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Bobbie Coray papers, 1985-1995

Overview of the Collection

Title
Bobbie Coray papers
Dates
1985-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.5 linear feet, (17 boxes)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 422
Summary
This collection documents Bobbie Coray's career in public service, particularly her 1994 campaign as the Democratic candidate in Utah's First Congressional District race.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

Not available through interlibrary loan. Additionally, contact information will be redacted from documents in boxes 10 and 11 until 2044.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Bobbie Bicknell Coray was born June 17, 1946. Coray travelled extensively in her youth due to her father's career in the military. She attended schools in Turkey, Washington D.C., Colorado and Utah before graduating from Salt Lake City's East High in 1964. After high school, Coray attended the University of Utah where she received a bachelor's degree in education in 1972. While enrolled at the University of Utah she met her husband Chris Coray and the couple married in 1967. In addition to her degree in education, Coray also studied architecture at Idaho State University from 1973 to 1975.

Coray's career in public service began with her position on the Hillcrest Elementary PTA council in 1976. She continued to serve in the public sphere and was appointed as Director of Economic Development for Cache County in 1985. In 1992 Pat Shea, the Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate, requested that Coray be his running mate. After losing the race to Republican Michael Leavitt, Coray returned to state politics in 1994 as a challenger to Utah's first district congressional representative, Jim Hansen. Hansen soundly defeated Coray, but she remained active in Utah politics, serving as the state liquor commissioner in the early 2000s. At the time of processing Coray lived with her husband in Garden City, Utah.

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Content Description

The Bobbie Coray papers contain various documents, letters, and newspaper clippings regarding Utah political campaigns in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. The bulk of the collection consists of material from Bobbie Coray's 1994 campaign to unseat seven-term incumbent Congressman Jim Hansen. This portion of the collection includes correspondence with various individuals, special interest groups, and political action committees as well as campaign planning documents, pollster data, marketing and advertising documents, material related to Jim Hansen, and a large collection of newspaper clippings relating to both national and local political issues. Also included are 23 audiovisual cassettes with news reports, campaign promotional material, and Cache Valley special advertisements.

This collection would be useful for anyone researching politics in Utah, specifically on the Democratic side. They provide insight into Democratic fundraising and election strategy in the 1994 mid-term elections, which ultimately led to the Republican sweep of both the House and Senate following the party's "Contract with America." Coray's materials are particularly significant given that they offer a woman's perspective in what had traditionally been a male-dominated profession.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Bobbie Coray Papers must be obtained from the Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Bobbie Coray Papers USU_COLL MSS 422, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_COLL MSS 422, USUSCA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by topic.

Processing Note

Processed in May of 2016, additional materials added to finding aid in 2024

Acquisition Information

These materials were donated to Special Collections and Archives in 2004 by Bobbie Coray.

Related Materials

The Papers of James V. Hansen, Coll MSS 351

Separated Materials

The books and photographs in the collection were transferred to the respective curators.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Political campaigns--Utah.
  • Politics, Practical--Utah.
  • Politics, Practical--Women--Utah.

Finding aid/Register created by Cody Patton and Clint Pumphrey
2016

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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