MINNETTE DODERER (1923-2005)
PAPERS, 1944-2005
29.25 linear feet
|
ACQUISITION: |
The papers were donated by
Minnette Doderer in three accessions, the first in 1987 and subsequent years. |
|
ACCESS: |
Users of the collection
must review restrictions on use of correspondence related to abortion and
sign the conditions of access form. [Located in donor file] |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Catherine E. Rymph, 1992; Marnie
Schroer, 1995; |
Biography
Minnette Frerichs Doderer
was born on May 16, 1923 near
Doderer was active in the Democratic
Party beginning in the 1950s, serving as vice-chair of the Johnson County
Democratic Central Committee from 1956 to 1959 and acting as chair and co-chair
of many county, district, and state Democratic conventions. One of the main issues she worked on was
reapportionment. She co-chaired Hubert
Humphrey's
Doderer was elected to the Iowa
House of Representatives in 1964 in a special election. She served in the House from 1964 to
1968. She served in the State Senate
from 1968 to 1978. Doderer was House minority whip from 1967 to 1968 and was
the first woman to act as president pro tempore of the Iowa Senate from 1975 to
1976. In 1970 and 1978, she ran
unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
In 1981, she was again elected to the House, where she continued to
serve until her retirement in 2000.
Doderer's committee work and the
legislation she sponsored in the Iowa General Assembly relate to a wide variety
of issues. In particular, Doderer was
active in promoting legislation relating to women's issues, such as the
elimination of sexist language in the Iowa Code, gender balance in state
commissions and gubernatorial appointments, comparable worth, gender equitable
insurance, reproductive rights, and the ratification of the Equal Rights
Amendment. She also worked on issues
such as public health, prison reform, benefits for the elderly, child and
spouse abuse, juvenile justice, collective bargaining rights for public
employees, and the treatment of alcoholics.
Doderer was involved in many
organizations including the League of Women Voters, the Iowa Civil Liberties
Union, and the National Organization for Women.
In 1977, she chaired the
Scope and Content Note
The Minnette Doderer papers date
from 1944 to 2005 and measure 29.25 linear feet.
Most
of these materials relate to Doderer's activities as a member of the
Accession 1 of the Minnette Doderer
papers (
ACCESSION
1
The bulk of the material in
Accession 1 dates from 1964 to 1979. The
files in this accession are arranged in one alphabetical sequence. The accession contains extensive material on
the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion rights as well as on the International
Women's Year.
ACCESSION
2
Accession 2 dates primarily from the
1980s. It is arranged in six series: Campaign files,
Correspondence, Personal material, Photographs, Speeches, and Topical files and
legislation.
The Campaign files series
(1966-1988) contains a variety of clippings, press releases, pamphlets,
nominating petitions, and other documents relating to Doderer's election
campaigns during this period.
The Correspondence files
series (1972-1990) incorporates Doderer's official correspondence, including
letters from constituents and fellow politicians. Copies of many of Doderer's replies are also
included.
The Personal material series
(1964-1990) includes biographical information, appointment books, newspaper
clippings, and Doderer's personal correspondence.
The Photographs series
(1964-1984) contains a selection of photographs, primarily of Doderer.
The Speeches series (undated)
consists of Doderer's notes for a variety of speeches, especially on the issue
of comparable worth.
The Topical files and legislation series
(1967-1991) encompasses a wide range of issues.
It includes both general resource files on issues such as adoption and
the Democratic convention and resource files related to specific legislation on
subjects such as groundwater (HF 606) and pari-mutuel racing (SF 92). This series also contains information on
other aspects of Doderer's political career and includes an oral history
interview by Robin Stryker.
ACCESSION
3
Accession 3 contains material from
the 1980s and early 1990s. It is
arranged in four series: Correspondence, Legislative career, Personal material,
and Topical files and legislation. The
arrangement of Accession 3 varies somewhat from Accession 2 in that materials
related to Doderer's career as a legislator, but not specifically connected to
acts of legislation, have been organized into a separate series: Legislative
career. Previously, these folders were
included in the Topical files and legislation series.
The Correspondence series
(1974-1992) consists primarily of letters from constituents along with some of
Doderer's replies. Topics discussed
include parental consent laws for abortion, taxes, education, and the drinking
age. There are also a number of letters
related to Doderer's speaking engagements and some congratulations and
condolences regarding election results.
