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A Political Dialogue: Iowa's Women Legislators oral histories

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0089

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Scope and Contents

A Political Dialogue: Iowa's Women Legislators consists of transcripts of oral histories of Iowa women legislators conducted by Suzanne O'Dea Schenken between 1988 and 1992 and related material. The collection measures 1.7 linear feet and is arranged in two series: Introductory material and Transcripts.

Introductory material (ca.1992) consists of an introductory overview of the A Political Dialogue project with an accompanying list of contributors, biographical information on Iowa women legislators primarily taken from Iowa Official Registers published between 1929 and 1991, two tables listing the women serving in each legislative session in Iowa between 1929 and 1992, one organized alphabetically and the other by session dates served, and an essay by Schenken entitled "Entering Men's Territory," which outlines the emergence of women in politics in Iowa beginning in 1869. This material can also be found in Schenken's dissertation, which is available here at the University of Iowa Libraries.

The Transcripts series (1988-1992) is comprised of transcripts of the oral histories conducted by Schenken. Included are forty-seven interviews with Iowa women legislators. With the exception of the interview with Helen Anderson, each transcript has a subject index. The series also contains four interviews with secondary sources about deceased legislators. These interviews are unindexed.

Dates

  • Creation: 1988-1993

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research. The transcripts are also available at Iowa State University Parks Library, Department of Special Collections.

Biographical / Historical

A Political Dialogue: Iowa's Women Legislators was an oral history project undertaken by Suzanne O'Dea Schenken at the request of State Representative Minnette Doderer in 1987. Doderer, House members Dorothy Carpenter and Johnie Hammond, and lobbyist Joe Kelly raised funds to cover the expenses of the project. Between 1988 and 1992 Schenken conducted interviews with women who had served or were then serving in the Iowa General Assembly. In the cases of deceased legislators, Schenken interviewed acquaintances or family members. The interviews served as the basis for Schenken's dissertation, Legislators and Politicians: Iowa's Women Legislators (Iowa State University, 1992).

Extent

1.70 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Interviews with Iowa women legislators conducted by Suzanne O'Dea Schenken.

Method of Acquisition

The transcripts (donor no. 147-2) were donated by Suzanne Schenken in 1993 and 1994.

Related Materials

The transcripts are also available at Iowa State University, Parks Library, Department of Special Collections.

Subject

Author
Robert J. Jett, 1994; Marie Schroer, 1995.
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)