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Clinton County Women's Political Caucus records

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0556

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Scope and Contents

The Clinton County Women's Political Caucus records date from 1973 to 1977 and measure 1.5 linear inches. A history, written in 1976, includes the names of the thirty-seven original members and a list of the group's major accomplishments. The Cablevision folder includes a list of the six programs produced by the CCWPC and a letter explaining why the agreement between the CCWPC and Clinton Cablevision was terminated after the programs were aired. The Committee folder includes lists of the names of women who served on various committees. The monthly minutes were usually typed, although some are handwritten and a few are missing. The monthly newsletters summarize CCWPC business and contain a calendar of upcoming events sponsored by the CCWPC and related organizations. Also included are regular press releases issued by the CCWPC and the newspaper clippings that were saved in a scrapbook; the scrapbook has been disbound and the newspaper clippings photocopied for the collection. Materials from the IWPC include newsletters and informational sheets on topics such as marriage dissolution, adoption, and Aid to Dependent Children (ADC).

Dates

  • Creation: 1973-1977

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been retained by the donor.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

The Clinton County Women's Political Caucus (CCWPC), a local branch of the Iowa Women's Political Caucus (IWPC) and the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), held its first meeting in August 1973 with nineteen women and three men in attendance. The group wrote bylaws, elected officers, and organized committees including a speaker's bureau and a talent resumes committee to identify viable women candidates to serve on statewide appointed commissions. Caucus records indicate that while as many as forty women were dues-paying members in the early days and the mailing list included over three hundred names in 1975, the caucus was largely managed by a core of ten to twenty active members. The records do not describe how or when the caucus ceased meeting, although the February 1977 minutes state that concerns were expressed about "the fact that membership was down and there seemed to be a lack of direction."

The CCWPC met monthly and the meetings generally included a guest speaker or program. Speakers addressed topics such as women and the law, abortion, women on the police force, the United Way, women in the church, and energy efficiency. Public officials or candidates often addressed the group. CCWPC members worked closely with the IWPC. Many members attended IWPC conventions and conferences, and some even traveled to the annual meetings of the NWPC. CCWPC activities involved working on local campaigns (especially of women candidates), producing programs shown on the local cablevision station, and organizing an educational project on sex stereotyping. For this project, the CCWPC sponsored several showings of the film "Dick and Jane as Victims: Sex-role Stereotyping," surveyed the readers used in the Clinton public schools, and wrote a report on their findings, which was circulated through the Clinton school system.

Extent

1.50 linear inches

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Local branch of the Iowa Women's Political Caucus.

Method of Acquisition

The records (donor no. 1000) were donated by Lois Seger in 2005.

Related Materials

Iowa Women's Political Caucus records (IWA).

Author
Sharon M. Lake , 2005.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

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)