MARY LOUISE SMITH
(1914-1997)
PAPERS, 1925-1997
77 linear feet and audiovisual material
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 28) were donated by Mary Louise Smith in 1977
and succeeding years. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright held by the donor has transferred to The University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In |
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AUDIOVISUAL: |
Five audiocassettes
shelved in audiocassette collection (AC104-AC108) and seven videocassettes
(six of which are shelved in videocassette collection, V115-V120). |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Special Collections staff;
Catherine E. Rymph, 1993; Rachel Bohlmann, 1996; and Matt Schaefer,1997. [SmithMaryLouise 2003.doc] |
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Biography
Mary Louise Epperson was
born October 6, 1914 in
In 1934, while studying at the
It was in Eagle Grove, in the 1950s, that Smith
first became actively involved with the Republican Party. Through the encouragement of Cathlene Blue, wife
of
In 1964, Smith won a hard-fought three-way battle
for the position of Republican National Committeewoman from
In 1974, President Gerald Ford named Mary Louise
Smith to chair the Republican National Committee, the first woman to hold this
appointment. She led her party through a
particularly difficult time as the party was considered by many to be dying in
the wake of Watergate. Smith continually
advocated promoting the GOP as a party of inclusiveness.
Smith was an active supporter of the Equal Rights
Amendment (ERA) and abortion rights. She
was a co-founder of the Iowa Women's Political Caucus and, in 1977, was a
delegate to the National Women's Conference in
In 1980, in keeping with her alliance
with the moderate wing of the party, Smith supported George Bush for the
Republican presidential nomination. She
was dismayed with the platform adopted at the 1980 convention when the
Republican party retreated
from
its earlier support for the ERA. Still,
she campaigned for Reagan in 1980 and again in 1984. In 1981 Reagan named her vice chair of the
United States Commission on Civil Rights, an appointment he would later regret
and fail to renew.
In 1984 Smith resigned from the RNC and became a
National Vice Chair of the Republican Mainstream Committee, a group of
moderates dedicated to reestablishing their Party's pro-choice and pro-ERA
positions and returning it to its historical identification with civil
rights. She continued to support the
party by campaigning for George Bush in 1988 and in 1992. Bush appointed Smith to a four-year term on
the board of directors of the National Peace Institute in 1990.
In the aftermath of the 1989 Webster Supreme Court decision, pro-choice Republicans formed the
National Republican Coalition for Choice and Smith joined its National Advisory
Board in 1991. She also became a
national steering committee member of Pro-Choice America, a national political
action committee to elect pro-choice Republicans, formed in 1990. In 1991 Pro-Choice America awarded her
"Republican Woman of the Century."
Smith served on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Mid-Iowa
from 1986 through 1992, and in 1989 she also became a member of Planned
Parenthood Federation of America's National Leadership Committee.
In addition to her continued support for such causes
as women's education and women's political participation, Smith took up issues
of aging, among others, with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of
Greater Des Moines, and for ERA Iowa '92, as well as on numerous conferences
and charitable bodies. She was the
cofounder with Louise Noun of the Louise Noun - Mary Louise Smith Iowa Women's
Archives, which opened in 1992 at the
Scope and Content Note
The Mary Louise Smith papers measure 77
linear feet and date from 1812 to 1997.
The bulk of the papers date from 1964 (when Smith was elected Republican
National Committeewoman from
Accession One (1977)
Accession One covers the period
of Smith's chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (1974 to 1976) and
is arranged in five series:
(1) Alpha-numeric series (a group of papers labeled with a pre-designated
alpha-numeric code which was devised at the Republican National Committee), (2)
Trip and speech files, (3) Alphabetical subject files,
(4) Audiotapes, and (5) Notebooks. The materials consist of correspondence,
press releases, speeches, notes, reports, photographs, memoranda, proceedings
and other documents.
Among other duties, the chairman of
a major political party is concerned with planning national conventions,
securing financial contributions, publicizing the party, and running the national
party headquarters. The Mary Louise
Smith Papers document all of these activities.
While she was Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Smith
conducted thirteen national workshops called "Grassroots '74". The workshops were held to help party workers
identify and register voters and then get them to the polling places. After she became chairman, Smith attempted to
stimulate interest in the Republican Party through television specials. She attempted to involve more people in the
political process and was especially interested in encouraging greater
participation in the Republican Party by women.
In addition to correspondence with
party officials, congressmen, senators, and cabinet members, the Smith papers
contain many letters from concerned Republican Party members on such political
issues as the Nixon pardon, the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion, the
nomination of Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President, and the
One of the Chairman's major tasks is
to prepare for national nominating conventions.
The Smith Papers contain a great deal of material on the 31st Republican
Party National Convention in
Upon leaving the Chairmanship, Mary
Louise Smith transferred her personal papers to the University Libraries. An extensive card file
index to the alphanumeric series compiled at the Republican National Committee Headquarters
is available in the archives. See also
Appendix One for an index to
Accession Two (1992)
Accession Two is arranged in
fourteen series: Personal; Correspondence; Speeches;
Republican party; Non-partisan women's organizations;
Commissions; Other affiliations; Conferences
and task forces; Newspaper clippings; Resources;
Photographs; Scrapbooks; Oversized,
and Audiovisual.
