Repository: Heinz History Center
Title: William J. Coyne Papers
Creator: Coyne, William J.
Collection Number: MSS 0769
Extent: 62 linear feet (62 boxes)
Date: 1981-2001
Abstract: Former Congressman William J. Coyne served 10 terms representing Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 through 2003. Coyne, born in Pittsburgh in 1936, began his elected political career in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives in 1970, serving one term before moving on to Pittsburgh's City Council in 1973. Rep. Coyne was active in many policy areas while in office, including job creation, tax relief, housing and community development, social security reform, transportation funding, and industrial remediation in cities like Pittsburgh. The William J. Coyne Papers contain records created during the former congressman's 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and include materials used in drafting or sponsoring legislation; correspondence with congressional colleagues and government officials; press materials including newsletters and speech transcripts; and voting records from his entire career in the House.
Language: The material in this collection is in English.
Author: The guide to this collection was written by Alex J. Toner.
Sponsor: This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher: Heinz History Center
Address: 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

William Joseph Coyne, born in 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pa., was born to Phillip and Mary (Ridge) Coyne. After graduating from Central Catholic High School in 1954, he served with the U.S. Army in Korea from 1955 through 1957. Upon his return he began a 13 year career as a corporate accountant, earning a B.S. in Accounting from Robert Morris College in 1965. Coyne has been a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., and continues to own the family home where he grew up on Halket Street in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

Coyne was exposed to politics throughout his early life. His uncle, James Coyne, was a prominent figure in Pittsburgh's Republican Party during the early 20th century. Coyne himself volunteered on various local campaigns for Pittsburgh democrats during his early adulthood. He entered into politics at the state and local level in 1970, serving one term (1971-1972) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before serving on the Pittsburgh City Council from 1973 until 1980. It was in that year he campaigned and was elected to the first of his 10 terms in the United States House of Representatives representing Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District.

Congressman Coyne served 22 years in the House, beginning in 1981 and continuing through 2003. He became a senior member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, and a Democratic member on the Ways and Means Oversight Committee. During his tenure he also served on the Banking Committee, Budget Committee, and the Committee on House Administration. Coyne was active in many policy areas while in office, including job creation, tax relief, housing and community development, social security reform, transportation funding, and industrial remediation in cities, including Pittsburgh.

Under Rep. Coyne's guidance during the 104th Congress, the tax-exempt Industrial Development Bond program, which gave tax breaks to older cities to rebuild their manufacturing bases, was made permanent. As a result, more than 26,000 manufacturing jobs were sustained in Pennsylvania between 1987 and 1992. In 1993 Rep. Coyne was instrumental in Congress' adoption of language within a budget reconciliation bill which expanded opportunities for low-income workers to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit on a monthly, not yearly, basis. Rep. Coyne pursued continued middle-class tax relief while supporting the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Throughout his career, Congressman Coyne fought against unfair foreign trade practices, strengthened Medicare prescription drug benefits, and secured pension and retirement benefits for older Americans.

Congressman Coyne served his southwestern Pennsylvania constituency during his tenure by obtaining federal financial appropriations for various programs and projects throughout the region. During the 105th Congress, Rep. Coyne secured $800 million of federal funding as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, which financed reconstruction of the Drake, Library, and Overbrook Trolley lines; an extension of the MLK Jr. Busway; and construction of an industrial access road in the city's Lawrenceville neighborhood. Also important to his home district, Rep. Coyne successfully expanded brownfield tax provisions while extending their expiration dates, which allowed for Pittsburgh businesses to deduct the cost of cleaning up former industrial slag heaps during redevelopment. Coyne was also instrumental in garnering federal funding to support waste water and sewage infrastructure redevelopment in the greater Pittsburgh river valleys to combat flooding problems.

Scope and Content Notes

The William J. Coyne Papers contain records created during the former congressman's 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. They contain memorandums, letters, policy briefings, informational supplements, and drafts proposals used in the legislative process; correspondence with Congressional colleagues, the White House, business leaders, and foreign dignitaries; press materials including newsletters, newspaper clippings, and speech transcripts; and voting records from his entire career in the House. The materials were boxed and arranged by Coyne's staff upon donation to the Library and Archives. The William J. Coyne Papers are housed in 62 boxes and arranged in four series: I. Legislation, II. Correspondence, III. Press materials, IV. Voting Records.

Series I. Legislation, boxes 1-37

This series contains materials used by Rep. Coyne to draft, sponsor, or vote on legislation in Congress during his tenure. It consists of 37 boxes of policy briefings, informational supplements, memorandums, letters, and drafts of legislative proposals. Boxes 7-8, 24, 28, and 41 contain appropriations and earmark requests submitted during his tenure. Legislative and policy areas include earned income tax credit reform, transportation projects, housing and urban development initiatives, the Brownfields Redevelopment Act, Coyne's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, steel industry Heritage Area initiatives, health and Medicare legislation, and pension reform.

Series II. Correspondence, boxes 38-48

The correspondence series consists entirely of letters written either to or from Congressman Coyne and congressional colleagues, the White House, business leaders, foreign dignitaries, and other officials. Among a variety of topics they include requests between congressmen for support on various issues, co-sponsored policy suggestions from Democratic Congressional leaders to the White House, and letters of condemnation or approval with foreign officials concerning international events.

Series III. Press Materials, boxes 49-57

The press material series contains newspaper clippings, newsletters sent from Rep. Coyne's office to colleagues and constituents, and transcripts of speeches given.

Series IV. Voting Records, boxes 59-62

This series consists of four boxes containing multiple three-ring binders of the official legislative voting record of Rep. Coyne throughout his 10 terms covering each session of the 97th Congress through the 107th congress. The records contain not only Congressman Coyne's voting statistics, but the Yeas and Nays of his fellow congressmen, attendance statistics, as well as other supplemental information.

Arrangement

The William J. Coyne Papers are contained in 62 boxes and have been arranged in four series:

I. Legislation, boxes 1-37.
II. Correspondence, boxes 38-48.
III. Press Materials, boxes 49-57.
IV. Voting Records, boxes 59-62.

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Coyne William J. in 2002.

Archives accession # 2002.0300

Preferred Citation

William J. Coyne Papers, 1981-2001, MSS 0769, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Alex J. Toner on 04/14/12. An extensive inventory was created by the Library and Archives volunteers in 2010.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

Corporate Names

United States--Congress--House.

Personal Names

Coyne, William J.

Geographic Names

Pittsburgh (Pa.)

Other Subjects

Legislators--United States.
14th Congressional District--Pennsylvania--1981-2001.
Federal Government--United States.
Brownfields--Law and Legislation.
Industrial Development Bonds--Law and Legislation.
Earned Income Tax Credit.
United States--Congress--House--Committee on Ways and Means.

Guide to the William J. Coyne Papers 1981-2001