George W. (Buddy) Darden Papers, Series I: Constituent Services, 1979-1995, bulk 1985-1995

Summary

Creator:
Darden, George, 1943-
Date:
1979-1995, bulk 1985-1995
Extent:
117 box(es) (117 linear feet, 685 kilobytes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

George W. (Buddy) Darden Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Background

Scope and content:

Series I: Constituent Services contains correspondence from Darden's constituents and his responses, as well as results from a survey he sent constituents about health care reform and office materials for keeping track of constituent mail. Darden's constituents wrote him about a wide variety of concerns related to Georgia and national legislation, notably Medicare, Social Security, taxes, gun control, and to a lesser extent abortion, the environment, the Iran Contra scandal and Oliver North, labor and trade regulations, and the military.

Biographical / historical:

George Washington "Buddy" Darden was born in Sparta, Georgia, on November 22, 1943. He attended North Georgia College, and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1965. He was selected to serve in Senator Richard B. Russell's patronage program in Washington, D.C. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia Law School in 1967, and served as assistant district attorney in Cobb County from 1968 to 1972, when he was elected district attorney.

In 1980, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives, and served on the Judiciary Committee. After the death of U.S. Representative Larry McDonald, Darden won the special election to take his seat in 1983. In congress, he served on several committees, including the House Armed Services, Ethics, and Appropriations. In 1994, he lost his reelection bid, and unsuccessfully campaigned for congress in 2002. He served under Governor Roy Barnes as chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Since 1995, he has been with the law firm McKenna, Long & Aldridge. President Clinton appointed him to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. After Clinton left office, Darden began doing work for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, traveling to various countries including Indonesia and Senegal. Darden has also represented Georgia's interests in the water disputes with Alabama and Florida.

Arrangement:

Divided into five subseries: A. Issue Mail, B. Health Care Reform Questionnaire, C. Projects and Grants, D. Response Form Letters, and E. Administration.

The rest of Darden's papers are described in separate finding aids: Series II: Legislative, Series III: Speeches and Press, Series IV: Political, Series V: Personal, Series VI: Office, Series VII: Photographs, Series VIII: Artifacts, and Audiovisual Materials.

Access and use restrictions

Restrictions:

This series is open for research use.

This series contains electronic 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.

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.

Preferred citation:

George W. (Buddy) Darden Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.