The Legislative career series
(1967-1992) documents aspects of Doderer's political career other than her
involvement with specific acts of legislation.
One of the largest segments of this series involves the Equality in the
Courts Task Force of which Doderer was a member. Testimony for and reports by this task force
provide a rich source of information on gender and racial discrimination in the
court system.
The Personal material series
(1975-1992) is comprised of Doderer's appointment books, mostly from the 1980s,
and a small selection of her personal correspondence.
The Topical files and legislation
series (1972-1992) includes general resource files and materials related to
particular acts of legislation. For this
accession, the bulk of this series consists of materials on the topic of gender
equity in insurance.
ACCESSION
4
The bulk of the materials in
accession 4 date from the mid-1980s to 2000. The papers are arranged in eight
series: Biographical information, Campaigns, Correspondence, Legislative
sessions, Newspaper clippings, Speeches, Speech materials, and Topical
files.
Most of the papers in this accession
have been retained in their original order and folders. As a result, the files overlap a good deal
and include many duplicates. For example,
topical files often contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, and sometimes
speeches. The titles and dates Doderer
wrote on the folders are necessarily consistent with the folder contents. Thus, the organization of the papers provides
a rough guide only, and researchers would be well-advised to do a thorough
search of Doderer’s papers to unearth all documents related to a particular
event, topic, or piece of legislation.
The papers in the Biographical information series
(1970s-2005) consist largely of files kept by Doderer labeled “Personal,” which
include newspaper clippings about Doderer, invitations, thank-you notes,
correspondence from friends and constituents, notices of events in which
Doderer participated, and other miscellaneous items. This series also includes obituaries of
Doderer and her husband, Fred. The folder
on the Daum family includes “Railroad Widow,” the reminiscences of an elderly
pioneer woman about her life in
The Campaign series (1964-2000) includes materials related to Doderer’s
campaigns, mainly from 1986 to 1998. It
includes brochures, strategy notes, information on fundraising events, donor
lists, nomination papers, display ads from newspapers, and letters to the
editor. The series is organized by
election year, and many folders include information on the campaigns of other
local, state, or national Democratic candidates. The series includes details on the races in
which Doderer faced serious opposition—the general elections of 1992 and 1994,
and the primary of 1996.
The Correspondence series (1970s-2000) includes both constituent and
personal mail. The series is organized
chronologically. It includes thank-you
notes, letters of appreciation, and letters in which constituents share their
views on everything from abortion to taxes to tort reform.
The Legislative sessions series (1993-2000), organized chronologically,
includes a smattering of reports and issue briefs written by the research staff
of the Democratic Party, copies of Doderer’s bills, lists of Doderer’s bills,
pages from the House Journal, and
summaries of legislative sessions.
The items in the Newspaper clippings series
(1960s-2000), arranged chronologically, date mainly from the 1990s. Most include reference to something Doderer
did or said in the legislature. The
series includes articles praising Doderer or reporting on awards she
received. Some articles do not mention
Doderer, but discuss people or events in which she took an interest, especially
articles about the Democratic Party and the Iowa General Assembly.
The Speeches series (1968-2000) contains notes, outlines, and
handwritten comments or speeches made by Doderer. The speeches are organized chronologically,
and many folders also include materials Doderer used in preparing the speech.
The Speech materials series (1990s) consists of newspaper clippings,
magazine or journal articles, and reports from which Doderer drew information
for her speeches. The series is
organized by topic. The materials on
women are especially voluminous and contain resource materials on issues such
as gender equity in insurance, reproductive health, women and work, and a
research paper titled “Women in the Iowa Legislature: A 1986 Update.”
The Topical files series is the largest series in this accession,
accounting for more than half of the total records in the fourth
accession. The series is organized
alphabetically by topic. It includes a
wide range of materials such as newspaper clippings, articles from magazines or
journals, bills, constituent mail, legal opinions, information from advocacy
groups, editorials, reports, research materials, and notes by Doderer. Many files contain information related to
other topics. For example—the folder on
alimony contains information related to divorce; the folder on child support is
related to both alimony and divorce; and the folder on dram shop is related to
drunk driving. The most extensive
materials relate to the topics of abortion, guns, health insurance, taxes, and
issues related to women.
