national defense, rivers and harbors, labor bills, and anti-lynching legislation.
A file on atomic energy records Connally's service as a member of the Senate Atomic Energy Committee. A Texas File relates to patronage, federal aid to Texas, veterans, and servicemen. Other files include constituent mail, personal correspondence, voting records, clippings, photographs, and pamphlets.
Correspondents include James A. Farley, Alger Hiss, Cordell Hull, Lyndon B. Johnson, Pat McCarran, Harlan Fiske Stone, and Harry S. Truman.