MTLRS22.xml Guide to the Montana Constitutional Convention (1972) Records 1971-1972 Montana. Constitutional Convention (1972) Records Finding aid prepared by MHS Staff Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Montana Historical Society 2004 Finding aid encoded by Ellie Arguimbau with assistance by Cuadra Assoc. 2004 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition) April 2023 Updated to correct spelling and grammer. Updated by Lindsey Mick. Montana Historical Society Archives RS 22 Montana Constitutional Convention (1972) Montana Constitutional Convention (1972) Records 1971-1972 5.2 linear feet These Montana Constitutional Convention records (1971-1972) consist of correspondence, minutes and proceedings, delegate proposals, reports, resolutions, subject files, writings, and news releases. Artifacts, photographs, and printed material have been transferred to the Museum, Photograph Archives, and Library respectively. 17:7-1 English

By the late 1960s there was growing sentiment in Montana for reform of the state's 1889 constitution. In 1970, voters passed Referendum 67, which called for a constitutional convention. The Montana Constitutional Convention Commission was created by the 42nd Legislative Assembly to assist the Convention delegates by undertaking a series of studies on constitutional issues for their use.

In a November 1971 special election Montanans chose one hundred delegates from 23 districts to the convention scheduled to convene January 17, 1972. A half-million dollars was appropriated by the legislature for the operations of the convention.

Dale A. Harris, who had served as executive director of the Constitutional Convention Commission, was chosen as executive director of the Constitutional Convention staff; Leo Graybill, Jr., of Great Falls served as president, and John H. Toole of Missoula served as vice president. Dorothy Eck of Bozeman was chosen honorary vice president from the Western District, and Bruce M. Brown of Miles City as honorary vice president from the Eastern District.

The delegates were divided into substantive and procedural committees. The substantive committees included Bill of Rights; Education and Public Lands; Executive; General Government and Constitutional Amendments; Judiciary; Legislative; Local Government; Natural Resources and Agriculture; Public Health, Welfare, and Labor; and Revenue and Finance. The procedural committees included Administrative; Public Information; Rules and Resolutions; and Style, Drafting and Transition. The Business Office oversaw the Convention's budgetary and personnel matters.

The Convention delegates held their meetings and hearings in the State Capitol Building and elsewhere in the Capitol Complex.

The Constitutional Convention adjourned after fifty-five days and the document they produced was narrowly passed by Montana voters: 116,415 to 113,883. The 1972 Constitution was contested in the state's Supreme Court by the Montana Farm Bureau, but was narrowly upheld.

The records of the Montana Constitutional Convention of 1972 consist of incoming, outgoing, general, and interoffice correspondence (1971-1972). Also included is a miscellaneous correspondence series which contains a letter (1971) from Jeannette Rankin to the Georgia legislature. The records also contain delegate proposals; financial records; minutes of the convention committees, including the Business Office; news releases; proceedings; reports; resolutions; subject files; writings; and miscellany. Much of the material in each series is arranged by committee or office of origin.

Artifacts, photographs, and printed materials have been transferred to the Museum, Photograph Archives, and Library respectively.

This collection is arranged by series

Acquisition information available upon request

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.

