Carl D. Perkins Congressional Papers, 1948-1984 | Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

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Collection Overview

Title: Carl D. Perkins Congressional Papers, 1948-1984

Primary Creator: Perkins, Carl Dewey (1912-1984)

Other Creators: Reed, Hartwell (1924-1994)

Extent: 495.56 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 11/29/1984

Subjects: Appalachian Region., Blue Grass Army Depot (Ky.), Democratic Party (Ky.), Education--Kentucky., Flood control., Kentucky--Officials and employees--Sources., Labor laws and legislation., Perkins, Carl Dewey, 1912-1984., Politics, Practical, Strip mining., United States--Politics and government., United States. Congress. House.

Languages: English

Abstract

Carl D. Perkins (1912-1984) served eastern Kentucky as a US Representative between 1948 and 1984. His papers contain legal documents and correspondence related to his activities in Congress and focus heavily on coal mining, flood control, education, labor and the Appalachian Region.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Carl D. Perkins Papers are currently divided into eight series. The number of series may change as several of the artificial series are more fully processed and the General, Committee and Departmental series are weeded and put in new folders. The collection was partially rehoused and fully inventoried by a number of student workers over a period of several years after the material first arrived at EKU.

Application Series Contains constituent correspondence requesting assistance in applying for jobs, either federal or state, and some dealing with jobs in the private sector. Student aid appears to be requesting aid for school loans and grants, as well as other educational assistance.

Committee Series Contains correspondence from constituents regarding specific legislation and is filed according to the committee which handled the particular subject (i.e. a letter from a constituent about Social Security legislation would be filed under Ways & Means). The folders may also contain copies of bills relating to the subject, copies of Congressional Record remarks on the subject and copies of Congressman Perkins' correspondence with the constituent. They may also include petitions, background and research information, research reports, copies of speeches on the subject and news clippings.

Departmental Series This series is comprised primarily of constituent correspondence having to do with problems related to branches of government. This correspondence is as far ranging as problems with a passport photos printed on glossy paper (regulations required non-glossy paper) to a request for assistance in obtaining construction funds for an adult activity center in Northern Kentucky (referred to the HEW Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services). The folders may also contain pamphlets, news clippings and other material related to the specific subject or problem. This material is arranged by Congress and then alphabetically by department except that all military branches and veterans cases are at the front of each section.

General Series This series consists largely of constituent correspondence that is very general nature and does not usually relate to specific legislation or an application problem. It is arranged chronologically by Congress (81st, 82nd, 83rd, etc.), and then alphabetically by subject. It also includes copies of correspondence from Perkins to the constituent, campaign material, invitations to receptions, parties and dedications, congratulatory letters, reports and handouts from seminars and other events, Christmas and other holiday cards, constituent correspondence concerning problems with state government (usually filed in folders marked "Kentucky Govt."), mailing lists, photographs, news clippings and occasional background or research material. Please note that in the filing system for the General Series, "Kentucky Govt. - Highway Department" in 84th 87th Congress changed to "Kentucky Highways" in the 88th 93rd Congress and "Kentucky Govt. - Transportation - Highways" in the 94th 98th Congress)

Legislative Series This is an artificial series comprised of material that was apparently pulled from other series when the collection first arrived. As it all relates to legislative issues (with the speeches being an exception), it has been grouped together for ease of access. The series is comprised primarily of material relating to Congressman Perkins' activities surrounding legislation such as voting record, bills introduced and/or co-sponsored, remarks made for the Congressional Record, press releases and articles or speeches.

Personal Series The Personal Series includes reference material on various subjects, guest books, and Congressional pictorial directories. Most of the material in this series was found in Congressman Perkins' desk or credenza after his death, and was boxed as found. Some of this material may be re-filed later if it is clear that it belongs in other series such as General, Committee or Departmental; however, it is likely that the bulk of this material is actually photocopies from those other series.

Reed Files (Hartwell D. Reed) These files may originally have been part of the Committee Series (and were labeled as "Legislative Sub-Series"). However, it appears that they were actually files maintained by Hartwell D. (Jack) Reed as counsel to the Education & Labor Committee. They were separated sometime after they came to the EKU Archives and are currently being maintained as a series until the collection is fully processed. They comprise material similar to that found in the committee series but it appears that the majority of the correspondence is non-constituent and there is much more inter-government communication as well as background or research material on the subjects indicated by the folder titles.

