Norris Cotton Congressional Papers, 1947-1975

Collection number: MC 39 [Offsite storage]
Size: 148 boxes (49.00 cu.ft.)

About Norris Cotton

Norris Cotton, member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, was born in Warren, NH on May 11, 1900. He was educated at Tilton School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Wesleyan University, and George Washington University Law School. Cotton was admitted to the N.H. Bar in 1928. Initially, he was associated with the firm of Demond, Woodworth, Sulloway, & Rogers in Concord, then founded the firm of Cotton, Tesreau & Stebbins in Lebanon, NH.

Cotton became active in state politics in 1923, as member of the NH House of Representatives. He also served as clerk of the NH Senate (1927-1929), Grafton County Solicitor (1933-1939), and Justice of the Municipal Court of Lebanon (1939-1943). Cotton’s federal career began in November 1946, when he was elected representative of the 2nd Congressional District of NH to the 80th Congress. On November 8, 1954 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until January 3, 1975.

In 1978, Cotton published his own perspective on his Senate years in In The Senate: Amidst The Conflict and Turmoil.

About the Norris Cotton Congressional Papers

The collection covers Cotton’s entire congressional career, from January 1947 to January 1975, and consists of office files, personal and committee notes, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia. The office files include correspondence, speeches, Cotton legislation and voting records, campaign materials, general legislation and departmental files, reports to New Hampshire, and other materials dealing with the state.

The papers are in the order in which they were received, and the inventory list follows that prepared by Cotton’s office staff. At the request of Senator Cotton, “some 5000-odd individual files” were destroyed by his staff, for reasons of confidentiality. These files contained applications for admission to military academies and requests for assistance in gaining federal employment, military discharges, social security, veterans benefits, etc. Included with the papers is a card file index of correspondents which allows access to the correspondence between Senator Cotton and any specific person for the full period.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

This collection is in storage. Requires 48 hours notice for use.

Copyright Notice

Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Norris Cotton Congressional Papers, 1947-1975, MC 39, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Donation: Norris Cotton, December 6, 1974 (Accession number: 35)

Collection Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 21 series. Content descriptions are provided for the box level rather than the folder level. The materials in Series 21 are not boxed but instead given an identification number on a tag and housed in the same location as the rest of the material.

Collection Contents

Series 1: Norris Cotton Legislation, 1955-1974

(9 boxes)

Box 1
		84th-85th Congresses: 1/55-5/58
Box 2
		85th-88th Congresses: 5/58-1/63
Box 3
		88th-89th Congresses: 1/63-2/65
Box 4
		89th-90th Congresses: 2/65-1/67
Box 5
		90th Congress: 1/67-9/68
Box 6
		91st Congress: 1/69-6/69
Box 7
		91st-92nd Congresses: 6/69-2/71
Box 8
		92nd-93rd Congresses: 2/71-2/73
Box 9
		93rd Congress: 2/73-9/74

Series 2: Norris Cotton Voting Records, 1955-1972

(3 boxes)

For voting records for the 93rd Congress, see Box 145.

Box 10
		84th-85th and 88th-89th Congresses: 1955-1958 and 1963-1966
Box 11
		90th-91st Congresses: 1967-1970
Box 12
		91st-92nd Congresses: 1970-1972

Series 3: Reports to NH Newsletters, 1949-1974

(3 boxes)

Box 13
		Volume I ("Your Congressman Reports"): 1949-1954; Volume II ("Your Senator Reports"): 1954-1957
Box 14
		Volume III ("Your Senator Reports"): 1957-1973
Box 15
		(folder 1-77) Correspondence relating to reports, 1969-1974

Series 4: Campaign and General Election Files, 1948-1974

(6 boxes)

Box 15
		(folder 78-end) 1948-1950
Box 16
		1952-1962
Box 17
		1962-1969
Box 18
		Mixed years - mainly 1968
Box 19
		Mixed years - 1968-1974
Box 20
		Mixed years - 1968-1974, photos toward end, and bound appointment book and four address books

Series 5: Bicentennial Commission, 1955-1972

(2 boxes)

Box 21
		Campaign posters, film, tapes, address books, etc.
Box 22
		(folders 1-8) Correspondence, etc., 1969-1974, regarding Bicentennial

Series 6: Norris Cotton Congressional Record Remarks, 1950-1974

(4 boxes)

Box 22
		(folders 9-end) 6/50-4/58
Box 23
		4/58-9/61
Box 24
		9/61-10/65
Box 25
		9/65-1/69
Box 26
		1/69-6/71
Box 27
		6/71-1/73
Box 28
		(folders 1-182) 2/73-10/74

