Skip to main content

Correspondence

 Sub-Series
Identifier: Sub- 2

  • Staff Only
  • Please navigate to collection organization to place requests.

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Mary C. Neuhauser papers date from 1968 to 1999 and measure 13.8 linear feet. The papers are arranged in five series: Biographical/Personal, Civic activities, Campaigns, Local government, and State government.

The Biographical/Personal series includes an oral history recorded with Neuhauser in 1991 and a hand-written letter to her children, undated, but apparently written soon after their move to Iowa. It would seem to be a letter she never shared with them, and is one of the few truly personal items in the collection. It also contains records relating to Neuhauser's years in law school and the course she took at the JFK School of Government.

The Civic Activities series documents Neuhauser's work with various organizations including the Architecture Heritage Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, Johnson County Democrats, Trinity Church, the Iowa Division of the United Nations Association, and the First Capitol Development Fund. Note the biography of Indira Ghandi in the Iowa UN folder, although the author is not specifically listed, it is most likely that this was written by Neuhauser. Neuhauser's interests ranged from local to international, from domestic to aesthetic to administrative. Neuhauser believed in progress--in the ability of good people to act for the good of all to build a better world. The seeds of Neuhauser's political career were sown in the work she did in these organizations.

The Campaigns series contains records from Neuhauser's many campaigns for City Council, County Board of Supervisors, State Representative, and State Senate, as well as a few campaigns she worked on for other candidates. These records are a marvelously-detailed look at the workings of grassroots politics: the fundraising, door-knocking, canvassing, leafleting, and phone-calling that must be done, as well as the amount of bureaucracy that must be endured by candidates for political office, even in local elections. Neuhauser accepted only personal contributions, so fundraising was especially time-consuming. Her campaign records show a broad-based, grassroots organization that was very loyal and committed. The correspondence in these series shows the warmth with which so many constituents regarded Neuhauser. See notes from Linda Kerber, Bev Hannon, Dick Myers, and Dottie Ray.

The Local Government series contains records of Neuhauser's work on the Riverfront Commission and her years as a member of the City Council and Mayor of Iowa City. The records demonstrate that Neuhauser's goal as a leader was to seek consensus and action, and that her style was non-confrontational, but firm and steady. The transcripts of her speeches are of special interest as evidence of her beliefs about democracy and government, and her use of literature as a source of inspiration. Neuhauser wrote a description of her trip to Israel in 1977 (in the International conferences folder) which gives a rare glimpse into her personal viewpoint; it reads like a short story, lingering on interesting details that official reports on conferences would not usually include. Neuhauser's leadership in both the League of Iowa Municipalities and the National League of Cities is also documented in these records.

The State Government series is the most extensive part of the collection. It covers Neuhauser's twelve years of service in the Iowa state legislature, eight in the House and four in the Senate, as well as her service on several state commissions. There is a rich and interesting collection of her correspondence with constituents; Neuhauser took the time to help people with problems and respond to their requests. She was much admired and respected for the personal attention and great sense of stewardship she demonstrated in carrying out her responsibilities. There are detailed files on the committees she served on as well as the bills she sponsored and supported.

The correspondence addresses many topics including gun control (following shootings in Physics Building), education, taxes, human services, especially funding for various programs, abortion, the environment. They demonstrate the wide range of issues a legislator must handle. Letters on 1993 Jessica DeBoer case and franchise law. Many on death penalty over the years as legislature considered this several times in the 90s.

There are detailed files on the committees she served on as well as the bills she sponsored and supported. Neuhauser's records indicate her belief in the value of education--she sought information to educate herself on the issues that she grappled with as a legislator. Her records teem with reports, articles, and information on the issues relevant to the bills before the legislature, or that she drafted.

Issues of particular interest were children, education, and ethics. Files show the complex bill-making process, how inter-related many social issues are (poverty, education, crime, welfare, work), the ever-present overlap of public and private and how to negotiate it (this was especially an issue in the development of the Iowa Communications Network), and the wide range of issues a legislator must educate herself about and be prepared to handle.

Neuhauser's records indicate her belief in the value of education--she sought information to educate herself on the issues that she grappled with as a legislator. Her records teem with reports, articles, and information on the issues relevant to the bills before the legislature, or that she drafted.

Issues of particular interest were children, education, and ethics. Files show the complex bill-making process, how inter-related many social issues are (poverty, education, crime, welfare, work), the ever-present overlap of public and private and how to negotiate it (this was especially an issue in the development of the Iowa Communications Network), and the wide range of issues a legislator must educate herself about and be prepared to handle.

Letter of congratulations to Vilsak in Legislative Career, handwritten notes.

Dates

  • Creation: 1968-1999

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 13.80 Linear Feet

From the Collection: Artifacts in box 5, 1 audiocassette [AC 834], 1 videocassette [V290], Photographs in boxes 1-6, 10, 13, 27 boxes

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)