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Gale W. McGee papers, 1916-1992

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McGee, Gale W. (Gale William), 1915-1992
Title
Gale W. McGee papers
Dates
1916-1992 (inclusive)
Quantity
597.33 cubic ft. (1088 boxes + artifacts + art) + 2.50 GB
Collection Number
09800
Summary
Collection includes materials relating to McGee’s career as a U.S. senator, his work at the University of Wyoming and the Organization of American States, and his consulting firm and personal life.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

Some personal materials closed until 2025.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Gale McGee was a University of Wyoming Professor, a U.S. Senator from Wyoming (1959-1977), and the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) (1977-1981). Born on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1915, in Lincoln, Nebraska, McGee attended public schools, where he was prominent in debate. He wanted to study law, but the depression forced him to attend Nebraska Teaching College, where he graduated in 1936.

McGee taught high school from 1936 to 1939 while working toward a master's degree in history at the University of Colorado. He continued as a college instructor at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Iowa State College, and Notre Dame. In 1946, McGee received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago and accepted a position as a professor of American history at the University of Wyoming. The following year he became chairman of the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Wyoming.

Active in Democratic politics, McGee was asked to run for Congress in 1950, which McGee ultimately was convinced was not the right time. In 1955 and 1956, he took a leave of absence from the University to work as a legislative assistant to Wyoming Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney.

In 1958, McGee made his bid for the U.S. Senate and won, challenging incumbent Frank A. Barrett. McGee ran on a program of youth and new ideas, which received national attention. He served three terms in the U.S. Senate representing Wyoming, winning re-election in 1964 and 1970 until his defeat in 1976.

As Senator, McGee served on the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Commerce, and Post Office and Civil Service committees. McGee was an internationalist, advocating for U.S. foreign aid to developing countries and fighting Communism by promoting Democratic values. Considered the leading "hawk" supporting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, McGee frequently debated his close friend and fellow professor, Senator George McGovern (D-SD), the leading "dove," during one of the most divisive periods in our Nation's history.

Domestically, Senator McGee supported the social, environmental, and conservation programs of the "New Frontier" and "Great Society." While on the Appropriations Committee, McGee successfully directed federal aid for Wyoming's public works, public lands, as well as its agriculture, livestock, wool, and energy industries. He played a vital role in modernizing U.S. foreign aid, extending voting rights, and ending nationwide railroad and postal strikes.

Following his defeat in 1976 to Malcolm Wallop, President Carter appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the OAS, where he was instrumental in the Senate ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty. In 1981, he established a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Throughout his professional life, McGee was a recognized scholar of U.S. history and known as a forceful and effective orator on foreign and domestic issues.

As of 2022, McGee remains the last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Wyoming. In 2007, Congress renamed the Laramie, Wyoming Post Office in his honor. McGee's biography "The Man in the Arena: The Life and Times of U.S. Senator Gale McGee," written by Rodger McDaniel, was published in 2017.

Gale W. McGee married Loraine Baker in 1939, and together, they had four children, David W., Robert M., Mary Gale, and Lori Ann. Senator McGee died on April 9, 1992, in Washington, D.C.

From T.A. Larson Preface to the Gale W. McGee Papers:

"One of Wyoming's most prominent U.S. Senators, Gale W. McGee, died in Bethesda, Maryland, April 9, 1992, at the age of 77. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, he grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska, and attended Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne, Nebraska, the University of Colorado, and the University of Chicago. He earned his Ph.D. degree in history at Chicago. After short periods teaching at Nebraska, Wesleyan, Iowa State, and Notre Dame, he taught at the University of Wyoming, 1946-1958.

Some later speculated that McGee settled in Wyoming because his chances of getting elected to the U.S. Senate would be better there than in his native Middle West. Franklin D. Roosevelt had recently converted many of Wyoming's small population to his party.