Environmental policy--Montana Gambling--Montana Industrial laws and legislation--Montana Local government--Montana Private schools--Montana Constitutional conventions--Montana Montana Environmental Conditions Government and Politics Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Biographical Material 1 / 1 Constitutional Convention delegates biographical sketches [see index] 1971 Incoming Correspondence 1 / 2 Administrative Committee: citizens' suggestions (received after deadline) 1972 1 / 3 Administrative Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 1 / 4 Administrative Committee: citizens' suggestions index (includes citizen's name and committee referral) undated 1 / 5-7 Education and Public Lands Committee: citizens' suggestions (against state funding of private schools) 1972 1 / 8 Education and Public Lands Committee: citizens' suggestions (in favor of state funding of private schools) 1972 1 / 9 Education and Public Lands Committee: citizens' suggestions (education, miscellaneous) 1972 1 / 10 Education and Public Lands Committee: citizens' suggestions (public lands) 1972 1 / 11 Executive Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 1 / 12 General Government - Constitutional Amendment Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 1 / 13 Judiciary Committee: citizens' suggestions (J.C. #1-84) 1972 1 / 14 Judiciary Committee: citizens' suggestions (J.C. #85-#165) 1972 1 / 15 Judiciary Committee: citizens' suggestions (J.C. #166-#248) 1972 1 / 16-17 Judiciary Committee: poll of Montana Bar Association members (returned with comments) 1972 1 / 18-19 Legislative Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 1 / 20-24 Local Government Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 2 / 1 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee (Representative George Darrow, includes "Preliminary Draft Proposed Environmental Article") 1971 December 2 / 2 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: citizens' suggestions 1972 Outgoing Correspondence 2 / 3 Dorothy Eck to the Montana Farm Bureau Federation (re proposed constitution and Farm Bureau policies) 1972 April General Correspondence 2 / 4 Administrative Committee (John H. Toole) 1971-1972 December-April 2 / 5 Administrative Committee (John H. Toole; includes petition) 1972 2 / 6 Administrative Committee (includes Montana Constitution Revision Commission correspondence) 1969-1972 2 / 7-10 Judiciary Committee 1971-1972, undated 2 / 11 Legislative Committee (Magnus Aasheim) 1971-1972 2 / 12 Natural Resources Committee 1972 November 2 / 13 Public Information Committee (Daphne Bugbee, Citizens Corp.) 1972 2 / 14 Public Information Committee (John H. Toole) 1971-1972 2 / 15 Public Information Committee (Margaret S. Warden; includes office memoranda) 1972 2 / 16 Public Information Committee 1971-1972 Interoffice Correspondence 2 / 17 Administrative Committee 1971-1972 2 / 18 Administrative Committee (re convention employees and Montana Minimum Wage Act undated 2 / 19 Education and Public Lands Committee (Elizabeth N. Harrison, re audio and video taping of hearings) 1972 January 2 / 20 Public Information Committee 1971-1972 2 / 21 Public Information Committee (John M. Schiltz, re restrictions on public information dissemination) 1972 January Miscellaneous Correspondence 2 / 22 Jeannette Rankin to Georgia legislature (re redistricting and reapportionment) 1971 October Delegate Proposals 2 / 23 Delegate proposals #1-#20 1972 January 25-27 2 / 24 Delegate proposals #21-#40 1972 January 25-27 2 / 25 Delegate proposals #41-#60 1972 January 27-29 2 / 26 Delegate proposals #61-#80 1972 January 29-February 2 2 / 27 Delegate proposals #81-#100 1972 February 2 2 / 28 Delegate proposals #101-#120 1972 February 2-3 2 / 29 Delegate proposals #121-#140 1972 February 3-4 2 / 30 Delegate proposals #141-#160 1972 February 4 2 / 31 Delegate proposals #161-#178 1972 February 4 2 / 32 Delegate proposals committee assignment undated 2 / 33 Status sheets of delegate proposals 1972 January 20-26 Financial Records 2 / 34 Budgets presented to and approved by Constitutional Convention 1972 Minutes 2 / 35-36 Administrative Committee 1972 December-April 2 / 37 Bill of Rights Committee 1972 January-March 2 / 38 Bill of Rights Committee (public hearings) 1972 January-February 3 / 1-2 Bill of Rights Committee (public hearings) 1972 February 3-12 3 / 3-5 Education and Public Lands Committee 1972 January-March 3 / 6-8 