Jeannette Rankin Papers

Descriptive Summary
Title: Jeannette Rankin Papers
Creator: Rankin, Jeannette, 1880-1973
Inclusive Dates: 1910-2005
Bulk Dates: 1940-1980
Language(s): English
Extent: 13 box(es) (8.75 linear feet)
Collection Number: RBRL325
Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States Congress and was noted for her campaigning for women's suffrage and pacifism. Her papers document her congressional and activist career and include correspondence, writings, and subject files.

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Collection Description

Biographical/Historical note

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and was a notable activist for peace and women's suffrage. She served two non-consecutive terms in Congress (1917-1919 and 1941-1943), where she voted against United States entry into World War I and later became the only member of Congress to oppose entry into World War II. During her first term, she was also instrumental in passing the Nineteenth Amendment, granting all American women the right to vote, in the House of Representatives.

Rankin was instrumental in humanitarian causes throughout her life, including women's suffrage and women's rights, working at Hull House for Jane Addams, and lobbied Congress for various pacifist organizations and worked for child labor laws. She helped form the Georgia Peace Society in 1935 with Lucy Stanton and 35 others. From 1943 to 1958, Rankin traveled extensively, studying the political and social systems of the countries she visited. Rankin played a growing role in the social movements of the 1960s and frequently spoke to classes and other groups at the University of Georgia. Beginning in 1968 and throughout the rest of her life Jeannette Rankin was a forceful, vigorous, and outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War and organized several protests against it that gained national attention.

Jeannette Rankin was born June 11, 1880 in Missoula, Montana and received her education at the University of Montana, Columbia University, and the University of Washington. In 1925 she purchased land near Watkinsville, Georgia where she built a house to serve as a base for her work in the eastern part of the country. She died in Carmel, California on May 23, 1973.

Scope and Content

The Jeannette Rankin Papers document the political and activist career of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, who was known for her work for women's suffrage and pacifism. The papers include correspondence, her writings, articles and papers written about her, and subject files. Significant subjects include her opposition to World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War, and her support for abolishing the electoral college in favor of electing the President of the United States through popular vote.

Organization and Arrangement

Organized into four series: I. Correspondence, II. Writings, III. Biographical, IV. Subject Files.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Jeannette Rankin 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.

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

Finding Aid Publication

Finding aid prepared on: 2009 October 16.

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Related Materials and Subjects

Subject Terms

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Series Descriptions and Folder Listing

 

