June 23, 2008 — In a new research project at the University of Virginia, U.Va. Law School alumnus Lowell P. Weicker is working with the U.Va. Library to make available more than 1,000 boxes of his political papers, including files on the Watergate hearings, creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other significant milestones in late 20th-century American politics.
Weicker, former U.S. representative, U.S. senator and Connecticut governor, is leading the collaborative effort, the Lowell Weicker Jr. Archival Papers Project, with two professional archivists. Based at U.Va.'s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, they are identifying and cataloging the papers to ensure that they are available to scholars according to the highest archival standards.
The project began this spring and will be completed in 2010. At that point, the papers will be accessible to the public and will include a research guide summarizing the collection.
After serving one term in the U.S House of Representatives starting in 1969, Weicker, then a Republican, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1971 and held the post until 1989. He was elected governor of Connecticut as an independent in 1990 for one four-year term.
"Throughout his distinguished career, Lowell Weicker has done important work to shape the course of events in Connecticut and in the nation,” said John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia and former president of the University of Connecticut. "The Special Collections Library is fortunate to receive his political papers. By making these papers available to researchers, Governor Weicker will enrich scholarship focused on 20th-century American political history."
The Weicker Papers are a significant addition to the U.Va. Library's existing collections of rare materials from American history. "The University of Virginia already holds a powerful collection of resources for studying American politics, including papers of Thomas Jefferson and the creation of the Declaration of Independence," said Weicker. "I am honored to have my papers be made available for scholarly investigation and the teaching of American history."
Weicker, former U.S. representative, U.S. senator and Connecticut governor, is leading the collaborative effort, the Lowell Weicker Jr. Archival Papers Project, with two professional archivists. Based at U.Va.'s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, they are identifying and cataloging the papers to ensure that they are available to scholars according to the highest archival standards.
The project began this spring and will be completed in 2010. At that point, the papers will be accessible to the public and will include a research guide summarizing the collection.
After serving one term in the U.S House of Representatives starting in 1969, Weicker, then a Republican, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1971 and held the post until 1989. He was elected governor of Connecticut as an independent in 1990 for one four-year term.
"Throughout his distinguished career, Lowell Weicker has done important work to shape the course of events in Connecticut and in the nation,” said John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia and former president of the University of Connecticut. "The Special Collections Library is fortunate to receive his political papers. By making these papers available to researchers, Governor Weicker will enrich scholarship focused on 20th-century American political history."
The Weicker Papers are a significant addition to the U.Va. Library's existing collections of rare materials from American history. "The University of Virginia already holds a powerful collection of resources for studying American politics, including papers of Thomas Jefferson and the creation of the Declaration of Independence," said Weicker. "I am honored to have my papers be made available for scholarly investigation and the teaching of American history."
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June 23, 2008
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