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Membership

 Sub-Series
Identifier: Sub- 4

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Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Polk County Women's Political Caucus records date from 1974 to 1987 and measure 8 linear inches. The records were part of the Iowa Women's Political Caucus records donated by Victoria Herring, but were separated to form their own collection. Records for the earlier years of the PCWPC can be found in the Iowa Women's Political Caucus collection, which also contains a more extensive collection of the PCWPC newsletters. The records are arranged in three series: Administrative Records, Political Activities, and Organizational Affiliations.

The collection consists primarily of the Administrative Records of the organization, including bylaws, Steering Committee minutes, Annual Meeting minutes, financial reports, and extensive membership records. Of note are the handwritten ledger in which the Steering Committee recorded its minutes from 1978-1982, the 1979 membership handbook which contains a comprehensive list of current members, and the untabulated 1982 membership surveys which were returned by about fifty members.

In addition, there are records that document many of the caucus's Political Activities, including the endorsements of candidates and candidate questionnaires and forums. The candidate questionnaires are very detailed, and demonstrate the seriousness the caucus placed upon the need to form a constituency to influence elected officials and effectively advocate women's issues. The questions indicate which issues the caucus found most compelling in each election. The file on endorsements contains a letter dated September 15, 1984 from Kappie Spencer in which she voices strong objections to a PCWPC candidate endorsement decision. Her letter and the accompanying answer illustrate one aspect of the tensions over this issue.

Finally, there are records showing some of the Organizational Affiliations of the PCWPC, including the state and national Women's Political Caucuses, correspondence with state and local governmental agencies, and other miscellaneous organizations with which the caucus worked. A list of state legislators attending a 1987 Iowa Women's Political Caucus-sponsored reception is impressive; it contains close to seventy-five names, including Ralph Rosenberg, Jean Lloyd-Jones, Elaine Baxter, Richard Varn, Bev Hannon, David Osterberg, Minnette Doderer, Mary Neuhauser and Tom Miller. It is a good demonstration of the political respect the IWPC had achieved.

Dates

  • Creation: 1974-1987

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The records are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 8.00 linear inches

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)