I. Correspondence , 1914-2001
		The correspondence series includes letters from political figures, friends, and supporters, most dating from either the early 1940s or late 1960s and early 1970s. Subjects mentioned include World War II, the Vietnamese Conflict, the Peace Movement, and presidential election reform. There are also a few family letters, including some from Rankin written while she was traveling in the Middle and Far East during 1946 and 1947.
	Subseries 1A: A. Chronological , 1942-1994
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1	1		1914-1940
1	2		1941 February-November
1	3		1941 December 1-6
1	4		1941 December 8
1	5		1941 December 9
1	6		1941 December 10
1	7		1941 December 11
1	8		1941 December 12-14
1	9		1941 December 15-17
1	10		1941 December 18-31
1	11		1941 December
1	12		1942 January
1	13		1942 February-April
1	14		1942 May-December
1	15		1943
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2	1		1944
2	2		1945-1954
2	3		1955-1965
2	4		1966
2	5		1967 January-April
2	6		1967 May 1-21
2	7		1967 May 22-31
2	8		1967 June
2	9		1967 July-September
2	10		1967 October-December
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3	1		1968 January
3	2		1968 February-December
3	3		1969
3	4		1970 January-April
3	5		1970 May-1971
3	6		1972-1994
3	7		Fragments, etc., undated
	Subseries 1B: B. Direct Elections of the President
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3	8		Alinsky, Saul D., 1970
3	9		Baker, Howard H. Jr., 1969
3	10		Baldwin, Roger, 1970
3	11		Bayh, Birch, 1969
3	12		Bedell, Daniel S., 1970
3	13		Belfrage, Mary, 1969
3	14		Bellmon, Henry, 1969
3	15		Blumberg, Nathan, 1970
3	16		Brownlow, Donald G., 1969-1970
3	17		Burdick, Quentin N., 1969-1970
3	18		Burn, Marthena, 1969
3	19		Cellar, Emanuel, 1969
3	20		Chandler, Alfred D., 1970
3	21		Committee for Nonviolent Action, 1969
3	22		Cook, Marlow W., 1969
3	23		Cotton, Norris, 1969
3	24		Cronkite, Walter, 1970
3	25		Davis, John W., 1970
3	26		De Graaff, Mrs. Jan, circa 1969-1970
3	27		Degler, Carl N., 1970
3	28		Ellender, Allen J., 1969
3	29		Galbraith, John K., 1970
3	30		Goodell, Charles E., 1969
3	31		Gore, Albert, 1969
3	32		Grantham, Dewey, 1970
3	33		Gravel, Mike, 1969
3	34		Griffin, Mervyn E. Jr., 1970
3	35		Gruening, Ernest, 1969
3	36		Handlin, Oscar, 1970
3	37		Harris, Fred R., 1969
3	38		Hart, Philip A., 1969
3	39		Hartke, Vance, 1969
3	40		Hess, James A., 1969
3	41		Hoffman, Mary J., 1970
3	42		Holland, Spessard L., 1969
3	43		Hutchins, Robert M., 1970
3	44		Jackson, Henry M., 1969
3	45		Javits, Jacob K., 1969
3	46		Jones, Dorothy B., 1970
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4	1		Josephson, Hannah, 1970
4	2		Kennedy, Edward M., 1969
4	3		Lawson, Don, 1970
4	4		Liebert, Anna, 1969
4	5		Long, Russell B., 1969
4	6		Lugar, Richard G., 1970
4	7		McCarthy, Eugene J., 1970
4	8		McCloskey, Paul N. Jr., 1970
4	9		McDonald, Donald, 1970
4	10		McFarland, Lil, 1969
4	11		Mansfield, Mike, 1969
4	12		Meloney, Stephen, circa 1969-1970
4	13		Meredith, Betty, circa 1969-1970
4	14		Merritt, Janet S., 1969
4	15		Metcalf, Lee, 1969
4	16		Miha, Clara de, 1969
4	17		Moss, John E., 1969
4	18		Mundt, Karl E., 1969
4	19		Murphy, George, 1970
4	20		Muskie, Edmund, 1970
4	21		Nelson, Gaylord, 1968-1969
4	22		Nixon, Richard, 1969-1970
4	23		Olson, David M., 1969
4	24		Opal, Alma, 1970
4	25		Park, Myrtle H., 1970
4	26		Pastore, John O., 1969
4	27		Pellerzi, L.M., 1969
4	28		Pendergrast, Mrs. John B., 1969
4	29		Percy, Charles H., 1969
4	30		Proxmire, William, 1969
4	31		Pryor, Hubert C., 1970
4	32		Randolph, Jennings, 1969-1970
4	33		Robinson, Joel D., 1969
4	34		Rubin, Morris H., circa 1969-1970
4	35		Russell, Richard, 1969-1970
4	36		Sawyer, Betty, 1970
4	37		Saxbe, William, 1969
4	38		Scannell, Mrs. S.A., 1969-1970
4	39		Schweiker, Richard S., 1969
4	40		Sevareid, Eric, 1968
4	41		Smith, Margaret Chase, 1969
4	42		Sparkman, John, 1969
4	43		Strout, Richard L., circa 1969-1970
4	44		Talcott, Burt, 1969-1970
4	45		Talmadge, Herman, 1969
4	46		Tydings, Joseph, 1969
4	47		Wallace, Mike, circa 1969-1970
4	48		Wedel, Mrs. T.O., 1970
4	49		Williams, John J., 1969
4	50		Williams, T. Harry, 1969
4	51		Yarborough, Ralph W., 1970
	Subseries 1C: C. Family and Personal Letters
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4	52		1939-1958
4	53		1961-1966
4	54		1967
4	55		1968-1969
4	56		1970-2001
4	57		undated
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5	1		undated
5	2		Letters from JR, 1940-1973

 

