SERIES 1: PERSONAL/POLITICAL Boxes 1 - 169
Browse the Senate Campaigns Sub-series collection (will open in a new window)
The Senate Campaign Files consist of thirty-one cubic feet of records dating from 1964 to 1992. The records document the six Ohio election campaigns for the U.S. Senate undertaken by John Glenn during his political career. These six election campaigns consist of his aborted 1964 campaign, his unsuccessful campaign in the Democratic primary in 1970, his first election to the senate in 1974, and his successful re-election campaigns in 1980, 1986, and 1992. Records within the sub-series are arranged by campaign year. The amount of records and the subject matter varies slightly per campaign, but in general the types of records found within each campaign include correspondence and memoranda, issue files and statements, financial and fund-raising files, political (subject) files, and reference, research and polling information.
Researchers should note that additional campaign records are found within the political files category of the JHG's Office Files Sub-series, and the Mary Jane Veno Files in the Administrative Assistant Sub-series.
The 1964 Senate Campaign Files contain five cubic feet of materials, dated 1963 to 1964, documenting John Glenn's first attempt to become a U.S. Senator. Glenn began his political career on January 17, 1964 when he announced his intention to retire from the U.S. Marine Corps and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to run in the upcoming Democratic primary in Ohio for the U.S. Senate seat held by Stephen M. Young. Just over a month later, on February 26, 1964, Glenn slipped in his bathroom, fell, and hit his head. The blow to his head resulted in a case of severe vertigo that left Glenn bedridden for more than nine months. During March 1964 the Glenns attempted to continue on with the primary campaign with Glenn's wife, Annie (accompanied by Rene Carpenter, the wife of Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter) making surrogate campaign appearances. Despite such efforts Glenn was forced by his ill health to drop out of the race on March 30, 1964.
Approximately half of the 1964 senate campaign files consist of letters and cards sent to John Glenn by adults and children from across the country and reflect Glenn's continued status as an American hero. Many people wrote to either support or condemn Glenn's decision to retire from NASA and enter politics or to express their sympathies following his accident. Others, including many medical professionals, wrote with their advise on how to overcome his vertigo. The correspondence is arranged by subject, with letters within a given subject heading arranged alphabetically by author name. Other files within the 1964 campaign records include invitations received for various campaign appearances, newspaper clippings filed by both date and subject, some opposition research, and a few subject files. The subject files include surveys, staff correspondence, campaign strategy documents, and research materials.
The four cubic feet of 1970 Senate Campaign Files document John Glenn's unsuccessful bid in the May 1970 primary election to be the Ohio Democratic Party's candidate for the U.S. Senate. Glenn lost the primary election to Howard M. Metzenbaum. The records date from 1968 to 1971 and are composed of correspondence and memoranda, office administration, political, and reference files. The chronologically arranged correspondence consists of letters of a general nature received by Glenn and his campaign staff both prior to and after the primary election. Most letters are paired with a copy of the outgoing response. Included in the correspondence files are letters to Judge James F. Bell, the chairman of Glenn's campaign committee, and files of staff memoranda on campaign strategy and issues. The office administration files deal primarily with the organization, financing, and staffing of the campaign committee. The political files are a series of subject files alphabetically arranged by folder heading. Included in the series is information on polls, staff briefing books, and files on campaign issues. Also included are records pertaining to Glenn's campaign schedules, events, and invitations, along with various media related records, such as news releases, speeches, advertisements, and news clippings. The reference files consist of background materials on campaign issues. In addition, the records include a card file on campaign staff and supporters, potential contacts, and financial donors.
The 1974 Senate Campaign Files consist of five cubic feet of records, dated 1970 to 1975, pertaining to John Glenn's first successful election to the U.S. Senate. The records document both Glenn's victory over Howard M. Metzenbaum in the Democratic primary election and his defeat of the Republican Party candidate, Mayor Ralph J. Perk of Cleveland, in the November general election. The records are sorted by type into five categories - correspondence and memoranda, financial, issue, political, and reference files. The majority of the correspondence and memoranda files consists of a chronologically arranged series dating from January 1973 to December 1974. This general correspondence includes a mix of incoming letters, copies of some outgoing replies, and memoranda from campaign staff. Also included are four folders of congratulatory cards and letters received by Glenn after his primary election win. The financial records consist of the official reports of receipts and expenditures filed by the Citizens for John Glenn Committee, along with various financial disclosure reports. The issue files contain campaign statements on Glenn's position on a wide variety of campaign issues, from abortion to veterans' affairs. The political files are a series of subject files alphabetically arranged by folder heading. Included are briefing papers, polling information, and files on Glenn's campaign schedules, events, and invitations. Other files cover media related topics, such as speeches, press releases, and news clippings. In addition, the political files contain records compiled by Joan Spratley, a former women's coordinator for the Ohio Democratic Party, who became a principle fund-raiser for the Glenn campaign after the May primary. The reference files consist of a series of data books on Ohio counties, along with various background materials on campaign issues.
