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Jack Metcalf Papers, 1973-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Metcalf, Jack.
Title
Jack Metcalf Papers
Dates
1973-2001 (inclusive)
1981-2000 (bulk)
Quantity
28 linear ft., ( )
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0043metcalf (collection)
Summary
The Jack Metcalf Papers document two decades of Metcalf’s political career as a Washington State Senator and as Representative for Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District. Collection materials comprise a small amount of records documenting Metcalf's activities during his final terms in the Washington State Legislature, and legislative issue files, correspondence, press files and awards from Metcalf's congressional offices in Washington D.C. and Everett, Washington.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Born in Marysville, Washington in 1927, Jack Metcalf served in the US military and as a boat skipper with the Fish and Wildlife Service during the 1940s. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a BA and BEd. in 1951, and later pursued graduate studies in history and economics, earning an MA at the University of Washington in 1966. Metcalf worked as a high school math and history teacher in Everett, Washington for nearly thirty years.

Metcalf began his political career in state government, serving as a Republican member of the Washington State House of Representatives (1961-1964) and later the Washington State Senate (1967-1975 and 1981-1993), where he chaired the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee between 1988 and 1992. In 1994, as the Republican Party gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Metcalf was elected representative for Washington State's 2nd Congressional District.

Often described as a political conservative, Metcalf was concerned with a wide range of legislative issues. He served as a member of the House Banking, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science Committees, and on subcommittees for Ground Transportation, Aviation, Financial Institutions and International Monetary Policy. As a politician and legislator, Metcalf focused much of his attention on regionally significant issues including Puget Sound transportation development, natural resource and fisheries management, and environmental protection. In 1997, Metcalf and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) established the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission, a bipartisan body intended to conserve marine life in Northwest Washington. Metcalf also led an unsuccessful challenge to the resumption of whaling by the Makah Indian Tribe in Neah Bay, Washington.

A long-time advocate for the US military and military personnel, Metcalf pursued investigations into the origins of Gulf War Illnesses, sought funding to assist military families in Washington State, and in 1997 introduced the Robert Stodola Veterans Assistance Act to increase funding for homeless veterans’ programs. As chair of the Republican Housing Opportunity Caucus, Metcalf supported the Low Income Housing Tax credit program to encourage development of affordable homes.

An outspoken supporter of congressional term limits, Metcalf retired from the House of Representatives in 2000 after serving three terms. He lived in Langley on Whidbey Island, Washington until his death in March of 2007.

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Content Description

The Jack Metcalf Papers document two decades of Metcalf’s political career as a Washington State Senator and United States Congressman. Collection materials span the period 1973-2001, with the bulk of materials dated 1981-2000. Pre-congressional records comprise approximately one linear foot of material generated during Metcalf’s final years as a Senator in the Washington State Legislature (1981-1993). Alphabetically-arranged Legislative Issue files document Metcalf’s long-standing opposition to the U.S. Federal Reserve, and his role as head of the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee between 1988-1992. These files include correspondence, reports, surveys and articles reflecting communication and conflict between the Washington State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Washington Wildlife Commission, Tribes and other interest groups over hunting rights and restrictions. Pre-congressional materials also contain a small number of awards and certificates of appreciation Metcalf received for his legislative work. With the exception of one “Outstanding Senator” award from 1973, the collection does not document Metcalf’s activities in the Washington State Legislature prior to 1981.

Congressional Records document Jack Metcalf’s role and interests as representative for Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District between 1994 and 2000. The majority of Congressional records were generated at Metcalf’s offices in Washington D.C., with a smaller amount of material (approximately three linear feet) from his District Office in Everett, Washington.

D.C. Office materials include a significant number of “Legislative Issue” files, grouped together according to subject (A-Z). These files include variously correspondence, memos, notes, statements, articles, and draft legislation pertaining to twenty-four broad areas of legislative concern. Many of Metcalf’s political activities focused on issues of immediate significance to the Pacific Northwest and his constituents in Washington State. Legislative Issue files document his roles in securing appropriations for transportation projects in the Puget Sound region, and seeking relief for fishers affected adversely by the downturn in the fishing industry at the end of the twentieth century. The collection documents many of the ongoing conflicts between environmental and commercial interests over protection, use and development of local resources, including National Park and National Forest Land, fisheries, waterways, and industrial clean-up sites. Whale and Marine Mammal files detail Metcalf’s active opposition to whaling by the Makah Indian Tribe in Neah Bay, Washington, while Water and Shipping files record his bipartisan efforts to enact the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative (1998). The collection contains press clippings, correspondence, statements, hearings transcripts and reports documenting the aftermath of the June 10, 1999 gas pipeline explosion at Whatcom Creek in Bellingham, Washington, and subsequent attempts by legislators and community organizations to enact pipeline safety legislation.