II. Writings , 1917-1970
		The Writings Series contains copies of articles and speeches written by Rankin. Topics include her opposition to both World Wars, pacifism, electoral reform so the president is elected by popular vote, and the repeal of laws restricting contraception and abortion. Also included are transcripts of interviews with Rankin about her life, including her campaigns for women's suffrage and world peace, and her service in Congress.
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5	3	Writings, speeches, etc. by Rankin, 1917-1970
5	4	Writings by or assumed to be by Jeanette Rankin, undated
5	5	Interviews, 1949-1971
5	6	Letters to the Editor, 1942-1971

 

III. Biographical , 1910-2005
		The Biographical Series contains copies of articles and papers written about Rankin's life and career campaigning for women's suffrage and world peace, and serving as the first woman in the U.S. Congress. The series also contains programs from events about Rankin, photographs, and a scrapbook.
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5	7	Article about Rankin: Biography, 1997 May
5	8	Article about Rankin: Friendly Woman, 1985 Summer
5	9	Article about Rankin: Georgia Advocate, 1970 Fall
5	10	Article about Rankin: The Georgia Historical Quarterly, 1974 Spring
5	11	Article about Rankin: McCall's, 1917 April
5	12	Article about Rankin: McCall's, 1958 January
5	13	Article about Rankin: McCall's, 1976 April
5	14	Article about Rankin: Modern Maturity, 1983 December - 1984 January
5	15	Article about Rankin: Montana, 1980 Winter
5	16	Article about Rankin: Montanan, 1993 Winter
5	17	Article about Rankin: Ms., 1986 March
5	18	Article about Rankin: Newsweek, 1966 February 14
5	19	Article about Rankin: Ramparts, 1968 February
5	20	Article about Rankin: The Union Signal, 1945 May 5
5	21	Article about Rankin: U.S. News & World Report, 1964 February 10
5	22	Article about Rankin: WIN, 1968 January 31
5	23	Article about Rankin: Unidentified magazines, etc., undated
5	24	Clippings re. Rankin, 1910-1939
5	25	Clippings re. Rankin, 1940-1949
5	26	Clippings re. Rankin, 1950-1959
5	27	Clippings re. Rankin, 1960-1969
5	28	Clippings re. Rankin, 1970-1979
5	29	Clippings re. Rankin, 1980-1999
5	30	Clippings re. Rankin, undated
5	31	Clippings re. Rankin (photocopies), 1916-1973
5	32	Clippings re: Wellington Rankin, 1958-1966
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6	1	Dendy, Gail "Jeanette Rankin", 1977
6	2	Fisher, Motier H. "But, Lord, It was a Brave Thing!", undated
6	3	Goldman, Eric F. from Rendezvous with Destiny, 1956
6	4	Mansfield, Mike "In a Montana Mood", 1967
6	5	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 1 of 6), undated
6	6	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 2 of 6), undated
6	7	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 3 of 6), undated
6	8	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 4 of 6), undated
6	9	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 5 of 6), undated
6	10	Smith, Norma Stubborn Woman: The Life and Times of Jeanette Rankin (folder 6 of 6), undated
6	11	Unidentified. "Jeanette Rankin on Woman's Liberation", circa 1969
6	12	Unidentified and no title, undated
6	13	Other printed material re. Rankin, 1949-2005
6	14	Biographical material
6	15	Financial Material, 1942-1966
6	16	Residence (Oconne Co.) Documents, 1969-1973
6	17	Travel Papers, 1946, 1956
6	18	Programs re. Rankin, 1958-2005
6	19	Photos, slides, etc., undated
6	20	Stationary - Rankin
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8		Scrapbook (clippings; pictures; articles concerning peace, Miss Jeannette Rankin, World Peaceways, the National Council for the Prevention of War, and similar organizations), 1917-1966
8		Printer's Plates of Rankin Portraits, undated

 

