oip_mss247.xml Guide to the Michael Wetherell Papers Wetherell (Michael) Papers Olivia Umphrey Boise State University Special Collections and Archives 2011; updated 2023
Albertsons Library, Boise State University 1910 University Drive Boise, ID 83725 archives@boisestate.edu https://www.boisestate.edu/archives/
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-01-16. Description is written in: English, Latin script. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. Boise State University Special Collections and Archives Michael Wetherell Papers MSS 247 10 linear feet 10 boxes 1963-1977 The Michael Wetherell Papers consists of materials Wetherell's work as a legislative, administrative, and campaign aide to Senator Frank Church, 1967-1977, including articles and research, correspondence, and other documents pertaining to the management of the office. The largest subject file relates to atomic energy issues. There is information on Church's congressional colleagues Steve Symms, George Hansen, and James McClure. Also included are materials from Frank Church's senatorial and 1976 Presidential campaigns. English .

Judge Michael Wetherell was born on March 2, 1945, in Redding, California, to Robert and Rose Wetherell. He worked on an improvement crew for the Idaho Bureau of Land Management in 1964, and as a copywriter for Boise's KBOI Radio and Television from 1966-1967. Wetherell graduated from the University of Idaho in 1967 and received a law degree from George Washington University in 1972. He passed the Idaho State Bar in 1972.

Wetherell worked for Senator Frank Church in Washington, D.C., from 1967 until 1977. He served as Church's legislative assistant from 1967-1972, chief legal counsel from 1972-1974, and administrative assistant from 1975-1977. As his assistant and counsel, Wetherell attended meetings with and for Senator Church, researched and provided material and information for Church's speeches and meetings, helped write speeches, and handled correspondence and scheduling. Wetherell was also an active participant on Church's 1976 Presidential campaign.

Wetherell resigned from Senator Church's office in 1977 and opened a law practice in Boise, Idaho. The following year he joined the law firm of Martin, Chapman & Hyde. Wetherell served as a member of the Boise City Council from 1988-1992 and again from 2002-2003. Wetherell was elected as a district judge in 2003, a position he continues to serve in.

Wetherell continued to be active in politics, serving as a delegate to the Idaho state Democratic Conventions in 1979, 1983, 1984, and 1986, and the national Democratic Convention in 1992. He also served as chairman of the Idaho State Democratic Party from 1991-1993.

Wetherell married Karen L. Mackenzie in August 1969. They have three children. He currently resides in Boise, Idaho.

Sources: Congressional Staff Directory, 1973. Who's Who in America, 2005.

The Michael Wetherell Papers consists of materials Wetherell's work as a legislative, administrative, and campaign aide to Senator Frank Church, 1967-1977, including articles and research, correspondence, and other documents pertaining to the management of the office. The largest subject file relates to atomic energy issues. There is information on Church's congressional colleagues Steve Symms, George Hansen, and James McClure. Also included are materials from Frank Church's senatorial and 1976 Presidential campaigns. An item of particular note is Wetherell's 1977 resignation memo to Frank Church. He outlined the challenges Church faced in his 1980 reelection bid, some which proved to be prophetic (Box 5, Folder 28).

Collection is available for research.

Donated by Judge Michael Wetherell in 2005.

[item description], Michael Wetherell Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.

See also:

