Keith Mason Papers

Keith Mason Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title: Keith Mason Papers
Creator: Mason, Keith, 1960-
Inclusive Dates: 1977-2004
Language(s): English
Extent: 5 box(es) (4.0 linear feet)
Collection Number: RBRL250KM
Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: Keith Mason's collection primarily includes personal papers from 1977 to 1995 from his position as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs as well as his personal collection of campaign memorabilia.

Collection Description

Biographical Note

Keith Mason was born in Snellville, Georgia on 20 September 1960. His father, Wayne Mason, was former Chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission and introduced his son to Zell Miller, who was running for Lieutenant Governor in 1974. As a teenager, Mason accompanied Zell and Shirley Miller on several campaigning trips and Miller was impressed with the Mason's knowledge of state issues and current proposed legislation.

After graduating high school in 1978, Mason coordinated Miller's re-election campaign in East Georgia's tenth congressional district. He entered the University of Georgia in the fall and studied finance. He became active in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity as an undergraduate and remained in Athens to attend law school at the university, graduating in 1985. During college and law school, he served as chairman of United States Senator Sam Nunn's youth organization, and worked on Nunn's senate campaigns in 1978 and 1984. Mason served as a legislative aid for Lieutenant Governor Miller, served as an assistant in 1980, and worked on both Miller's 1982 and 1986 re-election campaigns.

In 1988, Mason worked for Miller as a fundraiser for his 1990 gubernatorial campaign and then became the campaign manager for Miller's successful run against Andrew Young in the Democratic primary and Johnny Isakson in the general election. Mason was appointed Miller's Executive Secretary and was responsible for advising the governor on legislation and overall strategy.

In July 1993, Mason left the Miller Administration to work in the White House as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. In the Clinton administration, Mason worked to foster good working relationships between the president and U.S. governors. He alerted governors of legislation important to their states, smoothed over differences, and streamlined bureaucracy. In December 1995, Mason resigned and returned to Atlanta, Georgia.

Currently, Mason lives in Atlanta with his wife, Delphine, and their children. He is employed as an attorney by McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP and serves as a public policy counselor. Mason is also the CEO of Mason Capital, a real estate and investment firm, and is widely considered one of the most influential lawyers in Georgia.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of manuscripts, printed materials, photographs, and political ephemera collected outside of Mason's work with Zell Miller (see Zell Miller Papers, Keith Mason Files). The Personal Papers contain material regarding Mason's work as White House Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, an office that acts as liaison between the president and the United States governors, as well as reports, correspondence, and invitations. Also included are materials related to Hamilton Jordan's efforts to write a book about Jimmy Carter. The photograph series contains one photo taken while Mason was attending the Kennedy School of Government Summer Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government in 1991. The artifact series contains Mason's personal collection of buttons, bumper stickers, pamphlets and a t-shirt from various political campaigns run in the state of Georgia from 1980 through 1992.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series: I. Personal Papers; II. Photographs; and III. Artifacts.


Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Keith Mason Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

User Restrictions

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

Copyright Information

Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Finding Aid Publication

Finding aid prepared on: 2010.


Related Materials and Subjects

Subject Terms

Related Collections in this Repository

Herman E. Talmadge Collection

Zell Miller Collection

Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Series

Related Collections in Other Repositories

Sam Nunn Papers, Emory University

Clinton Presidential Records, William Clinton Presidential Library


Series Descriptions and Folder Listing

 

I. Personal Papers

17 folder(s)
This series consists of papers that were compiled by Mason, outside of his professional duties within Miller's administration. Material consists of handouts and notes from training seminars, including a photograph from the Kennedy School of Government Summer Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government that can be found in series II. Other files pertain to Mason's position within the Clinton White House, including a White House Staff Manual, research materials on government affairs, and speeches by Clinton. Invitations and programs include Mason's personal invitations to events such as Zell Miller's 1991 and 1995 inaugurations as governor of Georgia. Some of Mason's personal correspondence is also included, with many letters received after an article on him was published in Georgia Trend, March 1991.
boxfolder
11Democratic Leadership Council, General, 1991
12Democratic Leadership Council, State Leaders' Retreat, Sept., 1992
13Democratic Leadership Council, State Leaders' Retreat, 1992 September
14Howard Seminar (Georgia Seminar), 1992 June 30
15Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Week I, 1991
16Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Week I, 1991
17Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Week III, 1991
boxfolder
21Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, General, 1993-1994
22Clinton's Trip to Albany, GA, 1994 July
23Clinton Speeches (folder 1 of 2), 1993-1994
24Clinton Speeches (folder 2 of 2), 1993-1994
25IGA [Inter-Governmental Affairs] Ideas (folder 1 of 2), 1992-1994
26IGA [Inter-Governmental Affairs] Ideas (folder 2 of 2), 1992-1994
27Reports of the National Performance Review, 1994
28White House Staff Manual, 1993 October
boxfolder
31Invitations and Programs, 1977-1995
32Congratulatory Notes from Miller Appointment, 1990 November
33Correspondence, 1991-1994
34Congratulatory Notes from White House Appointment, 1993
35Miscellaneous White House Correspondence, 1994-1997
36Miscellaneous White House Documents, 1995
37[Interview with Keith Mason], 1995
38White House Departure Notes, 1994 November
39Miscellaneous Personal, 1998
310[Leadership '98], 1998
311Hamilton Jordan - Jimmy Carter book, 2003-2004
312Clinton Library Dedication Little Rock, 2004 November 17-19
 

II. Photographs

1 photograph(s)
The photograph in the collection is of Mason's class at the Kennedy School of Government Summer Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government in 1991.
boxfolder
313Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, 1991. (1 (8x10") b/w)
 

III. Artifacts

2 folder(s)
The artifacts consist of stickers, pamphlets, buttons and one shirt, all of which Mason collected personally. Several items document the 1992 National Democratic Convention.
boxfolder
314[Bumper stickers, pamphlets], [1978-1992]
box
4[Buttons, bumper stickers], [1978-1992]
box
5[Buttons, bumper stickers, t-shirt], [1978-1992]

Special Collections Libraries
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1641