Specialized Formats This series contains the plaques, awards and certificates that Mr. Perkins accumulated during his long career as well as a number of artifacts such as lapel pins, carvings, paperweights, nameplates and commemorative coins. Included in this series are motion picture film, audiotapes (in several formats) and videotapes that document his career. There are also 884 photographs that provide a visual record of visits to his home district and activities in the House as well as photo opportunities with constituents and dignitaries. Among the people he was photographed with are Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Andrew Young, Pearl Bailey, Robert Kennedy and Walter Mondale. This series also contains much of the correspondence relating to request for photographs of the Congressman or of the President.

Biographical Note

Carl D. Perkins, was born in Hindman, KY on October 15, 1912. He attended school in Knott County before enrolling at Caney Junior College (now Alice Lloyd). He also attended Lees College before teaching in a remote Knott County school. In 1935 he graduated from the University of Louisville law school. He entered private practice for the next three years, during which time he married Verna Johnson, a teacher. They had one child, Carl Christopher. Perkins completed an unexpired term as commonwealth attorney in 1939 and the following year was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly. He was elected Knott County attorney in 1941, and again in 1945 after his first tenure was interrupted by combat service in World War II. A Democrat from Kentucky's mountainous 7th District, Perkins was first elected to Congress in 1948 and began to serve on January 3, 1949. He was appointed to the House Education and Labor Committee. Perkins became chairman of the committee in 1967, as it prepared to consider major anti-poverty legislation. Perkins was a champion of the rights of labor, one of the nation's foremost advocates of federal social welfare programs for the disadvantaged and was considered the father of virtually every postwar federal education program. His bill supporting vocational education became law in 1963. The following year his committee produced landmark legislation to provide financial aid to disadvantaged college students, and, for the first time, extend general federal aid to elementary and secondary education. He helped formulate the Economic Opportunity Act, centerpiece of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, and was one of its strongest advocates. He was a champion of the Head Start program, the school lunch program, adult education, federal assistance to libraries, and federal aid for the construction of highways and hospitals in the depressed Appalachian region. An early supporter of civil rights, Perkins backed President Harry S. Truman's attempt to establish a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission, and was one of eleven Southern Democrats to vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He also wrote federal legislation to improve safety standards in coal mines and to extend compensation to victims of black lung disease. In his final years, Perkins fought vigorously to protect federal education and social welfare programs from budget cuts, and he emerged as a leading Democratic spokesman in opposition to the Reagan administration. Perkins died of a massive heart attack on August 3, 1984, en route from Washington to his home in Hindman and was buried in Perkins Cemetery at Leburn, KY. (Adapted from: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, 1992.)

Subject/Index Terms

Appalachian Region.
Blue Grass Army Depot (Ky.)
Democratic Party (Ky.)
Education--Kentucky.
Flood control.
Kentucky--Officials and employees--Sources.
Labor laws and legislation.
Perkins, Carl Dewey, 1912-1984.
Politics, Practical
Strip mining.
United States--Politics and government.
United States. Congress. House.

Administrative Information

Repository: Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

Acquisition Source: Perkins, Carl C.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Application],
[Series 2: Committee],
[Series 3: Departmental],
[Series 4: General],
[Series 5: Legislative],
[Series 6: Personal],
[Series 7: Hartwell D. Reed Files],
[Series 8: Plaques, Memorabilia and Artifacts],
[All]

Series 6: Personal

The Personal Series includes reference material on various subjects, guest books, and Congressional pictorial directories. Most of the material in this series was found in Congressman Perkins' desk or credenza after his death, and was boxed as found. Some of this material may be re-filed later if it is clear that it belongs in other series such as General, Committee or Departmental; however, it is likely that the bulk of this material is actually photocopies from those other series.

Box P-001

Barcode: 31234014119356

Folder 1: Labor - Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, 1975-1977
Folder 2: Black Lung Legislation, Gene Goss Letter, 1976-1977
Folder 3: Manpower Hearing, 1976 Mar
Folder 4: Senate Black Lung Trust Fund Action, 1977
Folder 5: Synthetic Fuels from Coal Update, f.01-02, 1977 Jun
Folder 6: Education Issues Summaries, 1978
Folder 7: Remarks and Notes - Medicare, Black Lung, Libraries, 1978 Oct 17
Folder 8: Divide Hill Development, CDP Community Building, 1979 Feb
Folder 9: History of Coal Conversion - Congressional Record, 1979 Jun
Folder 10: Kentucky School Food Programs, 1980-1981
Folder 11: Take To Kentucky - Reference Materials, 1980
Folder 12: Take To Kentucky - Multi-Employer Pension Reform, School Lunch, People To See, 1980 Jun 13

Box P-002

Barcode: 31234014119349

Folder 1: FIVCO Area Development District Annual Meeting, 1980 Sep 5
Folder 2: Armed Services Committee, 1981
Folder 3: Budget Information, Politics, School Lunch, ARC, Coal Shipping, 1981
Folder 4: Charts on Block Grants, 1981
Folder 5: Political Files - Agriculture, 1981
Folder 6: Reading Material - Reagan Economics, 1981
Folder 7: Take To Kentucky - Reading Material, 1981
Folder 8: Television Preparation Material, 1981
Folder 9: Tobacco Information, 1981
Folder 10: Black Lung Association Meeting, Pike County, 1981 Aug 14
Folder 11: Interest Rates, "Dear Colleague" Letter on Tobacco, 1981 Oct 2
Folder 12: Arnold Combs - Campton, Kentucky Letter, 1981 Nov 21
Folder 13: Political Material, 1981 Dec
Folder 14: Topmost Mine Disaster, 1981 Dec
Folder 15: Morehead State - Higher Education, Student Aid, Foreign Aid, 1981 Dec 2
Folder 16: Press Release - Mine Disaster Investigation, 1981 Dec 12
Folder 17: Campaign Miscellaneous, 1982
Folder 18: Economy, Budget, Job Training, 1982
Folder 19: Education Programs, Oil Shortage Radio, Pike County Rally, 1982
Folder 20: Facts on Federal Education Spending, 1982
Folder 21: Kentucky Educational Television Call-In - Federal Deficit, News Article, 1982
Folder 22: Miscellaneous from Red, Ben, Jack - Budget, Nuclear Arms, Articles, f.01, 1982

Box P-003

Barcode: 31234014118648

Folder 1: Miscellaneous from Red, Ben, Jack, f.02, 1982
Folder 2: Take To Kentucky - Reference Materials, f.01-02, 1982
Folder 3: Tobacco Letters, 1982
Folder 4: Coal Exports - Remarks by Robert C. Byrd - Congressional Record, 1982 Jan 29
Folder 5: Reagan's New Federalism, U.S. News and World Report, 1982 Feb 8
Folder 6: Letter to American School Food Service Association, 1982 Feb 22
Folder 7: Political Material, 1982 Apr
Folder 8: Conservative Budget, 1982 Apr 22
Folder 9: Letters to Mr. Svahn and Mr. Williams - Social Security, 1982 Jun
Folder 10: Schedule - Jefferson Jackson Day, Mondale Tribute, 1982 Jun 18
Folder 11: Gold Standard Information, 1982 Jul 28
Folder 12: Vocational Rehabilitation Center, 1982 Oct
Folder 13: Information on Jobs Bill for Press Use, 1983
Folder 14: Take To Kentucky - Reference Materials, 1983 Feb
Folder 15: Budget, Economic Data, Clean Water Act, 1983 Nov
Folder 16: Easter Recess Schedule, 1983 Mar
Folder 17: Speech Material - School Lunch, Economy, Education and Labor Programs, 1983 May 26
Folder 18: Greenup, Carter, and Elliott Counties - Senior Citizens Picnic, 1983 Jun 18
Folder 19: Schedule, 1983 Jul 1-10
Folder 20: KET Recognition Dinner, Morehead State University, Hindman Settlement School, 1983 Jul 8
Folder 21: Black Lung, Interest Rates, Thurow, Social Security, Mine Reclamation, 1983 Oct

Box P-004

Barcode: 31234014118630

Folder 1: Vocational Education, School Lunch, 1983 Oct
Folder 2: Community Services Programs, 1983
Folder 3: General Information, 1984
Folder 4: Lebanon, 1984
Folder 5: Summaries of Educational and Related Programs, Abstract on Social Security Benefits, 1984
Folder 6: Equal Access - Reference Materials, f.01-02, 1984 Apr
Folder 7: Notepads, from Desk or Credenza, f.01-02, undated

Box P-005

Barcode: 31234014118713

Folder 1: Guest Book, 1965-1973
Folder 2: Guest Book, 1973-1976
Folder 3: Guest Book, 1976-1978
Folder 4: Guest Book, 1978-1980
Folder 5: Guest Book, 1980-1983
Folder 6: Guest Book, 1983-1984

Box P-006

Folder 1: Pocket Congressional Directory, 85th Congress, 1957
Folder 2: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 90th Congress, 1967
Folder 3: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 91st Congress, 1969
Folder 4: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 92nd Congress, 1971
Folder 5: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 93rd Congress, 1973
Folder 6: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 94th Congress, 1975
Folder 7: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 95th Congress, 1977
Folder 8: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 96th Congress, 1979
Folder 9: Congressional Pictorial Directory, 98th Congress, 1983

Box P-007

Record center carton containing memorabilia and artifacts removed from CDP's desk following his death. Items include two medals, coal from Letcher County, telephone list, desk calendar, ruler, staple remover, pens & pencils and pencil holder.