Series 7: Press Releases, 1947-1974

(12 boxes)

Box 28
		(folders 183-end) 1947-1950
Box 29
		1951-5/59
Box 30
		5/59-6/61
Box 31
		6/61-9/62
Box 32
		9/62-6/63
Box 33
		6/63-4/65
Box 34
		4/65-6/67
Box 35
		6/67-6/68
Box 36
		6/68-4/69
Box 37
		4/69-3/71
Box 38
		4/71-1/73
Box 39
		(folders 1-127) 1/73-10/74

Series 8: Legislation, 1955-1974

(42 boxes)

Box 39
		(folders 128 - ) 1955-1956: A - Interior and Insular Affairs
Box 40
		1956-1958: Interior & Insular Affairs-Finance:Taxes
Box 41
		1957-58: Fin.:Social Security-Interstate & Foreign Commerce
Box 42
		1957-1958: Int. & For. Com. - Int. & For. Com.: Surf. Trans.
Box 43
		1958-1959: Post Office - Armed Services
Box 44
		1959: Bank & Currency - Fin.: Veterans
Box 45
		1959-1960: Fin.: Taxes - Judicial: General
Box 46
		1959-1962: Jud.: Anti Trust - Aeronautical/Space Science
Box 47
		1961-1962: Agriculture: General - Fin.: Medicare
Box 48
		1961-1962: Fin.: Medicare - Fin.: Veterans
Box 49
		1961-1963: Foreign Relations - Appropriations
Box 50
		1963: Approp.: Agric. - Commerce: Textiles
Box 51
		1963-1964: Com.: Transportation - For. Rel.: For. Aid
Box 52
		1963: For. Rel.: Test Ban - Labor & Public Welfare: Education
Box 53
		1964: P.O. & Civil Service - Com.: Civil Rights
Box 54
		1964: Com.: Civil Rights
Box 55
		1964-1966: Republican Policy Committee - Commerce
Box 56
		1965-1966: Commerce - Fin.: Medicare
Box 57
		1965-1966: Fin.: Medicare - Gov.Operations
Box 58
		1965-1966: Int. & Ins. Aff. - Labor & Pub. Welfare
Box 59
		1965-1967: Lab. & Pub. Wel. - Agriculture
Box 60
		1967-1968: Appropriations - Commerce
Box 61
		1967-1968: Commerce - Fin.: Taxes
Box 62
		1968: Fin.: Travel Tax - Judiciary: Civil Rights
Box 63
		1968: Jud.: Civil Rights - P.O. & Civil Service
Box 64
		1968-1969: P.O. & Civil Service - Appropriations: Defense
Box 65
		1969-1970: Approp.: Defense - Appropriations:Interior
Box 66
		1969-1970: Approp. - Commerce: Aviation
Box 67
		1969-1970: Commerce: Aviation - Fin.: Taxes
Box 68
		1969-1970: Fin.: Taxes - Gov. Operations
Box 69
		1969-1970: Int. & Ins. Affairs - Labor & Pub. Welfare
Box 70
		1969-1971: Labor & Pub.Welfare - Approp.: Defense
Box 71
		1971-1972: Approp.: Education - Armed Services
Box 72
		1971-1972: Atomic Energy - Commerce: Aviation
Box 73
		1971-1972: Com.: Communications - Fin.: Trade
Box 74
		1971-1972: Fin.: Trade - Labor & Public Welfare
Box 75
		1971-1973: Labor & Public Welfare - Approp.: Legislation
Box 76
		1973: Appropriation - Fin.: Taxes
Box 77
		1973: Fin.: Taxes - Veterans Affairs
Box 78
		1974: General - Commerce
Box 79
		1974: Com.: Aviation - Veterans; 1971-1972: P.O. & Civil Services - Veterans Administration
Box 80
		1971-1972: Veteran Affairs; 1974: Labor & Pub. Wel. - Veteran Administration, Impeachment Research Materials
Box 81
		(folders 1-7) Impeachment Research Materials

Series 9: Departmental, 1955-1972

(42 boxes)

