Burton K. Wheeler papers, 1924-1947

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wheeler, Burton K. (Burton Kendall), 1882-1975
Title
Burton K. Wheeler papers
Dates
1924-1947 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.2 linear feet
Collection Number
2411
Summary
The Burton K. Wheeler Papers consist mainly of speeches and writings he made while a United States Senator. Topics covered include Nicaragua, farm relief, tariffs, interstate bus control, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and progressives. The papers also include campaign material from 1940 and 1946 as well as newspaper clippings from throughout Wheeler's life.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Burton Kendall Wheeler was born in Hudson, Massachusetts on February 27, 1882 and moved to Montana shortly after his graduation from law school in 1905. He began his law career in Butte, serving as U.S. Attorney for Montana from 1913 to 1918 prior to his election to the U.S. Senate in 1922. In 1924, he ran unsuccessfully for vice-president on the Progressive Party presidential ticket. Wheeler is remembered as one of the most powerful senators in Washington D.C. in the 1930s. Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Committee and of the Indian Affairs Committee, he personally influenced such key New Deal legislation as the Public Utilities Holding Company Act of 1935 and the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (the Wheeler-Howard Act). In 1937, he successfully led the opposition to President Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court with justices of his own political persuasion. Throughout his years in the Senate, Wheeler consistently opposed war. He supported neutrality legislation in the 1930s, spoke out against peacetime conscription in 1940, fought against the Lend-Lease aid to Britain in 1941, and took an active role in the "America First" movement. After the United States decided to enter World War II, however, Wheeler gave his full support to the effort. He was defeated for reelection in 1946 and practiced law in Washington D.C. until his death in 1975.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Burton K. Wheeler papers consist mainly of speeches and writings he made while a United States Senator. Topics covered include Nicaragua, farm relief, tariffs, interstate bus control, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and progressives. The papers also include campaign material from 1940 and 1946 as well as newspaper clippings from throughout Wheeler's life.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The Burton K. Wheeler papers were donated to Special Collections from the University of Montana in August of 2000. These papers represent a selection of duplicates from material held by the Montana Historical Society, Helena.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 22

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Speeches and Writings 1924
1 2 Speeches and Writings 1926-1927
1 3 Speeches and Writings 1928-1929
1 4 Speeches and Writings 1930
1 5 Speeches and Writings 1931
1 6 Speeches and Writings 1932
1 7 Speeches and Writings 1935-1936
1 8 Speeches and Writings 1937
1 9 Speeches and Writings 1938
1 10 Speeches and Writings 1939
1 11 Speeches and Writings 1940
1 12 Speeches and Writings 1941-1943
1 13 Speeches and Writings 1944
1 14 Speeches and Writings 1945-1946
1 15 Speeches and Writings undated
1 16 Campaign Materials 1940, 1946
1 17 Clippings 1924-1968

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture and state
  • Agriculture and state--United States
  • Bus lines--Law and legislation--United States
  • Elections--Montana
  • Interstate commerce--United States
  • Legislators--United States
  • New Deal, 1933-1939
  • Public Works--United States
  • Tariff--United States
  • Transportation and state--United States

Corporate Names

  • Progressive Party (1912)
  • United States-Congress-Senate
  • United States-Congress-Senate-Elections, 1940
  • United States-Congress-Senate-Elections, 1946
  • United States-Works Progress Administration

Geographical Names

  • Montana--Politics and government--20th century
  • Nicaragua--Foreign relations--United States
  • United States--Foreign relations--Nicaragua
  • United States--Politics and government--20 century

Form or Genre Terms

  • Speeches, addresses, etc., American