Frank Church Papers

Fred H. Hutchison Papers

LeRoy Ashby and Rod Gramer Collection on Frank Church

Church, Frank, 1924-1984 Boise (Idaho) Elections Idaho--Politics and government Nuclear Energy Political Campaigns Political Campaigns Idaho Politics and Politicians Photographs Photographs Atomic Energy: Congressional Records, Nuclear Power 1970-1972 1 1 Atomic Energy: Correspondence 1969-1973 1 2-10 Atomic Energy: Notes 1 11 Atomic Energy: Press Releases 1 12 Frank Church Speech: The Atom: It's Dangerous Aftermath 1970 1 13-19 Speech: Atomic Energy Commission Funding 1971 1 20 Articles 1965-1974 1 21-23 Conference, Hazards in the Industrial Environment 1969-1970 1 24 Congressional Hearings, Industrial Radioactive Waste Disposal 1959 1 25 Congressional Report, Authorizing Appropriations for the Atomic Energy Commission 1970-1971 1 26 Environmental Statement, Calcined Solids Storage Additions, National Reactor Testing Station 1973 1 27 Heating Methods for Fluidized Bed Wast Calcination Sheet with Samples 1 28 Lapp, Ralph, Articles and Lectures 1970 1 29 Library of Congress Research, Nuclear Power/Waste in the Congressional Record 1967-1970 1 30 Miscellaneous 1 31 NASA Authorizations and Appropriations 1959-1969 1 32 Newsletter, Environmental Action 1970 1 33 Publications, Atomic Energy Commission 1 34 Publications, Advanced Test Reactor, National Reactor Testing Station 1 35-37 Publications, "Nuclear News," American Nuclear Society 1969-1970 1 38 Publications, The Waste Calcining Facility at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant 1 39 Report, Atomic Energy Commission's Environmental Monitoring Report 1968-1969 1 40 Report, Committee on Geological Aspects of Radioactive Waste Disposal 1966 1 41 Report, Contributions of Geology to the Problem of Radioactive Waste Disposal 1959 1 42 Report, Evaluation of Geologic & Hydrologic Conditions Related to the Disposal of Radioactive Waste at the Burial Ground, NRTS, Idaho 1970 1 43 Report, The Examination of the Waste Treatment and Disposal Operations at the NRTS, Idaho Falls 1970 1 44 Report, Hydrology of the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho 1966 1 45 Report, Inflow to the Snake River Between Milner & King Hill, Idaho 1969 1 46 Report, Operation of the National Reactor Testing Station Burial Ground and Radioactive Waste Disposal Data for the National Reactor Testing Station 1969 1 47 Report, Opportunity for Atomic Energy Commission to Improve Its Procedures for Making Sure That Containers Used for Transporting Radioactive Materials Are Safe 1973 1 48 Report, Plan for the Management of Atomic Energy Commission Generated Radioactive Wastes 1973 1 49 Report, Public Health Aspects of the National Reactor Testing Station 1970 1 50 Report, Radioactive Waste Management: An Interim Report on Radioactive Waste Management 1 51 Report, Seismic Risk Studies in the United States 1970 1 52 Report, Solid Radioactive Waste Retrieval Test 1972 1 53 Report, Stage Discharge Relations on Big Lost River 1969 1 54 Report, Idaho Office of the Atomic Energy Commission's Comments on the Federal Water Quality Administration's Report on National Reactor Testing Station 1970 1 55 Slansky, C.M., Speech: Radioactive Waste Management and the Environment 1972 1 56 Articles and photos, Atomic Energy 1969-1974 1 57-58 Abortion Legislation 1973 2 1 Aging 1970-1977 2 2 Agriculture and timber 1970-1975 2 3 Alternate power sources 1973-1974 2 4 Anti-Communist Matchbook, "We Still Don't Know" 2 5 Art Advisory Panel Reception 1970 2 6 Artist Tax Reform 1968-1973 2 7-13 Business, Good Stories 1973 2 14 CHROMS Water Monitoring System 1977 2 15 Church, Frank: interviews and speeches 1971-1973 2 16-20 Cinque, Field Marshall 2 21 Articles, general interest 1972-1976 2 22 Corporate ownership 1970-1972 23 Declaration of Interdependence 1977 2 24 Department of Correction Work Release Program 1973 2 25 Disarmament/Proliferation 1967-1969 2 26 Dredge Mining, St. Joe River 1976 2 27 Education 1974 2 28-29 Eisenhower Coins 1968-1971 2 30 Executive Privilege 1973 2 31 Farming and Farmers 1967-1977 2 32-35 Firearms 1971 2 36 Gasoline shortage 1973-1974 2 37-38 General 1969-1973 3 1 Genocide 1973-1974 3 2 Government Horror Stories 1974 3 3 Gun control 1968-1977 3 4 Hathaway, Stanley K., Confirmation Materials 1975 3 5 Health care and insurance 1973-1974 3 6-7 Hells Canyon 1973 3 8-9 Heyburn State Park lawsuit 1977 3 10 Hydrogen Economy 1973 3 11 Idaho Economy 1974 3 12 Industry Horror Stories 1973-1974 3 13 John Birch Society, Senator Church Smear Campaign 1964-1974 3 14 John Birch Society, Ezra Taft Benson/Latter Day Saints Controversy 1963 3 15 Kennedy, Robert F., Address to National Farmer's Union Convention 1967 3 16 Kootenai Environmental Alliance 1975 3 17 Lower Monument Dam 1975 3 18 McClure, James 1970-1975 3 19-26 Metric system 1974 3 27 Military 1969-1974 3 28 Mining and Mine Safety 1970-1974 3 29 Miscellaneous 1967-1977 3 30 National Alliance of Senior Citizens 1975 3 31 National Energy Policy (Suggested) 1977 3 32 Native Americans 1974 3 34 Nixon, Richard 1973-1974 3 34 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 1970-1974 4 1 Off Road Vehicles on Public Lands, Executive Order 11644 1977 4 2 Panama Canal 1976-1977 4 3-6 Pentagon 1971 4 7 Pollution 1970 4 8 Potato futures 1972-1977 4 9 Power 1973-1976 4 10 Predator Control 1972-1973 4 11 Public Lands 1973-1974 4 12 Ruhe, Karl, Literary Papers and Tax Materials 1966-1970 4 13 Rural Economy 1969-1973 4 14-15 Solar Energy 1973-1974 4 16 Sunshine Mine 1972 4 17 Symms, Steve 1973-1976 4 18-19 Tax Reform 1968-1972 4 20 Taxes 1971-1974 4 21 Timber 1971-1974 4 22-25 Transportation 1969-1972 4 26 Vietnam 1963-1973 4 27 Water 1969-1973 4 28 Water and Power 1972-1973 4 29 Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Proposal 4 30 Wild Horses 1974 4 31 Wilderness 1961-1974 4 32-34 Administrative 1973-1977 5 1 Articles 1973 5 2 Calendar 1972 5 3 Congressional Records 1967-1977 5 4-6 Idaho trip 1976 5 7 Opinion Research Corporation Survey 1975-1976 5 8 Political Correspondence 1976-1977 5 9-15 Political Participation of Federal Employees 1974 5 16 Political writing 5 17 Press releases 1967-1977 5 18-20 Proposed staff reorganization 5 21 Rules for new committee assignment 1975 5 22 Voting records: Church, Symms, Hansen 1976 5 23-24 Wetherell, Mike: letters and notes 1972-1975 5 25-27 Wetherell, Mike: resignation 1977 5 28-29 Election 1968-1972 6 1-3 Campaign 1974 6 4-19 Election 1976, 1980 6 20-21 County contact material 6 22-27 Miscellaneous 6 28 Idaho's Cemocratic Voice (newsletter) 1974-1976 6 29 Presidential Campaign, daily files 1975-1976 7-9 Photos: Presidential Campaign, US Senate Committee on Aging Hearing 1976 10