Box 81
		(folders 8- ) 1955-1956: A - Defense
Box 82
		1956-1957: FCC - Agriculture
Box 83
		1957-1958: Agriculture - GSA
Box 84
		1957: G - S
Box 85
		1958-1960: S - C
Box 86
		1960: C - H
Box 87
		1960: H - T
Box 88
		1960-1961: T - I
Box 89
		1961-1962: I - S
Box 90
		1962-1964: S - D
Box 91
		1962-1964: D - HUD
Box 92
		1963-1964: H - O
Box 93
		1963-1964: R - T
Box 94
		1963-1966: T - Commerce
Box 95
		1965-1966: Commerce - HEW
Box 96
		1965-1966: HEW - I
Box 97
		1965-1966: J - Supreme Court
Box 98
		1965-1966: S - Treasury
Box 99
		1965-1968: Treasury - Civil Service
Box 100
		1967-1968: Civil Service - H
Box 101
		1968: H - Investigations
Box 102
		1967-1968: N - State
Box 103
		1968: State - T
Box 104
		1967-1970: T - C
Box 105
		1969-1970: C - FDIC
Box 106
		1969-1970: F - H
Box 107
		1969-1970: H - Foreign Labor
Box 108
		1969-1970: Labor - S
Box 109
		1969-1970: A - State
Box 110
		1969-1971: State - N
Box 111
		1971: AEC - F
Box 112
		1971-1972: F - H
Box 113
		1971-1972: H - Interstate Commerce
Box 114
		1971-1972: I - Navy
Box 115
		1971-1972: O - Vietnam
Box 116
		1971-1972: S - Post Office
Box 117
		1971-1973: P.O. - D
Box 118
		1970-1974: N - Appropriations
Box 119
		1973-1974: H - HUD
Box 120
		1973-1974: HUD - P.O.
Box 121
		1973-1974: P.O. - T
Box 122
		1973-1974: Transportation - Z; 1969-1971: Civil Aeronautics Board
Box 123
		(folders 1-12) 1971-1974: Civil Aeronautics Board

Series 10: New Hampshire Files, 1955-1974

(6 boxes)

Box 123
		(folders 13- ) 1955-1965: Airports - G
Box 124
		1958-1970: P - U
Box 125
		1967-1970: Education - O
Box 126
		1970-1971: Health and Welfare - H
Box 127
		1971-1974: I - S
Box 128
		(folders 1-8) 1973-1974: S - Z

Series 11: Corps of Engineers Projects, 1950-1974

(3 boxes)

Box 128
		(folder 9- ) 1950-1962: A
Box 129
		1962-1966: B - Portsmouth
Box 130
		(folders 1-9) 1964-1974: Portsmouth - Z

Series 12: Portsmouth Naval Base, 1949-1974

(2 boxes)

Box 130
		(folders 10- ) 1949-1974
Box 131
		(folders 1-14) 1974

Series 13: New Hampshire Post Offices, 1950-1974

(5 boxes)

Box 131
		(folders 15- ) 1950-1969: A - T
Box 132
		1952-1967: K - W
Box 133
		1961-1967: R - C
Box 134
		1971-1974: S - H
Box 135
		(folders 1-7) 1971-1974: L - Z

Series 14: General Correspondence Files, 1969-1974

(4 boxes)

Box 135
		(folders 8- ) 1969-1973
Box 136
		1971-1974
Box 137
		1971-1972
Box 138
		(folders 1-19) 1971-1974

Series 15: Photographs, 1950-1974

(6 boxes)

Box 138
		(folders 20- ) Some 1973-1974; 1950-1955
Box 139
		1955-1960
Box 140
		1960-1964
Box 141
		1964-1967
Box 142
		1967-1970
Box 143
		1971-1973

Series 16: Personal Files

(1 box)

Box 144
	Norris Cotton personal files

Series 17: Voting Record for 93rd Congress

(1 box)

Box 145
	Norris Cotton voting record for the 93rd Congress

Series 18: Guest Books

(1 box)

Box 146
	Guest books

Series 19: Additional Miscellaneous Files

(2 boxes)

Box 147
	Correspondence, Legislation, Department files, Congressional Records, etc. Includes negatives from 1955, 1961, and 1962 transfered from the US Senate Historical Room to UNH in 2008.
Box 148
	Correspondence, Legislation, Department files, Congressional Records, etc. Includes negatives from 1963-1965, 1967, 1970-1971, and 1973 which were transfered from the US Senate Historical Room to UNH in 2008.

Series 20: Scrapbooks

Individual scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings, 1948-1973

Series 21: Non-manuscript Materials

Items and books are assigned numbers with corresponding numbered slip attached to each individual item.

