Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame
Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT 59717-3320
United States
Phone (406) 994-4242
Fax (406) 994-2851
http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/
University Archivist
spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu
Collection 1059, MtBC, us
O'Connor, James Francis,
1878-1945
James Francis O'Connor Papers
1937-1945
3 linear feet
The James Francis O'Connor Papers consists of papers and
correspondence from O'Connor's Livingston office. Topics include: O'Connor's ranch
properties in Park County, MT, the WPA, Farm Credit Administration, House Committee on
Indian Affairs, the America First Committee, the Fort Peck Dam, Senator James E. Murray, and
Senator Burton K. Wheeler. The collection also contains newspaper clippings pertaining to
O'Connor, speeches both in Montana and in Congress, and photographs of O'Connor, family, and
associates.
Collection materials are in English
Biographical Note
James Francis O'Connor was born May 7, 1878, near California Junction, Iowa. He attended
public and normal schools in that state and graduated from the Nebraska Law School in 1904.
He came to Montana in 1905 and practiced law in Livingston. He began his public career as a
judge of the Sixth Judicial District and becoming a member of the Democratic Party. Later he
was elected to the Montana House of Representatives and was elected Speaker in his first
term. During much of his career he owned a ranch near White Sulphur Springs. In 1936 he was
elected to the U.S. Congress from the Second District, representing eastern Montana, and was
re-elected in 1938, 1940, 1942, and 1944. He served on several committees and was chairman
of the Committee on Indian Affairs. He died on January 13, 1945, while serving in Congress.
His only son, Miles O'Connor, died the same year.
The collection consists of 3 linear feet of papers and correspondence from O'Connor's
Livingston office. The papers are arranged in topically labeled folders with a general
effort to sort the material chronologically. Original folder titles have, for the most part,
been retained. Series 1 contains papers pertaining to O'Connor's ranch properties in Park
County, MT. Series 2 contains topical files concerning a wide variety of subject matter,
including: the WPA, Farm Credit Administration, House Committee on Indian Affairs, the
America First Committee, the Fort Peck Dam, Senator James E. Murray, and Senator Burton K.
Wheeler. Newspaper clippings pertaining to O'Connor are arranged in Series 3 under broad
subject headings. Series 4 contains a number of O'Connor's speeches both in Montana and in
Congress arranged chronologically from 1937 to 1944. Series 5 contains 15 photographs of
O'Connor, family, and associates.
Series 1 Ranch Papers, 1931-1945
Series 2 Topical Files, 1937-1945
Series 3 Newspaper Clippings, 1942, undated
Series 4 Speeches, 1937-1944
Series 5 Photographs
This collection is open for research.
Papers and correspondence from the office of U.S. Representative James Francis O'Connor of
Montana were donated to Special Collections by Mrs. Geneva Lott of Livingston, Montana, the
Congressman's only daughter, in 1970. The collection consists of office files kept in the
Livingston office of Rep. O'Connor during his career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The office was managed by Miles O'Connor, the Congressman's son, who was also his law
partner.
This collection was processed 2009 May 19
Murray, James E.
Wheeler, Burton K. (Burton
Kendall), 1882-1975
America First
Committee
United
States-Congress-House
United
States-Congress-House-Committee on Indian Affairs
United States-Farm Credit
Administration
United States-Work Projects
Administration
United States-Works Progress
Administration
Fort Peck Dam
(Mont.)
Montana-Politics and
government-20th century
United States-Politics and
government-1933-1945
Dams-Montana
Ranches-Montana-Park County
Legislators-United States
Ranchers-Montana-Park County
Civic
Activism
Native
Americans
Public
Works
Ranching
Water and Water
Rights
Montana
Photographs
Series 1
Ranch papers
1931-1945
Handwritten and carbon copies of typed letters relating to O'Connor's ranch properties
in Park County, Montana. Includes letters to his hired men during his terms in
Washington D.C. regarding management of his ranches.
1/1
2K Ranch, Elmer Dobson correspondence
1942-1943
1/2
2K Ranch, J. Kirchbaum correspondence
1931-1938
1/3
2K Ranch, Kirchbaum correspondence
1939-1940
1/4
2K Ranch, Kirchbaum correspondence
1941-1942
1/5
2K Ranch, Kirchbaum, correspondence
1943-1945
Series 2
Topical files
1937-1945
Papers and correspondence pertaining to a wide range of topics and arranged
chronologically by year (whenever possible). Folder titles are, for the most part,
original and generally denote the issues which were of interest at different periods of
O'Connor's stay in the House of Representatives including the WPA, Farm Credit
Administration, the Democratic Party, Indian Affairs, the America First Committee,
Senator James E. Murray and Senator Burton K. Wheeler. Folders in Box 5 have been taken
out of the chronological sequence since their contents are not restricted to a single
year.