McGee's preparation for the U.S. Senate could not have been programmed better. Blessed with a quick mind and a powerful, resonant voice, he focused early on oratory, extemporaneous speaking, and debate. He majored in American History and Foreign Relations, writing his dissertation on the Monroe Doctrine. Wyoming wanted his favorite courses and soon he was given the direction of an already popular summer Institute of International Affairs.

From the outset his classes were very popular and before long, he was on the regional Knife and Fork Clubs circuit and in demand for high school commencement addresses. Uniquely he spoke to all audiences without notes. He memorized the opening and closing sentences, and ad-libbed the four or five main parts, which followed one another logically.

In 1950 Democrats encouraged him to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, but he chose to bide his time rather than challenge a seasoned Republican after only four years in the state. The savvy senior U.S. Senator, Joseph C. O'Mahoney, took him in tow. He approved his spending a sabbatical leave (1952-1953) in the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Three years later O'Mahoney employed him as his legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. The university trustees reluctantly allowed McGee a leave without pay.

Republicans realized that McGee was being groomed for elective office. Yet some raised eyebrows when he filed to oppose incumbent U.S. Senator Frank A. Barrett in 1958. Barrett had lost only one election in his long career as county attorney, state legislator, four-term congressman, governor, and U.S. senator. At sixty-five, he was still vigorous and dedicated to serving conservative constituents. McGee, at forty-three, had no money and knew the Democrats could supply no more than half as much campaign funds as the GOP. Yet he defeated Barrett by a margin of 2,503 votes. Former students dominated his campaign organization. Faculty colleagues effectively answered allegations that he was a "dangerous left-wing liberal."

In the Senate, McGee's forty-minute maiden speech was delivered without notes, an unprecedented performance. He served eighteen years on the powerful Appropriations Committee and for shorter periods on other major committees. After his defeat in 1976, he served four years as Ambassador to the Organization of American States. His twenty-two years of public service spanned a very crucial period of American history.

As his department head at the University of Wyoming, I had ample opportunities to observe McGee's extraordinary self-confidence, courage, enthusiasm, wit, and civility. He was a leader in an academic freedom dispute with the Board of Trustees in 1950-1951, risking his untenured job. His great faith in democracy and his country's mission in the world inspired colleagues and students. He laced his lectures with sparkling humor. He manifested unusual civility and cooperation with political opponents. He worked smoothly with Republican Senator Cliff Hansen for Wyoming initiatives. In his Senate career, he maintained friendly relations with all five presidents, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. No senator had more concern for higher education. None spoke to as many university audiences – more than 700.

Senator McGee opposed clear-cutting in national forests and investigated environmental problems first-hand. Whether or not political opportunity attracted him to Wyoming in 1946, trout fishing definitely did. It was my good fortune to go with him on a hundred or more fishing expeditions in southeastern Wyoming before he went to the Senate. He pursued pheasants and grouse with comparable gusto, though less often. In sum, Gale W. McGee left an indelible mark on the University of Wyoming History Department, as well as on the state, the U.S. Senate and his country. His papers, now for the first time made available, are truly a tremendous bonanza for research scholars."

T. A. Larson, Professor Emeritus, University of Wyoming, May 1997

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Content Description

Collection includes materials relating to McGee's career as U.S. senator, his work at the University of Wyoming and the Organization of American States, his consulting firm, and personal life. Legislative papers include departmental, committee and study-mission files, constituent correspondence, and speeches. There are also photographs, scrapbooks, campaign materials, personal correspondence, memoirs, artifacts, films, and audiotapes of interviews. Included is material related to President John F. Kennedy's visit to the University of Wyoming with McGee in 1963.

The Gale W. McGee departmental and committee papers contain correspondence with constituents and various government officials and departments. Study missions and reports are included in the papers, as are photographs. The papers give good insight into the political temperament of the people of Wyoming during the years that McGee served in the Senate, as well as a look into the functions of a Senator's office.