Subseries A: Artifacts

Item 1		Gavel, for the Committee of Appropriations (dated 1962-1975)
Item 2		Gold Elephant given to Cotton by Everett McKinley Dirkson in 1955
Item 3		Copy of the record, The Lion's Heart, with letter of presentation from Donald H. McGannon, President of Westinghouse Broadcasting Company
Item 4		Wooden plaque signed by President Nixon, citing Cotton for distinguished service in promoting the employment of the handicapped, May 2, 1974
Item 5		Framed proclamation from the New Hampshire Nurses Association expressing gratitude for Cotton's 27 years of service in Congress, October 2, 1973
Item 6		Framed black and white print of the Capitol Building
Item 7		Framed proclamation signed by State Chairman Bass, Assistant State Chairman Zachos, and National Committeemen Smith and Perkins
Item 8-9		Two posters announcing Cotton's visit to UNH on April 27, 1977. His talk was presented by the Friends of the UNH Library. [Note: Missing as of 11/89]
Item 10		Framed color photo of Cotton and Nixon
Item 11		Framed black and white photo of Cotton, Kennedy, and Gray
Item 12		Framed black and white photo of Cotton and Eisenhower
Item 13		Framed proclamation signed by President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of State Dean Rusk, appointed Cotton Advisory member of Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources, January 9, 1967
Item 14		Framed black and white photo of Cotton and Johnson
Item 15		Framed proclamation marking Cotton's retirement from the U.S. Senate signed by President Nixon, 23 Senators, etc.
Item 16		Framed picture of Cotton and McIntyre marking Cotton's receiving the Robert Frost Contemporary American Award
Item 17		Framed message from Meldrim Thomson, Governor of New Hampshire, marking the unveiling of Cotton's portrait with black and white photo of oil portrait
Item 18		Framed color photo of President Gerald Ford
Item 19		Photo of Desk on Senate floor (and rubbing) used by Daniel Webster in the 1800's and by Cotton, May ll, 1972
Item 20		Framed proclamation making October Norris Cotton Month, from Meldrim Thomson, N. H. Governor
Item 21		Framed color photo of Cotton, Laird, and Bennett
Item 22		Framed black and white photo of Ash, Cotton, Magnuson, Ford, and Korologos
Item 23		Framed letter from (then Vice-President) Richard Nixon, 1961
Item 24		Framed black and white photo of Cabinet Room, June 8, 1970
Item 25		Framed color photo of President Ford
Item 26		Framed black and white photo of Cotton and Johnson
Item 27		Framed black and white photo of Cotton, Griffin, Scott, Smith, and Ollcott (?)
Item 28		Framed black and white photo of Warren G. Magnuson with Congressional Record clippings of his speech in the Senate marking Cotton's retirement, September 18, 1974

Subseries B: Books

Item 29		Appropriations, Budgets Estimates, etc. Statements. Government Printing Office, 1966.
Item 30		The First Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1961. Ceremonies and Re-enactment of the one hundredth anniversary of...Government Printing Office, 1962.
Item 31		Goldwater, Barry. Face of Arizona. Frank P. Middleton, publisher, 1964.
Item 32		The National Register of Historic Places. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Government Printing Office, 1974 supplement. (Letter of presentation enclosed.)
Item 33		The 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1959. Government Printing Office, 1959.
Item 34		Select Committee on Small Business, U.S. Senate. 12th Annual Report, No. 1491. 87th Congress, 2nd Session. Government Printing Office, 1962.
Item 35		Select Committee on Small Business, U.S. Senate. 13th Annual Report, No. 104. 88th Congress, lst Session. Government Printing Office, 1963.
Item 36		Select Committee on Small Business, U.S. Senate. 15th Annual Report, No. 635. 89th Congress, lst Session. Government Printing Office, 1965.
Item 37		Washington's Farewell Address - this copy was read by Hon. Norris Cotton in the Senate Chamber on Washington's Birthday, February 22, 1967. Nd, np. (Has Cotton's underlinings in it.)
Item 38		Washington's Farewell Address to the People of the U.S. 89th Congress, 2nd Session. House Doc, #504. Government Printing Office, 1966. (Signed by Hubert Humphrey, Vice President, and Francis R. Valeo, Secretary of State.)
Item 39		New Hampshire. Laws of the Legislature of 1971 through July 1971. Secretary of State, Concord, N.H.
Item 40		Raven. Franklin Pierce College Yearbook, 1973. (Cotton on page 96)
Item 41		Remarks of President Gerald R. Ford in the East Room of the White House on August 9, 1974.
Item 42		Copy of the recording of The Inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.