1/6
Drought Crisis
1937
1/7
WPA
1/8
WPA and the Drought Crisis
1937
1/9
Henry A. Wallace
1937
1/10
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1937
1/11
Farm Credit Administration
1937
1/12
Farm Credit Administration, Special Cases
1937
1/13
Farmer's Union
1937
1/14
Federal Land Bank
1937
1/15
Fort Peck Dam
1937
1/16
Home Loans
1937
1/17
Labor Unions
1937
1/18
Correspondence
1937
2/1
Department of Agriculture
1937
2/2
Appointments (Requests for)
1937
2/3
Correspondence, Requests
1938
2/4
Great Falls to Receive Federal Crop Ins.
1938
2/5
Public Debt
1938
2/6
Correspondence
1939
2/7
Announcement of Candidacy
1940
2/8
Campaign Appointments
1940
2/9
Correspondence, Democratic Committee, etc.
1940
2/10
Correspondence, Democratic Party
2/11
Correspondence, Individuals
1940
2/12
Campaign Correspondence, Attorneys
1940
2/13
Correspondence, Associations, Agencies
1940
2/14
Form Letters
1940
2/15
Campaign Advertising
1940
2/16
Indian Vote (Rober Yellowtail)
1940
2/17
Lewistown Postmaster Affair
1940
3/1
Labor Unions
1940
3/2
U.S. Cabinet, etc.
1940
3/3
U.S. Congress, Lyndon B. Johnson, John W. McCormack,
Sam Rayburn
1940
3/4
Thank You Letters, Campaign
1940
3/5
Election Returns
1940
3/6
Congratulations
1940
3/7
Correspondence
1941
3/8
Criticism of Administration
1941
3/9
Labor Unions
1941
3/10
Announcement and Filing
1942
3/11
Correspondence
1942
3/12
Correspondence, general
July-December 1942
3/13
Form Letters
1942
3/14
Democratic Committees (National)
1942
3/15
Democratic Committees (State)
1942
3/16
Democratic Workers (State)
1942
3/17
Form Letters about campaign announcement
1942
4/1
Correspondence about Candidacy
1942
4/2
Postmasters
1942
4/3
Correspondence from VIPs, Sam Rayburn,
etc.
1942
4/4
Government Officials, general correspondence and
Papers
1942
4/5
Campaign Materials
1942
4/6
About F.F. Haynes, Campaign Opponent
1942
4/7
James Murray, FDR, etc.
1942
4/8
Campaign Correspondence, Clippings, Jerry
O'Connell
1942
4/9
Indian Vote
1942
4/10
Labor Unions
1942
4/11
Correspondence, Congratulations
1942
4/12
Bridger Times Condemns O'Connor
1942
4/13
Controversy over News Stories
1942
4/14
Murray, Sen. James
campaign of 1942
4/15
Voting Record
1942
4/16
Columnists Drew Pearson and Robert Allen attack
O'Connor
4/17
Cut Bank Pioneer Press Endorsement of O'Connor,
Criticism of Murray
4/18
Letters of Congratulation
1942
4/19
Thank You Letters
1942
4/20
Election Returns
1942
4/21
Certificates of Election
4/22
Correspondence
1943
4/23
Obituaries and Memorials
1945
5/1
Unamerican Activities Smear
1941-1942
5/2
Unamerican Activities Smear, "People's
Voice"
5/3
Vocational Education
5/4
Fraser, Willard
5/5
Haynes Fritz
1942
5/6
Melvin Hoiness GOP Opponent
1942
5/7
Murray, Sen. James E.
5/8
O'Connell, Jerry
1940
5/9
America First, Correspondence about
5/10
Crop Loans
5/11
Fish
5/12
Forest Service
5/13
Ft. Harrison Reopenings
1937-1938
5/14
Fort Peck Dam
1937-1938
5/15
Ft. Peck Game Reserve
5/16
Freight Rates, all years
5/17
Housing
6/1
Sugar
6/2
Supreme Court Packing Issue
6/3
Townsend Plan
1937-1942
6/4
Wheeler, Burton K., correspondence
Series 3
Newspaper clippings
1942
undated
Newspaper clippings from the period of O'Connor's Congressional terms. Clippings are of
both articles and editorials, and are taken from numerous state and national newspapers,
including the Great Falls Tribune, the Miles City Star, the Livingston Enterprise, and
many others. Topics covered include O'Connor's campaigns, isolationism during the
pre-war period, the America First Committee, FDR, the Democratic Party, and others.
