John W. Bonner, the thirteenth governor of Montana, was born in Butte, Montana on July 16, 1902. His education was attained at Montana State University, where he earned an A.B. degree, as well as a LL.B. degree. Bonner then established his legal career in Butte, serving as counsel for the Montana Highway Commission from 1929 to 1936. He also served as the attorney for the Railroad and Public Service Commission from 1936 to 1940. Bonner first entered politics as the secretary treasurer of the State Democratic Central Committee. He also was chairman of the Lewis and Clark County Democratic Central Committee, and served as attorney general of Montana from 1941 to 1942. His political career was temporarily interrupted with the outbreak of World War II. He served as a major in the U.S. Army, was promoted to the rank of colonel, and earned several medals for his courageous service. After his military duty, he secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1948. During his tenure, a state home for the senile aged was established; highway construction was advanced; the pioneer veterans memorial building was initiated; the department of labor, industry and agriculture was restructured; and a veterans' preference law was sanctioned. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Bonner left office, and returned to his legal practice. From 1968 to 1970, he served as a justice on the Montana State Supreme Court. Governor John W. Bonner passed away on March 28, 1970, and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Biography taken from National Governors Association website.
This collection consists of records collected and created by John W. Bonner prior to, during, and after his time as the Governor of Montana (1949-1953). The series represented in the collection - correspondence, speeches and writings, subject files, clippings, and miscellany - are organized in chronological order according to his professional career (State Attorney General, State Governor, State Supreme Court Justice). The loose news clippings, however, are not in chronological order, many missing the date and publisher of the article. The collection is primarily composed of scrapbooks (miscellany) and subject files, with scattered correspondence written to family and friends. The scrapbooks have been deconstructed and foldered in the order the pages originally appeared in the scrapbook. Loose material found in the scrapbooks have also been foldered and arranged in the same order they were originally found in the scrapbooks. Scrapbooks and other oversized documents hosued in oversize boxes.
Arranged by series. Some material hosued in oversize boxes. See inventory below for more information.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2014.
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.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection