Guide to the Dick Thornburgh Papers, 1932- AIS.1998.30.12

Subseries  1. Speeches 

Scope and Contents note

As Director of the Institute of Politics, Thornburgh's speeches have been preserved and digitized, as is true for all the positions he has held. These files not only contain the speeches but any drafts and additional notes that may exist. In their digital state the speeches are searchable online for topics of interest and provide invaluable content related to the issues with which Thornburgh was involved during this year from June 1987 through July 1988.

Subseries  2. Pre-Directorship Institute of Politics Research 

Scope and Contents note

Prior to Thornburgh's arrival as Director of the Institute of Politics in June 1987, he methodically researched IOP's history, policies, and programs to enable him, as the adage states, to "hit the ground running." Many of these materials were prepared for Thornburgh by Rick Stafford (RAS), who had served in the Thornburgh Gubernatorial administration. Stafford put together briefing binders, status reports and work plans which include the history of IOP and analyze new directions the Institute could take under Thornburgh's leadership. Also included are Thornburgh's notes on IOP, correspondence related to his job search, as well as potential reorganization plans for IOP.

Subseries  3. News Releases 

Scope and Contents note

The news releases issued by the Institute of Politics (IOP) during Thornburgh's year as Director are arranged here in chronological order from 1987-1988. These releases pertain both to Thornburgh and others more generally to IOP events. All have been digitized and are available here online.

Subseries  4. Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Institute of Politics Files 

Scope and Contents note

These file relate to all three "institutions" with which Thornburgh was associated and are in four relevant sections: Harvard materials are arranged in a general chronological order and include news articles, newsletters and Harvard publications, as well as information on major Harvard "personalities" in preparation for meetings.

John F. Kennedy School of Government (JFK School) materials deal with information from the 50th anniversary of the school, curricula reviews and information, possible courses of interest to Thornburgh, and memoranda from Graham Allison, dean of the Kennedy School.

Institute of Politics (IOP) administration and organization files include information on budget, fundraising, organization of the office's materials, concept papers on various political topics, information on prospective visiting fellows, materials from committees, and IOP publications and brochures.

Files from the Institute of Politics (IOP) programs, conferences, and workshops are arranged in a general chronological order and include materials on those in which Thornburgh participated or helped plan. Examples include "The Public, the Soviet and Nuclear Arms Conference," "Latin American Debt Conference," " Program for Newly-Elected Members of Congress," and the "ARCO Forum on Public Affairs." Please note that the archives include a complete set of the ARCO Forum posters.

Subseries  5. Director Thornburgh's Files 

Scope and Contents note

Thornburgh served as Director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) from June 1987 to July 1988 when he was named Attorney General of the United States. He was involved in all facets of IOP, including serving as an advisor to students, arranging for Institute Fellows each semester, fundraising for programs, writing articles, as well as planning IOP workshops, programs and conferences. In his autobiography, Where the Evidence Leads, he refers to specific enjoyment in the direct connection with students and his opportunity to stimulate interest in public service and politics.

Director's files, arranged chronologically by category, include material more "personal" to Dick Thornburgh, his correspondence to various outside persons, his telephone log, unpublished articles that he wrote (including several regarding a Balanced Budget Amendment), his files on the earlier potential directorship of FBI, and his resignation letter from IOP.

Subseries  6. Events 

Scope and Contents note

During his tenure as Director of the Institute of Politics Thornburgh participated in many and diverse events, both in Boston and around the country. Events are Harvard related, many specifically IOP related, some political in nature and others deriving from Thornburgh's reputation generally, at the invitation of various organizations. The events consist of meetings, visits from students and politicians, and speaking opportunities. Included in these files and of research interest are Thornburgh's remarks, background information, correspondence and often Thornburgh's annotated memos, reports and meeting notes. The researcher will find that these files effectively document both the varied responsibilities and involvements of the Director as well as the events deriving from Thornburgh's political and legal career. These are filed alphabetically by the name of the organization or person with whom he met. Of interest also may be schedules that are included in a following section, and that specifically enumerate Thornburgh's appearances and IOP events, day by day.

Subseries  7. Schedules 

Scope and Contents note

These schedule files consist of six folders of Dick Thornburgh's personal schedules from June 1987- June 1988. These files include Mr. Thornburgh's daily, long-range, and monthly schedules, as well as staff meeting agendas. The schedules together with the IOP event files well document the activities and participation of Thornburgh while serving as Director of IOP.

Subseries  8. Correspondence 

Scope and Contents note

The correspondence from Mr. Thornburgh's IOP office is labeled incoming and outgoing and is in alphabetical order by last name of sender or addressee. The correspondence covers the year that Mr. Thornburgh was Director of the Institute of Politics, June 1987-July 1988. There is personal correspondence, business correspondence, correspondence related to Harvard University, and correspondence related to his law firm, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart

Subseries  9. Clippings and Articles 

Scope and Contents note

This portion of files from Thornburgh's Directorship of IOP primarily includes news clippings and articles from June 1988-July 1989. There are also occasional reports and subjects such as: judicial reform, budget and the economy, Republicans, "people," and speeches by others.

These are divided into five sections as follows: First, "General Topics" arranged in alphabetical order, including national as well as Pennsylvania issues; Second, entitled "Thornburgh bashing." Although enjoying the challenges of his new position at Harvard, "Pennsylvania matters did not entirely escape my attention at this time. Governor Casey and his team were seeking to discredit our accomplishments and to focus more attention on their own agenda ... In June 1987, the [Casey] administration undertook a concerted effort, at taxpayers' expense, to document 'deficiencies' incurred during my tenure. Eventually, even the Philadelphia Inquirer took Governor Casey mildly to task. These and other negative reactions finally brought an end to the "Thornburgh bashing" (  Evidence, p .198). A goodly number of these articles are annotated by Thornburgh and/or his staff; Third, are "Political Topics" more national in scope including polls, fundraising, Democrats and Republicans, the 1988 Presidential campaign, and candidates such as Dukakis, Reagan, and Bush. Throughout his career Thornburgh followed national politics and issues and habitually kept such clippings; Fourth are the "Republican Rumbles," prepared and distributed by the Pennsylvania Republicans and which effectively covered the political scene in the Commonwealth from May, 1987-July, 1988; Fifth are "IOP articles and clippings" specifically relating to IOP's events and activities and the Director himself. They represent a good overview of the challenges and opportunities for Thornburgh during what unexpectedly was a very brief tenure in Boston.

Subseries  10. Boards and Memberships, 1987-1988 

Scope and Contents note

After Thornburgh concluded his two terms as Governor in January 1987, a number of opportunities were presented to him in which he could exercise his expertise in the area of law and his vast governmental experience. In this portion of the collection we have, broken down into 13 sections, the various companies and organizations that Thornburgh actively participated in as a member of their respective boards of directors. The companies include: Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), Merrill Lynch, and Rite Aid. Academic institutions include: Carnegie Mellon University's School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA), University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), and University of Pittsburgh's Campaign for Third Century. Continuing with his ongoing interest in those with disabilities, Thornburgh held a board of director's position for the National Organization on Disability. The Foundations and other organizations he served include: Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR), Princess Grace Foundation, Ronald Reagan Foundation, National Civic League, and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

These files are organized in alphabetical order according to organization or company. Within each organization the material is arranged in chronological order. The researcher will find a variety of articles, correspondence, memos, invitations, letters, reports, pamphlets, meeting minutes and notes, and news releases.

Researchers should note that these "Boards and Memberships" files are related to the IOP files only in that they were produced in the same time period during which Thornburgh was also Director of the Institute of Politics. The same is true with Dick Thornburgh's "K & L" files and the "Ginny Thornburgh at Harvard University" files. Since the time at IOP spans only a year, it is convenient to include these separate yet simultaneously produced materials here.

Subseries  11. Kirkpatrick and Lockhart (K & L), 1987-1988 

Scope and Contents note

In addition to becoming Director of the Institute of Politics (IOP), Thornburgh also rejoined his former law firm, Kirkpatrick and Lockhart (K & L), which had opened an office in Boston. He also served on a number of university, company and organization boards of trustees. His balancing of these varied commitments continued until he was asked to serve as Attorney General of the United States in July 1988. He resigned from IOP and again from K & L in August of 1988, just over a year after starting at IOP and rejoining K & L.

The Kirkpatrick and Lockhart files are divided into two sections. The first of these is firm administrative files from 1987-1988, memoranda to partners, and material from meetings and events. The second section contains Thornburgh's personal files, including memoranda to and from him, personal and professional correspondence, notes, telephone logs and schedules. Many of these materials are annotated by Thornburgh.

Researchers should be aware that the K & L files are related to the IOP files only in that they were produced in the same time period. The same is true with the "Boards and Memberships" files and the "Ginny Thornburgh at Harvard University" files. Because the time at IOP spans only a year, it is relevant to group these separate yet simultaneously produced materials together.

Subseries  12. Ginny Thornburgh, Coordinator of Programs for Persons with Disabilities at Harvard University, 1987-1988 

Scope and Contents note

While her husband, Dick Thornburgh, was serving as Director of the Institute of Politics, Ginny Thornburgh worked at Harvard University as the first disability coordinator, with the official title "Coordinator of Programs for People with Disabilities." She extended her long-standing personal commitment to disabled persons to a professional job, as an advocate for all disabled (physical, mental, or sensory) students, staff and faculty at the university.

While there, she oversaw and edited the university's first guide to services for persons with disabilities, "Resources for Persons with Disabilities," in 1989. This guide is available here online.

Researchers should be aware that the "Ginny Thornburgh at Harvard University" files are related to the IOP files only in that they were produced in the same time period. The same is true with Dick Thornburgh's "Boards and Memberships" and "K & L" files. Because the time at IOP spans only a year, it is convenient to group these separate yet simultaneously produced materials together.