Abortion: The abortion materials include policy reports
from advocacy groups, (mostly, but not exclusively, pro-choice organizations),
newspaper and magazine articles, handbooks on strategies for reproductive
freedom, government reports, legal opinions, law journal articles, newsletters
from pro-choice and pro-life groups, correspondence, and materials from
religious groups, both pro-life and pro-choice.
Materials in the series relate to parental notification laws; a bill to
require statistical reporting on abortions in Iowa; and the US Supreme Court
decisions Webster v. Reproductive
Health Services, 1989 and Planned
Parenthood v. Casey, 1992
(Doderer signed an amicus brief filed by state officials in Casey).
Other issues addressed include late-term abortions, partial-birth
abortions, adolescent pregnancy, abortion for minors, RU 486, Hyde amendments,
gag rules, the shooting of Dr. Gunn, safety of abortion providers, and fetal
rights. Some folders contain headings
that broadly describe their contents.
Adoption: Materials address
issues such as adoption by gays, cross-racial adoptions, and fathers’ rights.
Alimony: Debates and
constituent mail about a proposed bill to limit alimony payments to a certain
length of time.
Divorce:
Drugs: Information on drug
testing by employers and mandatory sentencing for use of methamphetamines.
Earth
Equal Rights Amendment: These
material mainly relate to the successful 1998 campaign to amend the
Gun control study and Guns: A substantial collection of materials on the
issues of gun violence and gun control in the 1990s that includes newspaper and
magazine articles, reports and newsletters from organizations advocating gun
control, constituent mail, and research on gun violence conducted by health
care providers and the US Department of Justice. Issues addressed include waiting periods for
permits, the Brady Bill, carrying concealed weapons, and banning assault
weapons. The gun control study folders
relate to legislative and citizen committees that Doderer served on and worked
with in the wake of the 1991 shooting on the UI campus and includes information
on the gun control bills Doderer introduced.
Health, Health insurance, and
Insurance: Materials in these folders address how to reform health care
systems, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), health insurance for
children, gender equity in health insurance, Medicare, a patient’s bill of
rights, and unscrupulous practices by insurance companies. Also includes Doderer’s testimony (circa
1994) before the Iowa Insurance Division regarding the use of gender as a
rating factor for small group health insurance.
Judicial nominating commission:
These materials related to debates about the composition of the commission,
specifically, gender balance and parity between the political parties.
Kitty Kruse: Includes
information about a contentious child custody dispute circa 1990.
Liability: These materials
deal with whether or not the sellers of alcohol should be liable for actions
committed by those who have purchased alcohol.
(See also dram shop.) Also includes materials related to tort reform and
medical malpractice.
National Conference on State
Legislatures: This folder contains materials on comparable worth. (See also pay equity.)
National Women’s
Pay Equity: This includes a
report prepared in 1987 on
Prisons: The majority of the
materials relate to issues pertaining to
Sexual assault: Folder 1 includes a report by Carolyn Stewart
Dyer and Nancy Hauserman titled “Exemption of Sexual Assault Victims from
Electronic News Coverage in Court,” which is undated but appears to have been
written around 1985 or 1986.
Taxes: This extensive collection of materials
addresses a wide range of issues including the
Voters for Choice: This
contains information about Voters for Choice, an organization that ran
conferences for pro-choice candidates and gave them suggestions on how to reach
and turn out choice voters.
Voting records: Included are
listings of how Iowa legislators voted on certain bills, compiled by ASFCME,
Kids First, Iowa Aging Coalition, student organizations, women’s organizations,
Iowa State Educational Association, ICLU, Economic Progress for Iowa’s
Citizens, I-CAN, and the AFL-CIO.