Executive Committee 1971 December-1972 February 3 / 9-10 General Government and Constitutional Amendment Committee 1972 January-February 3 / 11-13 Judiciary Committee 1971 December-1972 February 3 / 14-15 Legislative Committee 1972 January-February 3 / 16-19 Local Government Committee 1972 January-March 3 / 20 Local Government Committee (miscellaneous testimony) 1972 4 / 1-3 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee 1972 January-February 4 / 4 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee (testimony; includes miscellaneous materials) 1972 4 / 5-8 Public Health, Welfare, Labor and Industry Committee 1972 January-February 4 / 9 Public Information Committee 1971 December-1972 March 4 / 10-12 Revenue and Finance Committee 1972 January-March 4 / 13-15 Rules and Resolutions Committee 1971, 1972 January-February 4 / 16 Style, Drafting and Transition Committee 1972 January-March News Releases 4 / 17 Legislative Committee 1972 January 4 Photographs 4 / 18 List of photographs transferred to the Photo Archives undated Printed Material 4 / 19 List of printed materials transferred to the Library undated Proceedings 4 / 20-22 1st - 54th Days 1971 November-1972 March Reports 4 / 23 Administrative Committee reports to the Convention 1971 December-1972 February 4 / 24 Administrative Committee's final considerations of constitutional articles (includes Education; Public Health, Welfare, Labor and Industry; Bill of Rights; Revenue and Finance; Environment and Natural Resources; Judiciary; Executive; Legislative; Constitutional Revision; and Suffrage and Elections) 1972 4 / 25 Legislative Committee (includes "Proposals for the Legislative Article of the Montana Constitution," "Legislative and Congressional Apportionment in Montana, 1864-1969," by Ellis Waldron) 1972 4 / 26 Local Government Committee (includes "Office of County Superintendent," "Separation of Powers," "Constitutional Changes") 1972 4 / 27 Reports by University of Montana professors to Convention committees (includes "Citizen Participations," by Thomas Payne; "The Legislature," by Ellis Waldron; "The Executive," by William F. Crowley; "The Judiciary," by R. E. Sullivan; "Revenue and Finance," by Maxine Johnson; "The Declaration of Rights," by Emilie Loring; and anonymous reports on unicameral legislation) undated 4 / 28 "Education As A Constitutional Issue" Study by Bruce Sievers 1972 4 / 29 Rough drafts of constitution articles (includes drafts from Executive; Revenue and Finance; Natural Resources and Agriculture; Cultural Resources; Public Health, Welfare, Labor and Industry; Bill of Rights; Education; Judicial; Legislative; and Local Government) 1972 Resolutions 4 / 30 No. 1-20 (includes resolution dedicating C. M. Russell's "Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians" 1912) 1972 January-March Sound Recordings 4 / 31 List of audio tape recordings separated to Archives sound recordings collection undated Subject Files 4 / 32 Administrative Committee: ombudsmen (includes material by Kayle Jackson) undated 4 / 33 Administrative Committee: status of Constitutional Convention and the rights of its employees 1972 4 / 34 Business office: budgets (includes proposed budgets) 1971-1972 4 / 35 Business office: Convention interns (includes memorandum re intern function and list of interns) 1972 4 / 36 Business office: pages 1972 4 / 37 Business office: staff positions (includes hired staff applications, list of employees, etc.) undated 4 / 38 General Government and Constitutional Amendment Committee: state boundaries 1961, 1968, 1970 4 / 39 Legislative Committee: reapportionment 1972 4 / 40 Legislative Committee: schools 1971-1972 4 / 41 Legislative Committee: unicameral legislature 1972 4 / 42 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: agriculture 1971-1972 4 / 43 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: environmental bill of rights 1970-1971, undated 5 / 1 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: land and water 1972, undated 5 / 2 Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: water resources 1972, undated 5 / 3 Public Information Committee: Citizen's Corps 1972 5 / 4 Public Information Committee: Department of Public Instruction "kits" 1972 5 / 5 Public Information Committee: Distinguished Speaker Series 1972 5 / 6 Public Information Committee: elections 1972 5 / 7 Public Information Committee: film 1971-1972 5 / 8 Public Information Committee: 4-H simulated