IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
THELMA B. LEWIS (1904-1988)
SUBTITLE:»
PAPERS, 1947-1967
4 linear inches
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 24) were donated by Thelma B. Lewis in 1975. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
Scattered through Box 1 and scrapbook. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Catherine E. Rymph, 1992,
and Special Collections staff.. |
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Biography
Thelma B. Lewis was born May 23, 1904 in Hamilton’s
Fort, Utah. She graduated from the
University of Utah. Lewis came to Iowa
City in 1931, where her husband Donald Lewis was a professor of psychology at
the University of Iowa (then the State University of Iowa). During World War II, Lewis lived in
Washington, D.C., and worked as an aide in the State Department for the
Division of German-Austrian Economic Affairs.
In 1947, she accompanied Secretary of State George C. Marshall on his
mission to Moscow, where she served as an information specialist during the
drafting of the Marshall Plan.
Afterwards, Lewis returned to Iowa City where she
was active in local politics during the 1950s and 1960s. She was a leader in the campaign to develop
a council-manager plan for city government.
From 1958 to 1963 she served on the City Council. She was mayor for one year in 1961. Lewis died on October 1, 1988 in Ontario,
California.
Scope and Content Note
The Thelma B. Lewis» papers date from 1947 to 1967 and measure 4 linear
inches. The papers
are divided into five series:
Moscow Trip, Correspondence, Iowa City Politics, Photograph, and Oversized
Scrapbook. These papers document Lewis’
trip to Moscow in 1947 and her involvement in Iowa City politics in the 1950s
and 1960s.
Early material in this collection
consists of mementos of Lewis’ Moscow Trip, including a letter
officially confirming her State Department appointment, a Norwegian visa, and an
Iowa City newspaper article about her experiences. Several typed manuscripts, probably written from 1949 to 1950,
describe Lewis’ experiences in and impression of Moscow, including an account
of her sighting of Stalin at the opera.
In some of these accounts, Lewis compares Moscow to the pioneer Utah of
her childhood. These manuscripts, then,
also contain descriptions of early twentieth century Utah and the persecution
of the Mormons.
Lewis’ involvement with Iowa City
politics and council-management government in Iowa City is evidenced in
handwritten notes on the campaign for the plan, an article she wrote describing
the plan after its adoption in 1950, and a 1962 manuscript describing the 1961
election in which voters challenged control of elections by the Council-Manager
Association. This manuscript is rich in
its descriptions of Iowa City political disputes.
Correspondence from 1957 to
1967 is both personal and official.
There are many letters of congratulation upon Lewis’ election as
mayor. Other letters relate to City
politics and other civic activities. A
letter from Governor Herschel Loveless and one from Congressman Fred Schwengel
are included. Similar material is
included in the
oversized
scrapbook,
which contains newspaper clippings and correspondence concerning Lewis’
position on the city council and as mayor, as well as some photographs. Many items refer to her role as “Lady
Mayor.”
A framed photograph of Thelma
Lewis and other city council members is included.
Related
Collections
The State Historical Society
of Iowa, Iowa City, also holds Thelma Lewis papers.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Moscow Trip
Manuscripts
Mementos, 1947
Correspondence, 1957-1967
Iowa City Politics
Notes on the campaign for
the council manager plan
“The
Politicians Lose Again,” National
Municipal Review 39 (September 1950), 389-394 [article and manuscript]
Observations on the 1961
city election in Iowa City [typed manuscript]
Photograph: City Council of Iowa City
Box
2
Oversized Scrapbook, 1957, 1961 [covers 1957 election to city council of Iowa City and
1961 re-election]