IV. Subject Files
		The Subject Files series is composed of newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and papers about methods of nonviolent protest, pacifism, Gandhi, Pearl Harbor, protests against the Vietnam, and supporting the direct election of the President of the United States.
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6	21	Other printed material - Pictures of Gandhi, undated
6	22	Other miscellaneous printed material (folder 1 of 3), 1949-1971
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7	1	Other miscellaneous printed materials (folder 2 of 3), 1949-1950
7	2	Other miscellaneous printed materials (folder 3 of 3), 1937-1995
7	3	Burt, Helen. "Why Women Weep" (poem), undated
7	4	Chudiwale, G.S. Speech, 1950
7	5	Crist, Charles F. "My Conception of Religion and a Religious Person", 1943
7	6	Davison, Roland G. "Tempus Vigilare", undated
7	7	Guaddgno, Carl "Peace Treatis", undated
7	8	Holmes, John Haynes. "Gandhiji", 1948
7	9	Lakey, George. "Exploring Nonviolent Action", 1969
7	10	Lakey, George. "Strategy for Nonviolent Revolution", undated
7	11	Lierde, Jean van. "Revolution: Ends and Means. Revolutionary Groups and Nonviolent Action", 1969
7	12	Meredith, Betty. "Mothers of America", circa 1967
7	13	Murray, Mary. "The Pattern of War as Described by Mark Twain", undated
7	14	Rankin, Wellington Speech re: Paradise Dam Proposal, undated
7	15	Smith, Donald F. "The Death of Nonviolence", undated
7	16	"Our Hope", 1945
7	17	Lists, undated
7	18	Notes, etc., undated
7	19	Political ephemera ("Votes for Women" playing card, "Wellington D. Rankin for U.S. Senator" cards, "Governments Make War" pins)
7	20	Postcards, undated
7	21	Other clippings, 1940-1979
7	22	Other clippings, undated
7	23	Other clippings (photocopies), 1965-1972
7	24	Other magazine and journal articles, 1942-1989

 