constitutional convention 1972, undated 5 / 9 Public Information Committee: general information 1972 5 / 10 Public Information Committee: Leo Graybill, Jr. (re Public Information Committee dissemination of President Graybill's material) 1972 5 / 11 Public Information Committee: information bulletins and news releases 1971-1972 5 / 12 Public Information Committee: interns (re day-to-day activities 1972 5 / 13 Public Information Committee: television 1972 5 / 14 Public Information Committee: television (also includes radio; advertising rates, schedules and miscellaneous) 1972 5 / 15 Public Information Committee: services to public 1972 5 / 16 Public Information Committee: "Suggested Basis for Weekly Newspaper Stody" 1972 5 / 17 Public Information Committee: tours 1972 6 / 1 Public Information Committee: miscellaneous 1971-1972 6 / 2 Public Information Committee: miscellaneous (includes "Proposed Policy Statement," press releases, memoranda, etc.) 1971-1972 6 / 3 Public Information Committee: miscellaneous 1972 6 / 4 Rules Committee: election of ratification of proposed constitution 1971-1972 Writings 6 / 5 Delegate statements on Constitutional Convention (includes Mangus Aasheim, Oscar L. Anderson, Jean M. Bowman, Bruce M. Brown, Richard J. Champouf, Louise Cross, Wade J. Dahood, Dorothy Eck, Mark Etchart, G. B. Heliker, David Holland, Thomas F. Joyce, M. Sterling Rygg and John H. Toole) 1971 Miscellany 6 / 6 Administrative Committee: Forrest H. Anderson statement (re passage of new constitution) 1972 June 20 6 / 7 Administrative Committee: "Appraisal of Constitutional Convention" undated 6 / 8 Administrative Committee: committee hearings schedules 1972 6 / 9 Administrative Committee: list of 42nd Legislative Assembly actions relating to Constitutional Convention (includes list of House and Senate bills, resolutions, etc pertaining to the Convention) 1971, undated 6 / 10 Administrative Committee: list of Constitutional Convention related litigation undated 6 / 11 Administrative Committee: materials duplicated for Convention delegates 1972 6 / 12 Administrative Committee: James H. Morrow statements re legal opinion of Montana Farm Bureau on the new constitution 1972 November 13 6 / 13 Administrative Committee: "Weekly report of lobbyists registered under Lobbyists Registration and Licensing Act" 1971- 1972 6 / 14 General Government and Constitutional Amendment Committee: Thomas L. Judge statement re office of lieutenent governor undated 6 / 15 List of artifacts transferred to the Museum undated 6 / 16 "Memo on Revenue and Finance Article of the Proposed Constitution," Russell C. McDonough undated 6 / 17 Montana organizations which endorsed Referendum 67 1972, undated 6 / 18 Natural Resources Committee: reference materials (includes bibliography and "Memorandum on Natural Resources Provisions of Recent Constitutional Conventions") undated 6 / 19 Natural Resources Committee: state lands (research by Jeffrey K. Rupp, Education and Public Lands committee) undated 6 / 20 Public Information Committee: calendars and notices of committee hearings 1972 6 / 21 Public Information Committee: Citizens' Committee for Constitutional Improvement informational flyer (re referndum on constitution) undated 6 / 22 Public Information Office: daily committee summaries 1972 January- February 6 / 23 Public Information Office: Montana State University Convention booklet 1972 6 / 24 Public Information Office: "Official Roster Montana Constitutional Convention" undated 6 / 25 Public Information Office: "Our Montana Constitution" information flyer undated 6 / 26 Public Information Office: "Referendum 67" informational flyer 1972 6 / 27 Public Information Office: Secretary of State (re publication and dissemination of "voter pamphlet"; includes financial materials 1972 6 / 28 Public Information Office: "Seven Reasons to Vote on Referendum 67" informational flyer 1972 6 / 29 Public Information Office: "Why Vote on Referendum 67" informational flyer undated 6 / 30 Public Information Office: "Would a New State Constitution Mean Better Government?" informational flyer undated 6 / 31 Television script: "Decision-1972" 1972 March 22 6 / 32 Ellis Waldron articles: "The Legislative Assembly in a Modern Montana" (photocopy of draft); "The Montana Legislative Assembly"; and "Some Realities and Some Myths about 'County Integrity' in Montana Legislative Reapportionment" undated 7 / 1 Research bibliography cards undated