Summary Contents List
Alphabetical file, 1944-1984
(
Campaign files
1966, 1968, 1977-1980 (
Lieutenant governor
campaigns, 1970, 1977-1978 (
1966-1988 (
1986-2000 (Boxes 53-55)
Correspondence
1944-1984 (Boxes 10-15)
1972-1990 (Boxes 31-33)
1974, 1978-1992 (
1970s-2000 (Boxes 55-56)
Personal material
1968-1990 (Boxes 33-35)
1975, 1981-1992 (
1970s-2000 (
Photographs
1964-1967, 1983-1984 (
Speeches
Speeches and speech
material, 1966-1982 (
Undated (
1968-2000 (Boxes 57-58)
Topical files and
legislation
1962-1991 (Boxes 36-44)
1972-1992 (Boxes 48-52)
1980-2000 (Boxes 63-75)
Box no. Description
ACCESSION 1
Abortion
1967-1968
1969-1978
1979-1982
Undated
Clippings, 1969-1982
(folders 1-3)
Clippings, 1969-1982
(folders 4 and 5)
Conscience clause
1968-1978
Undated
Correspondence
January-February, 1969
March, 1969
April-December, 1969
1970-1972
Abortion
1973
1974-1982
Feticide issue, 1974-1977
Legislation, 1969-1981
Mandatory reporting,
1979-1982
National Abortion Rights
Action League (NARAL) (printed material), 1971-1982
Notes and speeches by
Doderer, undated
Planned Parenthood (printed
material), 1969-1981
Pro-choice
1969-1982 (printed material)
Undated (printed material)
Pro-life (printed material),
1978-1981
Reproductive rights resource
kit (National Organization for Women), 1981
Research material
1968-1981
Undated
Social Services regulations
(including a letter from Jim Leach), 1977-1978
Supreme Court decisions,
1971-1976
Appointment calendars,
1960-1982 (5 folders)
Battered women, 1975-1979
Biographical information
(Minnette Doderer), 1969-1979
Birth defects, 1967-1982
Campaigns
1966
Clippings, 1968
Expenses, 1968
1980 (including letters
dating from 1977-1980 from: Donald D. Avenson, Archibald Cox, Laurence LaFore,
John Culver and Robert D. Ray)
Clippings, 1980
Campaign manual (Democratic
State Central Committee), 1974?
Capitol Planning Commission,
1975-1976
Child abuse
1973-1979
Clippings, 1969-1977
Citizens Conference on State
Legislatures (White House Award), 1974-1975
Civil Service (merit
system), 1966-1967
Clippings, 1953-1964 (2
folders)
Clippings, 1965-1969 (4
folders)
Clippings, 1969-1973 (5
folders)
Clippings, 1974-1979 (6
folders)
Clippings, 1981-1984
College of Osteopathic
Medicine and Surgery, 1965-1981
Commission for the Blind,
1969-1970
Common Cause, 1978-1980
Conference for
Conservation Commission
(Plum Grove), 1966
Constituents meetings--
Constitutional convention
(campaign publicity--including letters from Edward J. McManus and Herschel C.
Loveless), 1959-1961
Correspondence
1944-1967 (including letters
from Virgil M. Hancher, Vance Bourjaily, and Howard R. Bowen)
1968-1969 (including letters
from Hubert H. Humphrey, Melvin D. Synhorst, Eugene J. McCarthy, Harold E.
Hughes, Lawrence F. O'Brien, and Howard R. Bowen)
1970-1972 (including letters
from George McGovern and Harold E. Hughes)
Correspondence
1973 (including letters from
Arthur Neu, Willard L. Boyd, and Gregory D. Cusack)
January 1974 (including a
letter from Gregory D. Cusack)
February 1974
March 1974
April-December 1974
(including letters from George R. Kinley and Willard L. Boyd)
January-March 1975
(including letters from John Culver and Dale T. Crosier)
Correspondence
April-December 1975
(including letters from Gerald R. Ford)
1976 (including letters from
Willard L. Boyd and Richard C. Turner)
January-February 1977
March 1977
April-December 1977
Correspondence
January-March 1978
April-December 1978
(including letters from John C. Culver, Terry E. Branstad, Dick Clark, and Joan
Orr)
1979 (including letters from
Arthur A. Neu, Willard R. Boyd, Leslie Moeller, Dorothy Moeller, John C.
Culver, and Neal Smith)
1980
January-February 1981
(including a letter Robert D. Ray)
March-April 1981 (including
letters from Willard L. Boyd and Jim Leach)
May-December 1981 (including
letters from Tom Tauke, Charles E. Grassley, Tom Harkin, Cooper Evans, James O.
