Iowa Women's Archives
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa

JOHNIE HAMMOND (1932- )

PAPERS, 1970-2006
5 linear feet and artifacts

Collection Overview

Biography

Johnie Wright Hammond, a Democratic state representative and senator in the Iowa legislature, was born in 1932 in Eupora, Mississippi, to John D. and Eunice Scogin Wright. John Wright, a mechanic, was killed in a train accident on the same day as Johnie Wright’s birth. After her husband’s death, Eunice Wright moved with her three daughters from Mississippi to Texas to live with her grandfather, with whom Johnie Wright became very close. Wright attended elementary school in Clarkwood, Texas, and high school in both Robstown and Pleasanton, Texas, graduating in 1949. She then attended the University of Texas for two years and considered majoring in home economics. During this time, she met her future husband, Earl Hammond, at the University where he was completing an MA in chemistry. After marrying in 1951, the couple moved to Minnesota where they both attended the University of Minnesota. In 1953, Earl Hammond completed a PhD in agricultural biochemistry and Johnie Hammond finished her BA in sociology. The couple then moved to Ames, Iowa, where Earl Hammond joined the faculty of Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). The Hammonds had four children, Bruce, Linda, Pamela and Christopher.

In Ames, Hammond became active in many different organizations. She began to volunteer at the Ames First Baptist Church in the 1950s. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Hammond worked on many different anti-poverty programs and served as an advocate for local women on welfare through the Aid to Dependent Children Council. She joined the League of Women Voters in 1969 and helped found the Committee for Criminal Justice (later called the Center for Creative Justice) in 1972. In 1974, Hammond was elected to the Story County Board of Supervisors, where she served one four-year term. Hammond returned to school and received a BBA in management from Iowa State University in 1981 and also graduated from the Mercy-Harvard Executive Program in Health Policy and Management in 1983. In 1982, Hammond was elected the first woman to represent her district in the Iowa House of Representatives. She served in the House for twelve years, and her positions included vice-chair of the State Government Committee, chair of Health and Human Rights Appropriations, and chair and ranking member of Human Services Appropriations. In 1994, Hammond was elected to the Iowa Senate and served two four-year terms, where she worked on the Appropriations, Education, Human Resources, Judiciary, and Labor Committees. Hammond advocated for health care, prison reform, women’s and family issues, welfare and labor rights during her legislative career. Hammond retired from the Iowa Senate in 2003.

Scope and Content Note

The Johnie Hammond papers date from 1970 to 2006 and measure 5 linear feet. The papers are arranged in nine series:  Biographical Information, Board of Supervisors, Correspondence, Speeches, Bills, Legislative Press, Legislative Campaigns, Research Files, and Artifacts. The bulk of the collection consists of the correspondence and research files.

The Biographical Information series (2006) contains a biographical information form completed by Hammond, her resume, and a campaign biography. The Board of Supervisors series (1970-1978) contains materials pertaining to Hammond’s campaigns and work on the Story County Board of Supervisors.

The rest of the collection relates to Hammond’s career in the legislature. The Correspondence series (1982-2002) contains letters to Hammond from her constituents, voicing their opinions and concerns on a wide range of topics. Some of Hammond’s responses to these letters are included, usually attached to the constituent letter. The Speech Research series (1996-2002 and undated) includes topical research files for five of Hammond’s speeches. They include notes, newspaper clippings and pamphlets. Some of them include a copy of the speech. The Speeches series (1984-2003 and undated) includes approximately fifty speeches Hammond delivered to the legislature and groups such as the League of Women Voters, labor unions, health organizations, prison reformers, churches, and students. Some of the topics include health care reform, prison reform, foster care, welfare reform and poverty. Hammond’s farewell address from 2002 is also included. The speeches are arranged chronologically.

The Bills series (1983-2002) includes the official sponsor’s copy of bills and resolutions written and introduced to the legislature by Hammond. Some of the topics addressed in these bills are tobacco, worker’s rights, sex discrimination, juvenile crime, health, sex offenders and human services. The Legislative Press series (1982-2002) includes local newspaper clippings concerning Hammond’s bills and other legislative issues. Many contain quotes from Hammond. The Legislative Campaign series (1982-2002) includes brochures, mass mailings to constituents, newspaper clippings, and fundraising materials from Hammond’s campaigns for representative and senator. The Research Files series (1981-2003) contains Hammond’s research on approximately ninety topics related to legislative bills and controversial issues. They include newspaper and magazine articles, informational pamphlets from special interest groups and organizations, and some letters. The files are arranged alphabetically. The Artifacts series (undated) contains a decorated box lid, created by Hammond’s pages. This was a tradition in the Iowa legislature for packing files at the end of every session.