Legislative issue files pertaining to Aviation, Defense and US Military, Education, and Housing reflect Metcalf’s active support for local military contract bids, concern with the interests of local military families, his investigations into Gulf War Syndrome, and his active support for homeless veterans programs. Materials related to Defense and the Executive Branch record Metcalf’s opposition to Clinton’s alleged expansion and misuse of executive authority, notably through his troop deployments in Kosovo. Legislative Issue files also document Metcalf’s legislative involvement in areas of Banking and Investment, Agricultural, Health and Immigration policy, Energy Provision, Science and Telecommunications, Tribal Issues and International Trade and Foreign Affairs.

Metcalf’s D.C. Office Files include correspondence files dated 1995-2000. The majority of letters are outgoing from Metcalf (often in coalition with other legislators) to correspondents including the President, White House officials, the Speaker of the House, leaders of House Committees, and key figures in the private and non-government sector. Press Files comprise photographs, press statements and releases pertaining to Metcalf’s legislative concerns, and partial documentation of Metcalf’s congressional voting record. D.C. Office files also include a small number of awards and certificates Metcalf earned for his legislative work.

Metcalf’s congressional papers also contain a smaller amount of material (approximately three linear feet) generated at Metcalf’s District Office in Everett, Washington. The bulk of District Office records are subject-based Legislative Issue files. Articles, hearing transcripts and reports document Metcalf’s investigation into links between military vaccines and Gulf War Illnesses among Persian Gulf veterans, and include a copy of his 2000 report entitled Potential Role of Squalene in Gulf War Illnesses, submitted to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations. The subseries also contains materials regarding military issues and local military bases, Lummi Indian Nation requests for federal assistance, Swinomish leaseholds and water rights, the local fishing industry and regional transportation and environmental projects. District office files include a further number of awards and certificates presented to Metcalf.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Jack Metcalf Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Jack Metcalf Papers are organized in accordance with the following series and subseries arrangement:

  • Series I. Pre-Congressional Career 1973-1992 (bulk 1981-1992)
  • Series II. Congressional Career 1984-2001 (bulk 1995-2000)
    • Subseries 1. Washington D.C. Office Files, 1984-2001
    • Subseries 2. District Office Files, 1995-2000

Custodial History

S. Lewis Moore, head of Jack Metcalf’s district office in Everett, Washington, transferred the collection to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 2001.

Processing Note

Ruth Steele processed the Jack Metcalf Papers for the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 2004, with assistance from Caitlan Maxwell and Amber Raney.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Separated Materials

The Washington State Archives in Olympia houses a small number of additional records documenting Metcalf’s career in the Washington State Senate.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Persian Gulf syndrome -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Agricultural industries -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Aircraft industry -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Banks and banking -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Education -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Emigration and immigration law -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Energy policy -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
  • Environmental policy -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Environmental policy -- Washington -- History -- Sources.
  • Executive power -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Forest management -- Northwest, Pacific -- History -- Sources.
  • Gasoline pipelines -- Accidents -- Investigation -- Washington(State) -- Whatcom Creek Region -- History -- Sources.
  • Hazardous waste sites -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Hazardous waste sites -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
  • Homeless veterans -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc -- History -- Sources.
  • Indians of North America -- Washington (State) -- Fishing -- History -- Sources.
  • Indians of North America -- Washington (State) -- Hunting -- History -- Sources.
  • International relations -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Low-income housing -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Lummi Indians -- History -- Sources.
  • Makah Indians -- Hunting -- Environmental aspects -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
  • Medical Care -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Politicians -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Politicians -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon fisheries -- Law and legislation -- Pacific Area -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon fisheries -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon -- Conservation -- Northwest, Pacific -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon -- Conservation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Schools -- Washington (State) -- Funding -- History -- Sources.
  • Telecommunication policy -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Transportation -- Washington (State) -- Appropriations and expenditures -- History -- Sources.
  • Transportation -- Washington (State) -- Planning -- History -- Sources.
  • Water resources development -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- Sources.
  • Whaling -- Washington (State) -- Neah Bay -- History -- Sources.
  • Wildlife conservation -- Northwest, Pacific -- History -- Sources.
  • Wildlife conservation -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.

Personal Names

  • Metcalf, Jack, 1927- --Archives. (creator)

Corporate Names

  • Washington (State). -- Legislature. -- Senate.
  • Olympic Pipeline Company -- Explosion, 1999.
  • United States. --Congress.
  • Washington (State). -- Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Geographical Names

  • United States -- Armed Forces.
  • United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century -- History -- Sources.
  • Washington (State) -- Politics and government -- History -- Sources.

Finding aid created by Ruth Steele
2005

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

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