The correspondence with the government departments is enlightening, and the files taken as a whole show the way in which various requests and complaints are served, as well as the changing nature of government over time. These papers reflect the temperament of McGee's constituents and his responses. Scarcely a letter went unanswered, although some were answered by Flexo or Robo letters, types of form letters. Subjects range from agricultural concerns to the Vietnam War.

The committee files include correspondence between committee members and the public, reports, and study missions, and they show the legislative process of bills becoming laws. The Appropriations Committee papers illustrate how the government decides how to spend our tax dollars. These papers provided McGee with information on committee business and helped inform him to make judicious decisions. Included is a telegram from James Hoffa requesting a hearing of the Teamsters concerning the railroad and piggybacking.

The environmental files contain correspondence with constituents concerning environmental issues of the mid-1970s. McGee was involved with the environmental movement. He was concerned about air pollution, grazing policies, the expansion of the Jackson Hole Airport, the grizzly bear being designated an endangered species, strip mining and clearcutting. The papers show the interest that the people of Wyoming showed toward the changing environment.

The general correspondence files contain letters from the general public, organizations, and other public officials. These papers illustrate the feelings of the country at the time. The people showed genuine fear during the Cold War era and wanted reassurance from the government. The speech folders provide information on McGee's stances on a variety of topics, including pensions, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal.

Photographs include publicity shots and snapshots of many prominent politicians and people from around the world. There are photographs of Senator McGee posed with people and of him on his many trips. Constituents can be found both in the constituent files and Wyoming-related files. Many photographs cover the Appropriations Committee study missions in which Senator McGee participated.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Gale W. McGee Papers, Collection Number 09800, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~40~40.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 16 series:

  • Series I. Departmental Files
  • Series II. Wyoming Post Office Files
  • Series III. Committee Files
  • Series IV. Environmental Files
  • Series V. General Correspondence
  • Series VI. Legislative Files
  • Series VII. Appointment Books and Daily Schedules
  • Series VIII. Speech and Trip Files
  • Series IX. Campaign Files
  • Series X. Assorted Senate Materials
  • Series XI. Personal and Professional Files
  • Series XII. Photographs
  • Series XIII. Safe Materials
  • Series XIV. Audio-Visual Materials
  • Series XV. Artifacts
  • Series XVI. Artwork

Related Materials

www.GaleMcGee.com - A website created by the McGee family about Gale W. McGee's career as a University Wyoming history professor, U.S. Senator (D-Wyo), and U.S. Ambassador to the OAS.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - featuring Kennedy’s speeches during his visits to Wyoming; McGee’s Oral History Interview with the Library; various correspondence and photos of McGee and Kennedy related to foreign policy, political campaigns, and the rise of the John Birch Society.

LBJ Presidential Library - featuring McGee and LBJ’s White House phone calls, McGee’s Oral History Interview with the Library; LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson’s visits to Wyoming, various correspondence, and photos of McGee and LBJ related to Vietnam, political campaigns, funding for Wyoming projects.

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum - featuring various correspondence and photos of McGee and Nixon related to Vietnam, China, and the Postal Reorganization Act.

Gerald R Ford Presidential Library & Museum - featuring various correspondence and photos of McGee and Ford related to Vietnam, foreign aid, and Postal Affairs.

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum - featuring various photos and correspondence related to McGee’s nomination and service as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, U.S. relations with Latin American countries, and role in ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty.

AEI Archive - featuring Senator McGee participating in an AEI town hall bipartisan debate in 1972 regarding the Nixon Doctrine.

American Archive of Public Broadcasting - featuring the news program "Vietnam; Campaign Issues, Pro and Con.” McGee is cited regarding 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater's attempt to make Vietnam a campaign issue to combat the Democrats using Civil Rights as a campaign issue.

Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training - featuring Ambassador Gale McGee’s 1988 interview for The Foreign Affairs Oral History Project. McGee covered a wide range of topics including his time in the Senate, Vietnam, and the OAS.

Congressional Archives Carl Albert Center featuring Gale McGee’s senatorial campaign ads for the 1970 and 1976 elections.