The Personal series
(1933-1983) contains a folder of biographical material which consists mostly of
short biographies and resumes composed by Smith. The series also contains certificates,
mementos (such as invitations to political events) and various programs and
flyers for events in which Smith participated.
The only material on Smith's early life are a reader and notes from a
mental health class which she took at the State University of Iowa (now the
University of Iowa) in the 1930s.
The Correspondence series (1960-1987)
consists of 4 linear feet arranged chronologically. From 1964 to 1973 Smith arranged the majority
of her correspondence according to the
Speeches (1963-1985) consist
of some of the hundreds of speeches given by Mary Louise Smith throughout her
career. Her speaking abilities and
communication skills were considered to be a great asset and, consequently, the
notes and text of her speeches
covering
the years 1964 to 1985) are an important part of her papers. Recurring topics include the role of women in
politics, the importance of volunteer work, and the merits of the two-party
system. As RNC Chair Smith gave many
speeches each month. Many of her
speeches (particularly those given during her tenure as RNC Chair) are typed. Others are written in longhand on cards. The speeches she gave as RNC Chair are
indexed.
The
Republican Party series (1960s-1984) represents the major part of
Smith's papers (12 linear feet), and is divided into three major subseries: the
Non-partisan
women's organizations series (1977-1980) contains material on several of
these organizations Smith was involved in, including the Iowa ERA Coalition and
International Women's Year (IWY).
Correspondence relating to the National Women's Conference (part of IWY)
from persons critical of Smith's affiliation with the Conference and her stance
on abortion can be found in the Correspondence series under appropriate
dates. Smith, as a Republican, received
a great deal of attention for her involvement in each of these organizations.
Commissions
(1969-1984) series contains material from Smith's involvement with the United
Nations Population Commission (1969), the President's Commission for the
Observance of the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations (1970) and the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights (1981-1984).
Smith's tenure on the Civil Rights Commission (USCCR) was a
controversial one because she did not always support Reagan's positions. Smith served on the USCCR as positions on
issues such as affirmative action and Title IX were shifting. Reagan dismissed several members of the
commission including Smith in 1984. This
series contains letters of support Smith received during this time.
Other affiliations (1978-1986) series
documents several of the numerous other activities Smith was involved in. Examples of these organizations include Dial
Corporation and the Learning Channel (on whose boards of directors Smith served
in the 1980s); the National Peace Institute; and the Woodrow Wilson National
Fellowship Foundation, of which she was a fellow during 1978-1979, speaking at
small liberal arts colleges.
Conferences and task forces
(1965-1987) series consists of programs, correspondence, and background
materials related to conferences and task forces with which Smith was a
participant, arranged by year. Those
events for which only a flyer is preserved are not documented in this
series; these flyers can be found in the
Personal series as noted above.
The bulk of this series dates from 1978 to 1987. Earlier conference materials are related
specifically to the Republican party.
The Newspaper clippings
(1968-1993) series contains only those clippings related to Smith or her
husband. Clippings on other subjects are
arranged throughout the
collection
according to subject. This series
contains 23 folders of clippings which feature or mention Smith, arranged
chronologically by year. Included here
are photocopies of two scrapbooks which Smith kept during her tenure as chair
of the Republican National Committee.
This scrapbook material is primarily newspaper clippings. Other materials (photographs, flyers, and
correspondence) have been removed from the original scrapbooks and filed
accordingly. This series also contains
one folder of articles featuring Elmer Smith.
Resources
series (1960s-1981) contains newspaper clippings and other material related to
topics of interest and use to Smith that she saved throughout her career. Examples of subjects found in this series
include campaign organizing, appeals from various groups for funds, the new
right, and tips on speech writing and communication. There are also several folders of material
which Smith identified as women's resources.
Photographs
series (1964-1985) includes multiple copies of publicity photos as well as
single copies of photographs of Smith alone and with others. Most photographs are black and white, though
there are also a few color Polaroid shots and printing plates of some early
publicity photos. Photographs are
arranged into three major categories:
publicity photos, Smith with others (arranged by year), and those
photographs which were autographed by one of the subjects (other than
Smith). Also included are one photo of
Elmer Smith, three of Margaret Smith and one of Anna Lomas, former National
Committee woman.
Scrapbooks consists of two scrapbooks from the 1960s. One contains material relating to Smith's
1964 campaign for
Oversized material includes certificates, mementos, and three
framed photographs.
The Audiovisual series
consists of two videocassettes and 5 audiocassettes. The videocassettes are both from a panel
titled "Why Business Men Should be Involved in Politics." Smith was a member of this panel, and viewing
these audiocassettes provides an opportunity to see her speaking, answering
questions, and interacting with her audience.
