 Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection: Collection Summary
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteRichard Brevard Russell, Jr. held public office for fifty years as a state legislator, governor, and U.S. senator. The highlights of his legislative career included support of non-interventionist foreign policy, passage of the National School Lunch Program, securing funding for military installations and research facilities—including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and his opposition to equal rights for African Americans, most evident in the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Russell was born in Winder, GA on November 2, 1897, to Judge Richard B. Russell, Sr. and Ina Dillard Russell, a teacher. He was the fourth of thirteen children and the first son. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Georgia in 1918. After a brief period practicing law, Russell ran for and won a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1920. In 1927, he was elected Speaker of the House, a position he held until 1931. In 1930, Russell ran for governor against a crowded field of seasoned candidates, but he was victorious thanks to a grassroots campaign and his skill in door-to-door canvassing. He took the oath of office in June 1931 but only spent eighteen months as governor before the death of Senator William J. Harris presented him with the opportunity to run for the United States Senate. Russell entered the U.S. Senate in 1933 and served until his death in 1971. He became one of the Senate's most influential members. During his tenure, he served sixteen years as chair of the Armed Services Committee and held a seat on the Appropriation Committee that spanned his tenure in the Senate. Additionally, Russell held positions on the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the Committee on Immigration, the Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, and the Democratic Policy and Democratic Steering Committees. Although he wielded considerable power through these committee appointments, Russell did not seek a position in the Senate leadership. Instead, he supported the ambitions of his protégé, Senator Lyndon Johnson from Texas for majority whip and later for majority leader. Russell ended his career as president pro tempore of the Senate—a post reserved for the member with the longest tenure in the Senate—making him third in the line of presidential succession. Russell was known for his support of national defense, non-interventionist foreign policy, and his advocacy for agricultural interests (particularly those in Georgia). Russell opposed the United States entangling itself in international conflicts, especially in Vietnam and the Congo. In agricultural policy, the creation of the National School Lunch Program in 1946 was his most significant achievement for the nation's farmers. The program had the double effect of providing nutritious meals for schoolchildren while avoiding an economic crash by giving farmers a way to sell their surplus produce. Russell's opposition to civil rights legislation overshadowed his many legislative achievements. He began contesting civil rights legislation as early as 1935 when he joined other southern senators to block anti-lynching bills. Over three decades, Russell developed a reputation as a defender of "white traditions" and white supremacy. During the Senate's debate of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Russell led the Southern Bloc in a sixty-day filibuster in an attempt to prevent the bill's passage, vowing to "resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races." The filibuster came to an end only after a partnership of moderate Republicans and northern Democrats introduced a compromise bill that garnered the sixty-seven votes needed to invoke cloture and end the filibuster. The substitute civil rights bill passed on June 19 by a margin of 73-27. Though Russell advised against attempts to resist the Civil Rights Act at the state level, he remained unapologetic in his criticism of it. In a speech given in the Senate on June 18, 1964, Russell sought to encourage the other members of the Southern Bloc, saying "…there will never come a time when it will be necessary for any one of us to apologize for his conduct or his courage." Russell left behind a list of political and legislative achievements and a reputation for mastery of legislative strategy. Despite his other distinctions, racial animus and obstructionism would become the most remembered aspects of his legacy. As biographer Gilbert Fite noted, Russell might well have achieved more, were it not for his racial views. Scope and ContentRussell's papers document the entirety of his career, with the vast majority of the materials focusing on his terms in the U.S. Senate from 1933 to 1971. The records include constituent correspondence and other correspondence files, speeches and media files, legislative files, files on civil rights, and published materials. Common subjects include New Deal legislation, the Vietnam War, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, agriculture, the military, international affairs, and the civil rights movement. The papers also document Russell's campaigns and other political activities. Organization and ArrangementThis collection is organized into 5 subgroups: Subgroup A. Georgia Legislative/ Speaker of the House, Subgroup B. Georgia Gubernatorial Papers, Subgroup C. United States Senatorial Papers, Subgroup D. Winder Papers, and Subgroup E. Related Materials. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research with the following exceptions: Case mail, cross-reference copies, and military academies are closed for 75 years from the date of creation. Subgroup C. United States Senatorial Papers, Series V. Personal, with the exception of some correspondence with his mother, all family correspondence was removed to Exhibit B and is restricted by donor agreement. Subgroup C. United States Senatorial Papers, Series XVIII. Exhibit B is available to researchers; however, this series must be reviewed by Russell Library staff prior to patron use. Family correspondence, excluding Ina Dillard Russell and Richard B. Russell, Sr., is restricted. Subgroup C. United States Senatorial Papers, Series XIX. Case Mail is restricted for seventy-five years from the date of creation; therefore, correspondence after 1935 is currently unavailable for research use. Newly available case mail will be made available annually as the restrictions expire. Subgroup C. United States Senatorial Papers, Series XX. Pinks are available for research, only the Russell staff has access to this series and will conduct searches for patrons. Subgroup E. Related Materials, Series II. Audiovisual Materials: Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request and are dependent upon the condition of the recordings. Subgroup E. Related Materials, Series V. Artifact: Researchers may view Senator Russell's collection of tobacco cards by appointment only. Digital versions of the baseball cards may be viewed online here. Preferred citationRichard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Conditions Governing UseLibrary acts as a "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore 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 PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Adriane Hanson and Jordan Graham (student assistant), 2016. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Richard B. Russell, Sr. Papers Russell Family Collection Patience Elizabeth Russell Peterson Papers Lamartine G. Hardman Collection Related Collections in Other RepositoriesJohn C. Stennis Papers, Mitchell Memorial Library, Mississippi State University Richard B. Russell, Jr. Gubernatorial Papers, Georgia Department of Archives and History Lyndon B. Johnson Papers, Lyndon B. Johnson Library U.S. Senate. Committee on Appropriations, Center for Legislative Archives, NARA U.S. Senate. Committee on Armed Services, Center for Legislative Archives, NARA | ||||||||||||||||||||||