Freedman, and Neal Smith)
1982
Correspondence
January-March 1983
(including letters from Berkley Bedell and Lynn Cutler)
April-December 1983
1984
Undated (including a letter
from Harold E. Hughes) (folder 1)
Correspondence
Undated (folder 2)
Cosmetology, 1969-1973
Court reform, 1965-1972
Criminal justice
Rape
1969-1976
Clippings, 1973-1981
Data Law Company, 1980
Democratic Advisory Council,
1969-1975
Democratic National
Convention (including letters from Hubert H. Humphrey and Eugene J. McCarthy),
1967-1968 (2 folders)
Des Moines Register polls, 1973-1978
Dirksen Amendment, 1966
Discriminatory Employment
Practices Study Committee, 1975-1976
Dissolution of marriage
bill, 1973
Education
Community schools, 1972-1973
Merged area schools,
1969-1972
School lunch bill, 1970
Equal Rights Amendment
1972-1978
1979-1981
Undated (2 folders)
Anti-ERA, 1972-1980
Clippings, 1972-1982 (3
folders)
Correspondence
1973-1975
1976-1978
1979-1981
Undated
Extension (including a
letter from Jim Leach), 1977-1978
Extra-curricular activities
bill, 1967
General assembly, 1969-1970
General files
1964-1965 (2 folders)
General files
1966-1977 (12 folders)
General files
1978-1983 (6 folders)
Gridiron Club, 1974-1976
Gubernatorial inauguration
ceremonies, 1975
Health (nursing and
custodial homes), 1969-1977
Health insurance, (HMOs),
1969-1973 (2 folders)
Housing and urban
development--job of regional administrator (including letters from John C.
Culver and Tom Harkin), 1977
Humphrey, Hubert H., 1968
Immunization law, 1975-1978
International Women's Year
1975-1978
Clippings, 1977-1978
Continuing Committee on the
National Women's Conference, 1978-1981
Iowa Coordinating Committee,
1976-1977 and undated (3 folders)
Iowa Women's Meeting--final
report, 1977
1970-1977
Tennis exhibition, 1976
Jackson, Glen, 1974
Jepsen, Roger, 1970
Job applications, 1978-1979
Joint custody--divorce,
1980-1982
Judicial retirement and
pensions, 1966-1974
Juvenile justice, 1975-1982
(3 folders)
Krause, Robert, "The
Fulton-Doderer Campaign in
Labor, 1970
Legislative session,
1979-1981
Lieutenant governor
campaigns
1970 Campaign
Advertisements and receipts,
1970
Clippings, 1970
General, 1970
Correspondence (including
letters from John C. Culver and Neal Smith), 1970
Northway,
Karen--"Doderer for Lieutenant Governor," undated
1978 Campaign
Clippings, 1977-1978 (3
folders)
Contributions complaint,
1978
Correspondence, 1977-1978
(including letters from David R. Nagle and Louise Noun) (2 folders)
1978 lieutenant governor
campaign
Finances, 1978
Fundraising lists, 1978
Miscellaneous, 1977-1978 (2
folders)
Mullen, John--speeches, 1978
Notebook #1, Parts 1 and 2
(2 folders)
Notebook #2, Part 1
1978 lieutenant governor
campaign
Notebook #2, Part 2
Organization
Schedule [shelved in map
case]
Lobbyists, 1972-1979
Marriage and married
students, 1965-1973
Meat inspection, 1965
Motorcycle helmet bill,
1974-1975
National Democratic Women's
Conference, 1962, 1966
National Order of Women
Legislators, 1972-1980
National Society of State
Legislators, 1965-1968 (2 folders)
National Women's Conference
(official briefing book), 1977
Nixon/Agnew, 1972
Pari-mutuel betting, 1983
Pathology/Radiology, 1975
Photographs
Police chiefs’ bill, 1973
Professional and
occupational licensing
Applications, undated
Cosmetology, 1971-1972
Study committee, 1972-1977
(2 folders)
Public Employment Study
Committee, 1973-1977
Real estate, 1970
Reapportionment
1963-1966
1967-1978 (includes history
of reapportionment in
the League of Women Voters
of
1981-1982
Undated
Clippings, 1964-1981
Renal disease, 1969-1970
Roads (safety), 1966-1977
Rotunda report, 1974
Russian trip, 1983-1985
School budget review,
1968-1970
Security hospital, 1965-1969
Senate campaign, 1972 (2
folders)
Sex discrimination, 1978
Speech pathologists and
audiologists, 1974-1975