C-SPAN - featuring McGee’s 1968 interview on ABC Scope series “The Vietnam War How Much Dissent;” Senators Simpson and Packwood’s Senate Floor comments on McGee’s death; and The Motor Voter ceremony. Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore recognized the late Senator McGee as one of the pioneers of this law with the Postcard Registration Bill in 1973.

Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library Repository, Bates College - featuring the CBS “Meet the New Senators” TV show on Freshmen Senators national broadcast in January 1959. The reporter is Neil Strauser with Senator McGee, Loraine McGee, Francis and Garton McGee, and Bob McGee.

Georgetown University Archives, Audio Archives, 60432 - featuring Senator McGee’s lecture on "The Radical Right - Moral, Political and Economic Aspects."

Hope College - featuring Ambassador McGee speaking at the 1981 Hope College Model United Nations Conference addressing the current political climates regarding Foreign Policy, Latin America, U.S. Congress, OAS, and the UN.

Iowa State University, Special Collections and University Archives - featuring Senator McGovern and Senator Gale McGee discussing the economic impact of the US Farm Bill will be on agricultural income.

Library of Congress - featuring documents, interviews, and legislation of McGee’s during his political career as a U.S. Senator and U.S Ambassador.

Miller Center, UVA - featuring various conversations and meetings of McGee related to Vietnam, foreign aid, and Postal affairs from the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford Administrations.

Minnesota Historical Society - featuring Ambassador McGee's swearing into the OAS in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in 1977.

Newspapers.com - A wide range of articles that features Gale McGee during his career as a professor, senator, and ambassador.

Pacifica Radio Archives- featuring the 1968 Democratic Platform hearings on the dove-hawk controversy over U.S. policy in the Vietnam war.

Past Daily - featuring McGee appearing on NBC Radio panel discussion "Vietnam N' After.”

The Associated Press (AP) - featuring various clips including McGee’s comments on Freezing Pay Raises, Food prices, Angola, and the Postal Service.

The Chatham University Archives & Special Collections - featuring the Chatham University 1971 Symposium called “Where Have All the Heroes Gone?” Senator McGee lectures on Heroism and joined a panel to debate The Influence of the Media on the Making and Breaking of Heroes.

University of Illinois Broadcast Archives - featuring McGee’s speech “The Limits and Responsibilities of Dissent” at World Affairs Conference, Springfield, Illinois, March 1, 1969 Topics include extreme right and left, student uprisings, Vietnam, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, and the current political climate.

University of Minnesota Libraries, University Archives - featuring two lectures by Senator Gale McGee: “Teachers and Politics”(1966) which spoke on the importance that teachers at all levels of education participate in American political life and “Morality and Power: The Dilemma of Southeast Asia” (1968) addressing the situation in Vietnam.

University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections - featuring the 1969 Action Conference on National Priorities. The debate between Senator McGee and author Richard Barnett was entitled "What is National Security.” It covered topics including the Soviet Union, the ABM, and nuclear disarmament. The featured speaker for the event was McGee's fellow professor and colleague Senator George McGovern.

WyoHistory.org | The Online Encyclopedia of Wyoming History - Scholarly articles related to McGee’s service as the Senator from Wyoming.

Wyoming State Archives

Office of the Historian - United States Department of State - featuring government documents and memorandum mentioning McGee’s role and influence in United States foreign policy as U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador.

Acquisition Information

The Gale W. McGee Papers were donated to the American Heritage Center by Senator McGee and the McGee family in installments beginning in December 1976 until 2022. The papers arrived in fair to excellent condition and in good order.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Julie Long, Mark Shelstad, and Matt Sprinkle from 1994-1997, Roger Simon from 2018-2019, and updated by Jamie J. Greene in 2023. Machine-readable finding aid created by ByteManagers Inc. in October 2005.

Portions of the collection were digitized by Jamie J. Greene in August 2012.

Restrictions were added at folder level in Series I and Series V by Joney Wilmot in March 2015.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List