Democratic Party of Georgia Records, 1960-2014, bulk 1968-2014

Summary

Creator:

Democratic Party of Georgia

Date:

1960-2014, bulk 1968-2014

Extent:

73 box(es) (68 linear feet), 6.2 gigabytes, and 579 audiovisual items

Language:

English

Background

Scope and content:

The Democratic Party of Georgia Records document party organization and activities in the state and consist of records accumulated by DPG officials, staff, and working committees. Included are administrative and financial records, convention materials, committee files, and photographs.

Record Group I:1960-2007 Series I. Administrative contains materials from different areas of the party's organization- finance, county and district, committees and conventions, in addition to administrative correspondence and memos to and from the Chairman and Executive Directors that date from 1965 to 2006. Series II. County and District Files contain materials related to county and district events and committees and dates from 1966 to 1995. Series III. Finance includes general finance materials related to the organization and state and federal campaign disclosure reports that date from 1960 to 2003. Series IV. Committees and Conventions is a combined series and include state party convention proceedings, national convention materials, and local and state committee records that date from 1962 to 1991. Series V. Campaigns and Elections records date from 1995 to 2004 and are digital records only and contain campaign files that include budgets, strategy documents, mailings and advertisements, and voting statistics. Series VI. Photographs and Ephemera contains the photographs of the Democratic Party of Georgia from 1970 to 2004 and document significant events, individuals, campaigns, and annual fundraisers. Series VII. Audiovisual Materials contains over 500 individual items that date from 1976 to 2008 and include campaign advertisements, local news clips and programming, and AV recordings of significant events for the Democratic Party of Georgia. AV items that have been digitzed can be viewed on the Democratic Party of Georgia Records playlist on YouTube.

Record Group II:2012-2015 Series I. Administrative contains materials related to the operations of the party's organization. Series II. Committees and Conventions is a combined series and includes documents on the executive committee, the state committee, county committees, the 2010 and 2014 state conventions, and the 2012 national convention. Series III. Campaigns and Elections documents various democratic elections and campaigns from 2000-2014. Series IV. Audiovisual Materials contains DVDs of the State Democratic Convention.

Biographical / historical:

The Democratic Party of Georgia was the major political power in the state from the era of Reconstruction until the twenty-first century. For over one hundred years the Georgia Democratic Party was a predominantly conservative political organization dedicated to electing members to state and national offices. The Democratic Party of Georgia exercised almost complete control over the legislature and constitutional offices and was the most powerful political influence in the creation of state policies and laws in the state during the twentieth century.

The Democratic Party of Georgia Records (1960-2014) cover an historic period of Democratic domination in state politics. While the party was organized centrally at state party headquarters, they exercised their political power with a very lean organizational structure. The bulk of the collection (1968-1990) is comprised of records created and accumulated by officials and staff of the DPG. The records for Record Group I are arranged in seven series that represent the functions and organization of the party: I. Administrative, II. County and District, III. Finance, IV. Committees and Conventions, V. Campaigns and Elections, VI. Photographs and Ephemera, and VII. Audiovisual Materials. The records for Record Group II follow a similar outline: I. Administrative, II. Committees and Conventions, III. Campaigns and Elections, IV. Audiovisual Materials, V. Delegates.

In 1975, the Democrats weathered major organizational changes and convened its first ever Charter Convention, where they codified policies, outlined new goals, and drafted new rules for delegate selection. In the late 1970s, all county committees were charged with reorganizing according to the rules of the new state charter; other changes loosened the ties to state government and the role of the governor in the party. The Democratic Party was an organization with power dispersed throughout the state. Organizations at the local level like county, district, and regional committees interacted with the state party and these relationships are well-documented in the Democratic Party of Georgia Records. The State Democratic Executive Committee, the State Democratic Committee of Georgia, Standing Committees, Special Committees, Democratic County Committees, and Precinct Coordinators all had important roles in making the party function in power.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chairmen

The Democratic Party of Georgia elects its Chairman at state party conventions every four years in gubernatorial election years.

1966-1970 James Gray

1970-1972 David Gambrell

1972-1974 Charles Kirbo

1974-1978 Marge Thurman

1978-1982 Marge Thurman

1982 Al Holloway (Interim Chairman)

1982-1986 Bert Lance

1986-1990 John Henry Anderson

1990-1994 Ed Sims

1994-1998 John Blackmon

1998-2001 David Worley

2001-2004 Calvin Smyre

2004-2006 Bobby Kahn

2006-2010 Jane Kidd

2010-2013 Mike Berlon

2013-2019 DuBose Porter

2019-current Nikema Williams

Processing information:

Processing of the Democratic Party of Georgia Records was completed as part of the year-long Georgia Political Parties Detailed Processing Project funded by a generous grant of up to $58,777 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Arrangement:

The records are arranged into two records groups: Record Group I: 1960-2007 and Record Group II: 2012-2015. Record Group I is arranged into eight series: I. Administrative, II. County and District, III. Finance, IV.t Committees and Conventions, V. Campaigns and Elections, VI. Photographs and Ephemera, VII. Audiovisual Materials, and Series VIII. Websites. Records Group II is arragned into five series: I. Administrative, II. Committees and Conventions, III. Campaigns and Elections, IV. Audiovisual Materials, V. Delegates.

Related

Related material:

Georgia State Democratic Executive Committee Files Robert M. Willingham Democratic Party of Georgia FilesMaxine S. Goldstein PapersMelba R. Williams PapersWood and Associates Political Advertising Media

Separated material:

Georgia Democratic Party Forum Records, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GASouth Carolina Democratic Party Collection, Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC

Other finding aids:

Archival Research: Political Parties at the Richard B. Russell Library.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Georgia -- Politics and government.
Georgia -- Politics and government -- 20th century.
Political campaigns -- Georgia.
Political conventions -- United States.
Political conventions -- Georgia.
Political parties -- Georgia.
Political participation -- Georgia.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Most series contain digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

Some digital files in this collection must be reviewed for voter names prior to research use. These files are identified with an access note after the file title. Please request these files 3 business days prior to requiring access to the files to allow time for this review.

This collection contains personal identifiable information that has been restricted until 2098 to safeguard information that identifies private individuals.

Terms of access:

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

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.