Related Collections

A Political Dialogue: Iowa’s Women Legislators
Oral History with Johnie Hammond

Box List

Box 1
	Biographical information
		2006
	Board of Supervisers
		Newspaper clippings, 1970-1978 and undated Miscellaneous, 1971-1978 and undated
	Correspondence
		1983-1985 (5 folders)
Box 2
		1985-1991 (5 folders)
Box 3
		1990-1994 (5 folders)
Box 4
		1994-2000 (9 folders)
Box 5
		2000-2002 (2 folders)
	Speech Research
		Foster care, undated Mother’s Day rally, 1996 and 2002 Health/medicine, undated Child abuse prevention, 2002 Elderly, 1997
	Speeches
		1984-2003 (3 folders)
	Bills
		1983-1993 and undated (3 folders)
Box 6
		1994-2002 (8 folders)
	Legislative Press
		1982-2002 (3 folders)
Box 7
	Legislative Campaigns
		1982-2002, and undated
	Research Files
		Abortion, 1986-1998 (2 folders) Adoption, 199 Attorney general opinions, 1985-2000 Bottle bill, 1994 Budget shortfall, 2002 Bundled services, 1999 Campaign finances, 1991-1996 Caucus reports, 2002 Charitable choice, 2001 Chemical castration, 1997-1998 Church-state, 1988-2003
Box 8
		Childcare, 1995 Child custody, undated Child support, 1996 Child welfare, 1999-2000 Comparable worth, undated Constitutional amendments, 1995 Death penalty, 1997 Earned income credit, 1991 Elderly services, 1989 ERA, 1993 Ethics, 1992, 1999 Fetal rights, undated Food bank, 1993 Foster care, 1992 Gay marriage, 1998 Gay rights, 2001 Gender balance, undated Gun control, 1993-2001 Health
			Canadian, 1991-1992
Box 9
			Endorsements, 1991-1992 Historical perspective, undated Letters, 1991 Hammond transparencies and speeches, 1991-1994 and undated Medicaid speech, Albany, 1991 Medical school, undated Primary care, 1992 Women’s, 1991
		Higher education, 1994-1995 Hog lots, 1995-1998 Homeless, 1987-1989
Box 10
		Insurance, non-gender, 1983-2000 Iowa Public Eemployees Retirement System, 2002 and undated ISU foundation, 1992-2001 Job training/women, 1987 and undated Juvenile crime, 1996-1998 Labor, 1981-1989 Latchkey kids, 1982-1983 Legislative reports, 1981-1985 Marijuana, 1982 and undated Mediation, 1996 Medicaid abortions, 1984-1990 Medical malpractice, 1985-1993 Mental illness (AMI), 1984 Midwifery/nurses, 1990 Mitchellville women’s prison, 1994-2001 Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute, 1990-1991 Nursing homes, 1988-1993 and undated Poverty, 1980-2000 Public records, 1981 Population, 1984-1990
Box 11
		Racial profiling, 2000-200 Rape, 1983-1985 Resource Enhancement And Protection, 1991 Restorative justice, 1997-1998 Right to work law, 1984-1989 Runaways, 1996 Sexual harassment, undated Social service providers, undated Surrogate parenting, 1987-1991 Taxes, 2000 Tax cuts, 2003 Taxpayers’ Rights Amendment, 1992-1993 Teen pregnancy, 1995 Teen tobacco, 1996-2000 Thanks, 2003 Tobacco task force, 2003 Tobacco tax, 2002
Box 12
		Tuition tax, 1987 Ultimate fighting, 2002 University hospitals, 1986-1989 Violence, domestic, 2000 Welfare reform, 1993-1997 Welfare reform panel, 1998 Welfare, undated Welfare reform speeches, 1997 Welfare reform overheads, undated White commutation, 2002 Women’s issues, undated Women and jobs, 1983-1991 Women in corrections, 1984-1990
Box 13
	Artifacts
		Decorated box lid

 

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This page created November 2006.