Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Burton K. Wheeler Files, 1924-1945
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Title
- Burton K. Wheeler Files
- Dates
- 1924-194519241945
- Quantity
- .8 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Collection 2206, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Burton K. Wheeler Files consist of photocopied documents from FBI files in which Wheeler was the subject of investigations, and in one instance, a co-subject. Also included are cross-references to mentions of Wheeler in files on other individuals, organizations, events, or activities.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Senator Burton K. Wheeler (1882-1975) began his law career in Butte, and served as U.S. Attorney for Montana from 1913 to 1918 prior to his election to the U.S. Senate in 1922. His first action in the senate was to begin investigations of corruption in the Department of Justice which resulted in the resignation of the head of the Bureau of Investigation. Within six months, the Bureau of Investigation, seeking revenge, attempted to frame the senator. The case resulted in Wheeler being acquitted and becoming a national political figure, which standing was increased in 1924 when he ran for vice-president on the Progressive Party presidential ticket. Wheeler is remembered as one of the most powerful senators in Washington D.C. in the 1930s. Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Committee and of the Indian Affairs Committee, he personally influenced such key New Deal legislation as the Public Utilities Holding Company Act of 1935 and the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (the Wheeler-Howard Act). In 1937, he successfully led the opposition to President Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court with justices of his own political persuasion. Throughout his years of service he was consistently opposed to war, and so supported neutrality legislation in the 1930s, spoke out against peacetime conscription in 1940 and 1941, and fought against the Lend-Lease aid to Britain in 1941. After the United States decided to enter the war, however, Wheeler gave his full support to the effort.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The photocopied documents in this collection were taken from six files from the FBI in which Wheeler was the subject of investigations, and in one instance, a co-subject. Also included are cross-references to mentions of Wheeler in files on other individuals, organizations, events, or activities. The following inventory lists the original files numbers assigned by the FBI.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Positive photocopies of files pertaining to Burton K. Wheeler which were created and maintained by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation were purchased from the Bureau on February 7, 1990 by Special Collections under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2009 May 22
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box | ||
1 | FBI FILE #62-7903 | |
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Volume 1 | 1924 |
1/2 | Volume 2 | 1924 |
1/3 | Volumes 1-3 | 1924-1925 |
1/4 | Volume 4 | 1925 |
1/5 | Volume 5 | 1925 |
1/6 | Volume 6 | 1925 |
1/7 | Volume 7 | 1925-1926 |
2/1 | FBI FILE #62-16195
Senate Resolution 46 Concerning Industrial Espionage by Wheeler
|
1927 |
2/2 | FBI FILE #62-48643
Investigation of anonymous letter questioning the Social Security Act
|
1937 |
2/3 | FBI FILE #9-7637
Investigation of anonymous letter with death threat against Wheeler
|
1941 |
2/4 | FBI FILE #61-9182
Information pertaining to the attempt of Mrs. Evelyn Walsh McClean to sue New Masses
magazine for libel
|
1942 |
2/5-6 | FBI FILE #62-55261 v.1 and v.2
Miscellaneous correspondence and information questioning Wheeler's patriotism and
integrity
|
1939-1943 |
2/7-8 | FBI FILE #None v.1 and v.2
Cross References of non-Wheeler files
|
circa 1940-1945 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Wheeler, Burton K. (Burton Kendall), 1882-1975