Roland W. Burris papers

Roland W. Burris papers, 1979-1994

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Maggie Grossman; ed. by Sarah Dorpinghaus, 2010

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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Title: Roland W. Burris papers, 1979-1994

Main entry: Burris, Roland W.

Inclusive dates: 1979-1994

Size:

19.5 linear ft. (48 boxes)

Access: This collection is open for research use.

Provenance statement: Gift of Roland W. Burris (1995.0120).

Terms governing use: All rights owned by the donor, including copyright, were deeded to Chicago Historical Society. Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Roland W. Burris papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Biographical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Description of some material related to the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

Detailed description of archival series in the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

Biographical note:

Roland W. Burris, lawyer and politician, served as Illinois State Comptroller (1979-1991) and Illinois Attorney General (1991-1995). He was the first African American to be elected to an Illinois statewide office (upon his election as Illinois Comptroller). In 2009, Mr. Burris was appointed to fill Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, which was vacated when Mr. Obama became President.

Summary description of the collection:

Speech transcripts, press clippings, event backgrounders for speaking engagements, and other papers of Roland W. Burris, an Illinois lawyer and politician, who was the first African American elected to statewide office in Illinois. The speeches were given by Burris at various civic engagements during his tenure as Illinois Comptroller (1979-1991) and Illinois Attorney General (1991-1995). Event backgrounders include preparatory information Burris received for each speaking engagement providing basic details for the event. Also included are inventories of Burris' speeches listing date, topic, location, and other details. Speech topics include legislation, labor, public works, civics, education, race and ethnicity, religion, and advocacy for the underrepresented. Materials are arranged chronologically within their series.

Related:

Related materials at the Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the Roland W. Burris visual materials (1995.0120).

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

The following index headings for this collection were entered in the online catalog.

Subjects:

Burris, Roland W.--Speeches.

Illinois. Attorney General

Illinois. Comptroller's Office

African American lawyers--Illinois

African American politicians--Illinois.

Civics--Study and teaching--Illinois--20th century.

Public officers--Illinois--20th century--Speeches.

Illinois--Politics and government--20th century.

Illinois--Race relations--20th century.

Illinois--Social conditions--20th century.

Form/genre:

Newspaper clippings.

Speeches.

Added entries:

Illinois. Attorney General

Illinois. Comptroller's Office

United States--Illinois.

Arrangement of the collection:

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1. Speech transcripts, 1979-1994 (box 1-43)

Series 2. Press clippings, 1993-1994 (box 44)

Series 3. Event backgrounders, 1989-1994 (box 45-48)

Detailed description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1. Speech transcripts, 1979-1994 (box 1-43)

Series 1 contains transcripts of speeches given by Burris during his tenure as Illinois Comptroller (1979-1991) and Attorney General (1991-1995). Also included are handwritten drafts of speeches written by Burris and his staff, preparatory notes, newspaper clippings, and event programs. Also present are catalogs listing Burris' speaking engagements as well as locations, dates, topics, and event sponsors. Speech topics include legislation, labor, public works, civics, education, race and ethnicity, religion, and advocacy for the underrepresented. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 2. Press clippings, 1993-1994 (box 44)

Series 2 contains photocopied press clippings from Illinois publications relating to Burris' work as Illinois Attorney General. Clippings also cover Burris' speaking engagements and campaign for governor. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 3. Event backgrounders, 1989-1994 (box 45-48)

Series 3 contains supporting and preparatory material for Burris' speaking engagements. These files detail dates, times, topics, sponsors, locations of events, and other background information. Also present is a master catalog listing speeches and event backgrounds.

List of contents of the collection:

Box 1-48 Speech transcripts, 1979-1994

Box 44 Press clippings, 1993-1994

Box 45-48 Event backgrounders, 1989-1994