Request Material
Table of Contents
| Descriptive Summary |
| Collection Description |
| Administrative Information |
| Related Materials and Subjects |
| Series Descriptions and Folder Listing |
| Series I. Personal and Political Files |
| Series II. Constituent Services |
| California Coalition for Immigration Reform, "The Takeover of America" Audio CD [digital files]2004 |
| Series III. Campaign Files |
| Series IV. Legislative Files |
| Series V. Ambassador Files |
| Series VI. Audiovisual Recordings |
| Series VII. Artifacts |
David Adelman Papers
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: David Adelman Papers | |
| Creator: Adelman, David, 1964- | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1990s-2000s | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 12 box(es) (12 linear feet, 2.96 gigabytes, 1 audio recording) | |
| Collection Number: RBRL386 | |
| Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies | |
Collection Description
Biographical Note
David Adelman was born in 1964 in New York. He received an ABJ from the University of Georgia in 1986, followed by a JD from Emory in 1989 and an MPA from Georgia State in 1995. In 2002 he was elected to the Georgia Senate, representing the 42nd district.
During his four terms in the state senate (2003-2010), Adelman served as the Minority Whip and Chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee. A moderate Democrat, Adelman was known for his ability to gather bipartisan support for important issues. One such issue was SB 170, a program of financial sanctions on the Government of Sudan in response to the genocide in Darfur. The sanctions prohibited any office of the state government from contracting with any firm that maintained business interests in Sudan. Senator Adelman's was also active in the area of medical research, having authored a bill that would encourage the pursuit of stem cell research (with some ethical constraints) in Georgia. His other legislative interests included domestic violence prevention, government efficiency, and ethics reforms.
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Adelman to be the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. As ambassador, he led a series of trade missions to Southeast Asia, including Myanmar--the first such American economic delegation to visit the country.
Following his resignation from the embassy in 2013, Adelman served as Managing Director of Goldman Sachs' Hong Kong offices and was appointed to the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Capital Markets Committee, the Executive Council on Foreign Relations of Hong Kong, and the Israel-Asia Center's Advisory Council.
Scope and Content
This collection contains documents originating from Ambassador Adelman's state senate campaign committee, his state senate office, and his ambassadorial staff. Campaign files are mostly composed of mailers, flyers, signs, and campaign memorabilia distributed by the Friends of David Adelman. It includes a full run of newsletters sent to constituents, letters from the campaign committee, and other correspondence.
Files from the state senate office include both legislative and political files. Legislative files document bills introduced by Adelman, including the Darfur sanctions bill (SB 170), post-conviction DNA testing bill (SB 119), campus police open records act (SB 153), and the domestic violence shelter protection act (SB 147). It also includes research materials on legislation affecting stem cell research, casino gaming, speed limits, and the Georgia corporate code; and records of Senator Adelman's activities on the Commission on Children, Marriage, and Family Law. Political files are composed mostly of press clippings and correspondence with advocacy groups and members of the General Assembly.
The ambassadorial papers include documents collected by Adelman and his staff to prepare for his confirmation hearings, trip files and itineraries, selected speeches, and correspondence with organizations and individuals involced in foreign trade and finance, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperaton (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the American Chamber of Commerce.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged in seven series. Where possible, the archivists retained the original order of the materials.
Series I: Personal and Political Files includes materials that are not narrowly legislative in nature, such as surveys, photographs, clippings and correspondence between Senator Adelman and other politicians and party officials. Files are arranged alphabetically.
Series II: Constituent Services conatains all letters received by Adelman's office from the citizens of the 42nd state senate district from 2003 to 2009. FIles are arranged chronologically.
Series III: Campaign Files includes correspodnence related to Senator Adelman's reelection campaigns, newsletters and mailers from the Friends of David Adelman, and photographs.
Series IV: Legislative Files contains correspondence and office memos related to pending legislation in the Georgia State Senate, bill drafts, and issue briefs and policy research materials. FIles are arranged alphabetically.
Series V: Ambassador Files contains all materials related to Adelman's service as the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. This includes correspondence with foreign officials, and travel itineraries and other briefing materials related to trade missions to Vietnam and Indonesia. The files are arranged alphabetically.
Series VI: Audiovisual Recordings contains a VHS recording of a 60 Minutes story on stem cell research.
Serives VII: Artifacts contains campaign apparel and a Georgia state flag.
The collection is divided into seven series: Personal and Political Files, Constituent Services, Campaign Files, Legislative Files, Ambassador Files, Audiovisual Recordings, and Digital Records. Within each box, all files are arranged alphabetically with the exception of Constituent Services, which is arranged chronologically.
Material from the audiovisual and digital records is available by request.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
The bulk of this collection is open for research. Box 11, Folder 4 is restricted until October 28, 2035 under Executive Order 13526, section 1.4 (b) and 1.4 (d).
This collection contains 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.
This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.
Preferred citation
David Adelman Papers. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
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 by Robert Lay, 2018-11-20.