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Table of Contents
| Descriptive Summary |
| Collection Description |
| Administrative Information |
| Related Materials and Subjects |
| Series Descriptions and Folder Listing |
| I. Scrapbooks 1933-1997 |
| II. Plaques and Certificates 1945-1971 |
| III. Photographs circa 1930-1991 |
| IV. Editorial Cartoons 1967-1972 |
| V. Books 1941-1948, 1973 |
| VI. Audiovisual 1967-1969 |
William H. (Bill) Burson Papers
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: William H. (Bill) Burson Papers | |
| Creator: Burson, William H. (Bill), 1928-1997. | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1933-1997 | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 6 box(es) (11 linear feet), 28 scrapbooks, 158 photographs, and 3 sound recordings | |
| Collection Number: RBRL206WHB | |
| Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies | |
| Abstract: This collection documents the life of William H. (Bill) Burson (1928-1997) and the various positions he held under Senator Herman Talmadge; Governors Carl Sanders, Lester Maddox, and Jimmy Carter; and Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller. Burson graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in Journalism in 1948 and served as a war correspondent in the Korean War. After the war, Burson served as an aide to Senator Herman Talmadge and later to Governor Carl Sanders. In 1967, the newly elected governor, Lester Maddox, appointed him to be director of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services. Over the next three years Burson fought a "War on Hunger" attempting to create food stamps programs across Georgia. Burson was elected as State Treasurer in 1970 and campaigned for the U.S. Senate in 1972. After losing the senatorial campaign, Burson worked as a lobbyist for business interests in the Southeast. In 1975, he became Zell Miller's administrative and special assistant, a position he held until his retirement in 1991. The collection is comprised primarily of twenty-five scrapbooks that detail Burson's life and career from 1933 to 1991. Also included are photographs, editorial cartoons, books, certificates, and plaques. | |
Collection Description
Biographical Note
William H. (Bill) Burson was born July 31, 1928 in Thomaston, Georgia, located in Upson County. After attending primary and secondary school with outstanding performance, Burson graduated as valedictorian from Robert E. Lee Institute in 1945. He worked at the Thomaston Times and wrote for various local papers before he was accepted into the University of Georgia's school of journalism. Burson quickly climbed the ranks as a writer for the campus newspaper, The Red and Black, and was active in many student organizations. By the time he graduated with a BA in journalism in 1948, he had achieved numerous honors and been inducted into several honorary fraternities.
From college, Burson jumped into the world of journalism as a staff correspondent for the United Press International. Most of his work focused on the actions of the Georgia legislature and the then Governor Herman Talmadge. Soon he was transferred to Mississippi to act as a bureau manager. In 1951, Burson served as a war correspondent while on the frontlines with the U.S. 7th Infantry Division in the Korean War. When he returned stateside, he continued to serve as bureau manager until 1953 when he resigned to serve as an administrative aide to Governor Talmadge. After a year, Burson went on to be the Press Secretary for Georgia House Speaker Fred Hand's campaign for governor. Next he served as Executive Secretary for Attorney General Eugene Cook and subsequently was appointed director of information for the Associated Industries of Georgia (AIG) in 1955. In 1956, Burson withdrew from AIG and returned to Talmadge's staff as an editorial assistant before Talmadge announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. The launch of the campaign allowed Burson to take on the role of Press Secretary, his writing skills used to craft speeches and public statements.
Burson continued to serve as Senator Talmadge's executive aide and press secretary until 1962 when he left to serve as the assistant to James L. Bentley, the Comptroller General of Georgia. In 1963, Burson resigned to work as an aide to Governor Carl E. Sanders. Later in the year, he was appointed the Director of the State Board of Probation while still acting as a speech writer for Governor Sanders. As director, he created significant reforms that brought notice to his achievements. In July of 1965, Burson left the probation department to become the assistant to the Atlanta Postal Region Director, within the United States Post Office Department. While in this post, Burson helped to produce speeches for Lester Maddox, most notably his inaugural speech for governor.
In 1967, Burson became Director of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS). Burson's appointment was not well received by the state senate, which fought to delay his confirmation hearing. After much debate the senate agreed to confirm Burson as long as "a spirit of harmony and cooperation" could be maintained between DFACS contacts and members of the General Assembly. At this station, Burson created controversy by pushing to create strong welfare programs, such as his "War on Hunger" that attempted to establish food stamps programs in all of Georgia's counties. New welfare programs were heavily criticized by members of the state senate due to DFACS increased funding needs and concerns about programs encouraging illegitimate children. Burson countered these apprehensions by suggesting that the only way to discourage illegitimacy is through sex education, advice and information about birth control, and job training for unwed mothers. Public discussions and support of both birth control and sex education, along with Burson's support of voluntary sterilization of welfare recipients, increased criticism of DFACS programs.