This conference is also recorded on one of the audiocassettes. Other audiocassettes feature Smith speaking
on various topics as well as a collection of ads for the ERAmerica campaign
(Smith is not featured in any of these ads).
Accessions Three and Four
(1994); Accession Five (1997)
These Accessions comprise 13 linear
feet of materials. They are arranged in
the same 14 series as Accession Two, except that they do not have either
Commissions or Scrapbook series. Generally,
these papers extend temporally upon the content in Accession Two; where they
expand the collection in content will be noted.
The Personal series
(1812-1993) contains autobiographical and biographical material, appointment
calendars, and programs, and awards Smith received. The calendars provide a quick reference check
on Smith’s daily acitivities for over three decades from 1964 to 1996. Additional autobiographical material can be
found in
The Correspondence series
(1966-1997) consists of three linear feet, the bulk of which extends from 1986
until June 1997. Much of it contains
invitations for Smith to speak at various conferences and political or
charitable events, both in
The Speeches series
(1964-1996) comprises nearly one linear foot.
The bulk of this series spans 1976-1996, extending the materials found
in
The Republican Party series
(1960-1996) runs to two linear feet. It
is mostly comprised of materials reflecting Smith's campaign work for Robert
Ray in 1978 and George Bush in 1988, and her activities as a Party
moderate. Non-campaign materials
highlight Smith's increasingly minority position within the Party from the
mid-1980s onward and the efforts she made to stem the Party's shift to the
political right. These papers reflect
the depth of her commitment to the ideals of Republicans as she did not abandon
the party to the religious right. Her
impact may have been diminished by her distance from the seats of power.
The Non-partisan women's
organizations series (1980-1997) contains one linear foot of material on
Smith's visible leadership within Planned Parenthood on both national and state
levels from 1987-1992, as well as her campaigning for ERA Iowa '92. It also reflects her close cooperation with
Louise Noun in working together for the Chrysalis Foundation and to establish
the Iowa Women’s Archives.
The Other affiliations series (1980-1997)
also consists of one linear foot of materials and includes Smith's involvement
with
Moines
Human Rights Commission, the National Conference of Christians and Jews (who
worked to ‘keep the dream alive’ in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.),
The Conferences and task forces
series (1976-1996) comprises nearly three linear feet of programs,
correspondence, and Smith’s notes for speeches.
The bulk of these materials spans 1987-1996 and extends the series
ending in
The Newspaper clippings series'
(1925-1997) consists of six folders; its bulk spans 1989-1997 and contains only
those clippings related to Smith.
Clippings on other subjects are located with their subject throughout
the collection. Many of these clippings
describe Smith's public criticisms of the Party's stance on women, abortion and
civil rights.
The Topical Files series
(1956-1996) consists of about six linear inches of materials; it is analogous
to the Resources files in boxes 132-134 (Accession Two). It contains materials of interest and use to
Smith, including pamphlets and clippings about the political process and
political commentary, abortion, aging, speechwriting and quotations, and women.
The Photographs series
(1975-1992) is comprised mostly of black and white portraits of Smith and
photos of Smith with friends and colleagues.
The Artifacts series (1976-1982) holds mostly Republican campaign
paraphernalia. The Oversize
series (1812-1992) contains the Smith family bible, badge and scroll.
Related Collections
Bill
Crews papers (SCVF)
Anna
Lomas papers
Patricia
Pardun papers
Margaret
McDonald papers
Iowa
Women's Political Caucus records
Iowa
ERA Coalition records
Oral
history interview of Mary Louise Smith by Robert Ross [V51]
Young
Women's
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Mary Louise Smith Papers |
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SUMMARY
CONTENTS LIST in alphabetical order by
series |
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Alphabetical
subject files |
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Alpha-numeric
series |
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Artifacts,
1812,1976-1982 |
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Audiovisual
(audiotapes) |
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Audiovisual |
in audiovisual collection |
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Commissions,
1969-1984 |
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Conferences
and task forces, 1965-1987 |
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Conferences
and task forces, 1976-1996 |
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Correspondence,
1960-1987 |
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Correspondence,
1966-1997 |
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Newspaper
clippings, 1925-1997 |
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Newspaper
clippings, 1968-1993 |
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Non-partisan
women's organizations, 1980-1996 |
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Non-partisan
women's organizations,1977-1980 |
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Notebooks |
Boxes
76A-86 |
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Other
affiliations, 1978-1986 |
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Other
affiliations, 1980-1997 |
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Oversized,
1976,1992 |
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Oversized,
undated |
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Personal,
1933-1983 |
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Personal,
1964-1996 |
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Photographs,
1964-1985 |
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Photographs,
1975-1995 |
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Republican
Party, 1960-1996 |
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Republican
Party, 1960s-1984 |
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Resources,
1960s-1981 |
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Scrapbooks,
1960s |
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Speeches,
1963-1985 |
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Speeches,
1964-1996 |
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Topical
files, 1956-1996 |
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Trips
and speeches |
Boxes
49A-56A |