The six cubic feet of 1980 Senate Campaign Files date from 1978 to 1982 and document Senator Glenn's first re-election campaign. Glenn won his second term to the U.S. Senate in a landslide victory over the Republican Party candidate, Ohio Representative James Betts of Cleveland. The records are sorted into six categories- staff files, correspondence and memoranda, financial records, fund-raising files, political files, and the records of Mary Jane Veno. The staff files contain internal memoranda and letters, press releases, and other items documenting the various organizational levels within Ohio of the Glenn re-election campaign. Four separate sets of files, arranged alphabetically by personal name or by county name, cover paid staff, volunteers, county coordinators, and regional coordinators. The financial files consist of official reports of receipts and disbursements submitted to the Federal Election Commission by the Senator John Glenn Committee (SJGC). The fund-raising files contain correspondence, memoranda, donor listings, financial reports, and follow-up materials on the various events organized by the SJGC to obtain funding for Glenn's re-election campaign. The files are arranged alphabetically by event location or event name. Other fund-raising files pertain to planning or to specific groups and organizations. Also included is a card file containing information on Glenn supporters, donors, and potential contacts. The political files contain subject matter alphabetically arranged by folder heading. Included are such items as briefing books, policy issues, media related materials, and polling information. Mary Jane Veno was Senator Glenn's personal assistant and political advisor. The majority of her files pertain to Glenn's campaign schedules, trips, and events. Other files contain general correspondence, debate papers, and materials on the Ohio Democratic Party.
The 1986 Senate Campaign Files consist of seven cubic feet of materials, dated 1984 to 1987, documenting Senator Glenn's election to his third term in the U.S. Senate. The records are sorted into six categories- county coordinators, financial, fund-raising, political, and scheduling files, along with the records of Senator Glenn's personal assistant, Mary Jane Veno. The county coordinators files consist primarily of listings of Glenn supporters and volunteer campaign workers arranged alphabetically by county. The financial files include campaign budget records, Senator Glenn's personal financial disclosure reports, and the official reports of receipts and disbursements filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Senator John Glenn Committee (SJGC). The fund-raising files contain correspondence, memoranda, listings of invitations and potential donors, and financial reports from the various events held by the SJGC to finance the re-election campaign. These files are arranged alphabetically by event name or event location. Also included are files on political action committees (PACs) and a fund-raising manual used by campaign staff and volunteers. The political files cover a wide range of subjects alphabetically arranged by folder heading. Included are files on campaign consultants hired by the SJGC, polling and voter research, briefing books on domestic and foreign policy issues, and campaign debates, along with media related materials such as speeches, advertisements, and press releases. In addition, the political files contain materials on the Republican Party candidate, Congressman Thomas N. Kindness. The scheduling files contain materials on Glenn's campaign appearances, events and trips, chronologically arranged from September 1985 to December 1986. The files compiled by Mary Jane Veno supplement the political files listed above. Included are briefing books and talking points on Senator Glenn's legislative initiatives and voting record, questionnaires from special interest groups, materials on various policy issues, newspaper clippings, and a substantial amount of general correspondence. Ms. Veno's files also contain extensive materials pertaining to opposition research.
The three cubic feet of 1992 Senate Campaign Files date from 1975 to 1992, with the bulk of the records dating from 1991 to 1992. Sorted into the four categories of fund-raising and financial files, issues files, political files, and research and polling files, the records document Senate Glenn's re-election to his fourth and final six-year term in the U.S. Senate. The fund-raising and financial files contain chronologically arranged documents pertaining to Senator Glenn's campaign schedule and his participation in events to raise money for both his re-election campaign and the election campaigns of other Democratic Party candidates. Also included are files of correspondence and memoranda, files pertaining to strategy meetings and fund-raising goals, listings of donors and potential donors, and the annotated forms used by Senator Glenn to track the telephone calls he made to solicit campaign funding. Other files contain the official reports of receipts and disbursements filed with the Federal Election Commission by the John Glenn for Senate Committee (JGSC). The issues files consist of briefing books on domestic and foreign policy issues paired with files on specific campaign issues. Other files contain information on Glenn's legislative accomplishments and voting record during his first three terms in the U.S. Senate. The political files cover a range of subject matter and include some files of general correspondence, documents on various Democratic Party organizations, and media related materials such as speeches, advertisements, interviews, newspaper clippings, and a campaign press kit. The political files also include opposition research on the campaign's Republican Party candidate, Ohio Lt. Governor Michael DeWine. The research and polling files consist of polling information published by various newspapers and organizations, along with voter research and polls conducted by political consultants hired by the JGSC.