On May 19, 1970, after several tumultuous years promoting welfare reform in Georgia, Bill Burson submitted his resignation to DFACS in order to be eligible to run for state treasurer. He ran a campaign with little funding, using the family station wagon to traverse the state. After a successful campaign, he was sworn in as the new state treasurer by Governor Jimmy Carter in January 1971. As treasurer Burson was critical of the way that Georgia handled its investments and supported the abolition of the treasury office in Carter's plan for government reorganization. However, Burson greatly disapproved of moving the treasury position to the State Department of Administration, where he felt it would lose the power to oversee necessary fiscal reform. Under increasing criticism for his financial policies Burson began his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Richard B. Russell at his death in 1971.
Burson's senatorial campaign had a difficult beginning, as the General Assembly voted to abolish the Treasury Department; Burson began his campaign and refused to abdicate the office. Burson announced that his campaign would begin with a "walk for Congress," a 1,000 mile walk from Rabun Gap to Tybee Light. Burson campaigned for children to have the right to attend the closest school to their home, for parents to have the right to enroll their children in any school with vacancies, for it to be a federal offense to assault or murder a police officer, and for the minimum Social Security payment to be increased. In August 1972, his bid for the Senate ended in the senatorial primary where the run-off came down to David Gambrell and Sam Nunn, who later won the general election against Republican opponent Fletcher Thompson.
Upon returning to the Treasury Department, Burson filed suit to prevent the abolition of the treasurer's position. Repeated attempts were made to remove him from his office, but none were successful until the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that his position had been lawfully eliminated.
After the elimination of his position in the Treasury Department, Burson briefly worked for the State and Local Program Office of the National Federation of Independent Business. In 1975, he was offered an appointment as Administrative Assistant, then Special Assistant (1983-1991), to Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller, and went on to serve as Miller's senatorial campaign coordinator. As Special Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor, Burson was responsible for researching and writing speeches, answering correspondence, and constituent casework. Burson applied for retirement in February 1991 after Miller's gubernatorial inauguration. In retirement Burson worked part-time as a publications clerk at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.
Bill Burson passed away on November 11, 1997 at the age of 69; Governor Zell Miller spoke at his funeral. He was married to Lila Laverne Womble, and they had three children - Forrest Brooks, Nancy Leigh, and Mildred Louise (Lu).
Scope and Content
The majority of the collection is a series of twenty-five scrapbooks compiled by Burson, containing multiple artifacts, photographs, programs, speeches, correspondence, and clippings. The scrapbooks are arranged in chronological order and detail Burson's background and the many positions he held throughout his lifetime. The volumes contain information regarding his education, various fraternal and academic organizations to which he belonged, appointments to various positions including Director of the State Department of Family and Children Services, his election to the position of State Treasurer and 1972 senatorial campaign, and his years spent as a special assistant to Governor Zell Miller. Topics include the Korean War, taxes, education, welfare and food programs, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, birth control, sex education, financial reform, National Federation of Independent Business, Governor Jimmy Carter's government reorganization plan, Herman Talmadge, Carl Sanders, Lester Maddox and Zell Miller.
Additional materials include one hundred and fifty-eight photographs of Bill Burson at various events at the University of Georgia and the Post Office Department. There is also a photo of Burson as a small child and one photograph of his marriage to Laverne Womble. Certificates, commissions, diplomas, and plaques document Burson's many achievements at the University of Georgia, State Department of Family and Children Services, and as State Treasurer. Seven original editorial cartoons by Clifford (Baldy) Baldowski, Bill Daniels, David Boyd, and Eric Devericks depict the difficulties Burson's faced at the State Department of Family and Children Services and his 1972 senatorial campaign. There are eight yearbooks from Burson's time at Robert E. Lee Grammar School, Robert E. Lee Institute (1942-1945), and the University of Georgia (1946-1948).
Organization and Arrangement
The papers are organized into six series: scrapbooks; plaques and certificates; photographs; editorial cartoons; books; and audiovisual items. Photographs and certificates removed from the scrapbooks for preservation purposes are housed in their corresponding series. The series are arranged chronologically.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
William H. (Bill) Burson Scrapbooks, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
Processing Notes
Scrapbooks have been microfilmed and photographs have been separated to preserve content.
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: 2009.
Related Materials and Subjects
Subject Terms
Related Collections in this Repository
Clifford Hodges Brewton Collection of Lester G. Maddox Speech/Press Research Files
Thomas Gresham Collection of Lester Maddox Speech/Press Files
David Gambrell U.S. Senatorial Election of 1972 Materials
Howard H. (Bo) Callaway Papers
Janet B. Scarborough Merritt Papers
Clifford H. (Baldy) Baldowski Editorial Cartoons
Related Collections in Other Repositories
Governor, Executive Department Records, Georgia Department of Archives and History
Doc 6823: Governor - '71-'72 Reorganization Study - Advisory Commission Correspondence, Georgia Department of Archives and History
Treasury Department, Administration Records, Georgia Department of Archives and History
Department of Family and Children Services Records, Georgia Department of Archives and History