Clippings are arranged loosely by topic. In some cases, an entire newspaper page is
included, and the article of scrutiny is marked. Box 8 contains two scrapbooks of
mounted clippings.
6/5
Roosevelt
1942
6/6
Social Problems
1942
6/7
Labor and the War
1942
6/8
War Effort
1942
6/9
Montana
1942
6/10
O'Connor
6/11
O'Connor
6/12
O'Connor
6/13
Other Democrats
6/14
Roosevelt
6/15
War Effort
6/16
Political Issues-National
7/1
Political Issues-Montana
7/2
Indian Problems
7/3
Lindbergh, Col. Charles A.
8
Scrapbooks
2 volumes
Series 4
Speeches
1937-1944
Speeches delivered by Rep. O'Connor and others between 1937-1944. Some speeches were
delivered in the House of Representatives and printed in the Congressional Record.
Others are photostatic copies or typed pages. Topics include foreign affairs, farm
production, election matters, Lend-Lease and other legislation.
7/4
"Indians, Their Lands, Rights...Crow Indians of
Montana" Congressional Record
June 15, 1937
7/5
"Necessity for General Farm Legislation", "Crop Ins."
Congressional Record
August 5, 1937
August 10, 1937
7/6
"My Report..." (O'Connor's Activities in His 1st
Session)
August 16, 1937
7/7
"Pending Farm Legislation" Speech on CBS
Radio
December 20, 1937
7/8
"General Welfare Act...", "Plight of the Farmer",
Congressional Record
May 25, 1938
May 31, 1938
7/9
Speeches to Montanans
1938
7/10
"Our Duty to the Aged" Congressional
Record
May 31, 1939
7/11
"Neutrality" Congressional Record
October 31, 1939
7/12
"My Fellow Democrats" Campaign Speeches in
Montana
1940
7/13
"Reciprocal Trade", "Reclamation", "Townsend Plan",
Congressional Record
February 26, 1940
March 5, 1940
May 6, 1940
7/14
"Sugar Legislation", "National Farm Program",
Congressional Record
June 20, 1940
July 1, 1940
7/15
"Manufacturers' Sales Tax", Congressional
Record
March 26, 1941
7/16
"Lend-Lease Bill", Congressional Record
February 17, 1941
7/17
"Old-Age Pensions", Congressional Record
February 18, 1941
7/18
Indian Affairs
April 14, 1941
7/19
"Extension of Sugar Act"
December 1, 1941
7/20
"Hon. Charles Leavy", "Sugar...Industrial Alcohol",
"Purchasing Power", Congressional Record
February 19, 1942
April 27, 1942
June 1, 1942
7/21
"Nation's Part in War...", "Food Production...in War",
Congressional Record
June 25, 1942
September 22, 1942
7/22
Campaign Speeches in Montana
1942
Some by Miles O'Connor
7/23
Speeches in Progress, Fragments of
Speeches
1942
7/24
"Report to Montana", Congressional Record
September 18, 1944
7/25
Speech to Montana Democratic Party
1944
audiotape reel and CD
Series 5
Photographs
15 black and white photographs of Rep. O'Connor, his home and family, and associates.
Size varies from 4" × 5" to 8" × 10". Six autographed photographs of portraits including
Sam Rayburn, are included. (Photographs 1-8 have matching negatives included in the
folder.)
#1-15
7/26
#1
O'Connor with son Miles at ranch
#2
O'Connor with wife
#3
O'Connor's house in Livingston
#4
O'Connor's house in Livingston
#5
O'Connor with grandsons
#6
O'Connor and family
#7
O'Connor riding horse in Livingston
parade
#8
O'Connor in Livingston parade
#9
Autographed Portrait of Sam Rayburn
#10
Group of Men at Office Table
#11
Autographed Portrait of E. E. Cox
#12
Autographed Portrait of J. Burrwood
Daley
#13
Autographed Portrait [Raymand Genune?]
#14
Autographed Portrait [Paul Green?]
#15
Autographed Portrait [T. Leavy?]