Nelson A. Rockefeller personal papers, Ann C. Whitman - Politics, Series P, 1958-1973
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Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich) (1908-1979) and Whitman, Ann (1908-1991)
- Extent:
- 9.27 Cubic Feet
- Language:
- English .
Background
- Scope and content:
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This series contains a portion of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's political correspondence on state and national issues. The correspondence reflects his role as a national political figure and was filed separately from correspondence generated while serving as Governor of New York.
Many incoming letters have Governor Rockefeller's handwritten notations indicating the response he wished drafted (e.g., "note of thanks" or "ack" for acknowledgment). Ms. Whitman would distribute letters to the staff for response, and she also responded to letters on her own.
Some incoming letters included attachments, primarily newspaper clippings and photographs. Most of the photographs are of Governor Rockefeller at public events. In some cases, the photos were taken by professional photographers, although the majority are personal snapshots.
There are several files of miscellaneous material at the end of the series. Included among them are four folders of "Impeachment Letters, October to November 1973" (Box 23, Folders 530 to 533). These letters are from the general public urging Governor Rockefeller to speak out about the Constitutional crisis caused by the growing public concern following the Watergate break-in. A majority of the letters asks Governor Rockefeller to use his influence either to convince President Nixon that he should resign or to convince Congress to impeach the President. Another file, entitled "Drug Abuse Program" (Box 23, Folder 528), contains information on the genesis of the Rockefeller drug laws of 1973. Box 25 contains four oversized items removed from other portions of the series.
NOTE: This series contains the office files of Ann C. Whitman. They document official activities in the execution of her duties as members of Rockefeller's staff. The actions, decisions, and exchanges of information or points of view documented here occurred in the course of proposing and implementing policies for the Rockefeller administration, political campaigns, and/or Rockefeller's personal activities. However, unless a document is personally signed by Nelson A. Rockefeller, or is referred to in a document personally signed by him, it should not be assumed he saw the document or was aware of its existence or substance. Furthermore, researchers should bear in mind that staff files may contain documents or drafts addressed to Rockefeller which were never shown to him.
- Biographical / historical:
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Ann Cook Whitman was born in Perry, Ohio, in 1908. She attended Antioch College, where she enrolled in the school's work-study program. The program sent her to the Institute for Child Guidance in New York, and she left college to become a secretary. Her next job was as a personal secretary to Adele Rosenwald Levy, whose father was a founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company.
In the 1950s, Whitman worked for the Committee for a Free Europe. She was recruited to work for the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential campaign in 1952, going on to serve as personal secretary to President Eisenhower throughout his eight years in the White House and for a short time at his retirement home, Gettysburg.
In 1961, she began working for George Hinman, a political advisor to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. In 1965, she became Governor Rockefeller's executive assistant, and she later served as Rockefeller's chief of staff during his Vice Presidential tenure. Whitman then returned to New York, assisting Rockefeller until her retirement in 1977. She died in 1991.
- Arrangement:
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The series is arranged primarily alphabetically by correspondent. Each letter of the alphabet begins with general correspondence files and then follows with individual folders for specific correspondents. It is not clear why some people received separate folders (often a folder contains only a single piece of correspondence) while others were maintained in the general folders.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Open for research with select materials restricted as noted. Brittle or damaged items are available at the discretion of RAC. Material in the Rockefeller family collections that provides the names, correspondence, or activities of living members of the Rockefeller family, and/or documents the net wealth of any Rockefeller family members, is restricted. Researchers interested in accessing digital media (floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, etc.) or audiovisual material (audio cassettes, VHS, etc.) in this collection must use an access surrogate. The original items may not be accessed because of preservation concerns. To request an access surrogate be made, or if you are unsure if there is an access surrogate, please contact an archivist.
- Terms of access:
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The Rockefeller Archive Center has title, copyright, and literary rights in the collection, in so far as it holds them, and has authority to grant permission to cite and publish archival material from the collection.
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