Democratic Party of Georgia Records
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteThe 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 (1960-2008) 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 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. 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-current DuBose Porter Scope and ContentThe 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. 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. Organization and ArrangementThe records are arranged into eight series: I. Administrative, II. County and District, III. Finance, IV. Committees and Conventions, V. Campaigns and Elections, VI. Photographs and Ephemera, VII. Audiovisual Materials, and Series VIII. Websites. Administrative InformationAccess NoteThe 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. Processing InformationProcessing 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). User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "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. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Georgia State Democratic Executive Committee Files Robert M. Willingham Democratic Party of Georgia Files Wood and Associates Political Advertising Media Related Collections in Other RepositoriesOther GuidesArchival Research: Political Parties at the Richard B. Russell Library. |