V. Additions
		These files were donated to the Russell Library in 2019 by the family of the late Rankin biographer, Ted Harris. It consists of five boxes of personal and political correspondence, more of Rankin's writings, records of her post-career travels, and a large amount of clippings and articles documenting her political career.
These folders retain the original arrangement and names given to them by the creator or the previous custodian of the papers.
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9	01	[Letters to Edna R. McKinnon], 1950-1964
9	02	[Letters from Mary Bragg, Flora Surles, Edna McKinnon, Louise Rankin, Katharine Anthony, and Hattie McGregor], 1945-1964
9	03	[Letters from Mary Bragg, Louise Rankin, Edna McKinnon, Katharine Anthony, Hattie McGregor, and Tom Kinney], 1944-1965
9	04	[Letters from Louise Rankin], 1956-1965
9	05	[Letters from Edna McKinnon and Mary Bragg], 1954-1964
9	06	[Letters from Edna McKinnon], 1955-1964
9	07	[Letters from Katharine Anthony], 1955-1965
9	08	[Letters from Grace Stone Coates], 1962-1963
9	09	[Letters from Hattie McGregor], 1949-1963
9	10	[Letters from Flora B. Surles], 1956-1965
9	11	[Letters from Duncan Burnet], 1959-1963
9	12	[Letters from Walter], 1964-1965
9	13	[Letter from Flora B. Surles], 1949-1965
9	14	[Letters from Hattie McGregor], 1947-1964
9	15	[Letters from Dorothy and John], 1963-1964
9	16	[Letters from Pope R. Hill], 1962
9	17	[Letters from D.B. and J.A. Butler], 1963
9	18	[Letters to Jeannette Rankin], 1962-1963
9	19	[Letters from Burnet], 1962
9	20	[Letters from Thomas Kinney], 1954-1959
9	21	[Letters from Grace Stone Coates], 1962-1963
9	22	[Letters from Mrs. C.H. Rittenour], 1962-1963
9	23	[Letters to Jeannette Rankin], 1944-1965
9	24	[Letters to Jeannette Rankin], 1954-1963
9	25	[Letters to Jeannette Rankin], 1937-1963
9	26	[Letters to Jeannette Rankin], 1936-1965
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10	1	Photographs, undated
10	2	Speeches and Writings: Research, 1935-1938
10	3	Speeches and Writings: Earl Godwin's Radio Speech, 1942-1943
10	4	Speeches and Writings: Pledges to Keep America Out of War, 1939
10	5	Speeches and Writings: Radio Address by Miss Jeanette Rankin, 1940
10	6	Speeches and Writings: Can America be Attacked? By Burton K. Wheeler, 1941
10	7	Speeches and Writings: Anti-War, 1941-1942
10	8	Speeches and Writings: Labor Issues, Helena Assay Office, and Other Topics, 1942
10	9	Speeches and Writings: Articles Relating to Peace, 1941-1950
10	10	Speeches and Writings: Memorial Day Speech, 1942
10	11	Campaign Materials: Candidate for Senate Pamphlet, 1918
10	12	Campaign Materials: Photograph, Pamplets, and Cards, 1940
10	13	Campaign Materials: Endorsements, 1940
10	14	Campaign Materials: Election Returns, 1940
10	15	Clippings, 1916-1939
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12		Clippings: Colliers and The Suffragist Magazines, 1916-1917
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10	16	Clippings: Biography and Death, 1917-1985
10	17	Clippings: A.C. Townley, 1918
10	18	Clippings, 1940-1943
10	19	Biographical Materials, 1943-1985
10	20	Clippings: World War Two Vote, 1941
10	21	Clippings: Capital Punishment, 1951
10	22	Insurance Business, 1915-1916
10	23	Campaign Materials: Primary Election, 1916
10	24	Stationery: First Term, 1917-1919
10	25	Stationery: Second Term, 1941-1943
10	26	Miscellany: The Tears and the Vote by Clark Howell, 1917
10	27	Miscellany: Speech Course, 1917
10	28	Miscellany: Second Term, War Prevention, 1941
10	29	Clippings: Pertaining to War, 1941-1943
10	30	Clippings: Pertaining to War, 1941-1945
10	31	Miscellany: Bills and Resolutions, 1941
10	32	Miscellany: Christmas Cards, 1940
10	33	Miscellany: Christmas Cards, 1941
10	34	Miscellany: Christmas Cards, 1942-1943
10	35	Miscellany: Congressional Record and "Some Questions About Pearl Harbor" Pamphlet, 1942
10	36	Miscellany: Notes on Workmen's Compensation and a Receipt, 1950
10	37	Photographs: Hanoum Camp, 1917
10	38	Photographs and Negatives, undated
10	39	Ted Harris Rankin Material, undated
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11	1	Ted Harris Clippings, 1960s
11	2	Index to Jeanette Rankin Material in Great Falls Tribune, 1969
11	3	Ninetieth Birthday Invitiation and Article, 1970
11	4	Copies of correspondence, undated
11	5	Wellington Rankin, undated
11	6	Romance, undated
11	7	Interviews and Letters, undated
11	8	Response to War Vote, 1941
11	9	Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Seventy-Seventh Congress, Second Session and Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Seventy-Ninth Congress, First Session, 1942, 1945
11	10	Reforms, 1967-1969
11	11	Correspondence: John Board, 1966, 1968
11	12	Rankin Brigade, 1968
11	13	Round House, 1967
11	14	Old Letters, 1943-1944
11	15	Personal Pictures: Turkey, California, Philippines
11	16	Donations, 1966-1968
11	17	Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, 1967
11	18	Autographs Wanted, 1967
11	19	Manuscripts
11	20	ABM [Anti-Ballistic Missile] Correspondence, 1969
11	21	Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1967-1968
11	22	Personal Business, 1967-1968
11	23	Correspondence: Edna McKinnon, 1967-1969
11	24	Hate Mail, 1968
11	25	Correspondence: Jeff Elliot, 1968-1969
11	26	National Woman's Party, 1967-1968
11	27	French Letters, 1968
11	28	Opposition Views, 1967-1968
11	29	Peace Group Correspondence, 1967, 1969
11	30	Correspondence: Owen Woodruff, 1967-1968
11	31-32	Personal Correspondence, 1953-1969
11	33	Women in Politics, 1945-1969
11	34	Travel Number One, 1969
11	35	University of Montana, 1969
11	36	[Materials for] Scrapbook, 1960s
11	37	Vietnam, 1966-1969
11	38	Peace Magazines, 1967-1969
11	39	Travel Number Two, 1969
11	40	Africa, 1953
11	41	Czechoslovakia, 1968-1969
11	42-43	India, 1949-1955
11	44	Mexico, 1965
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12		Scrapbook and family photo, 1944
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1		Posters