Richard L. Roudebush papers
Collection
Identifier: L612
Scope and Contents
The collection is predominantly made up of correspondence between Richard Roudebush and various officials and constituents during the 89th, 90th and 91st U.S. Congresses (1966-1969).The collection includes correspondence, reports, and other papers relating to legislation on agriculture, air traffic safety, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, housing programs and other civil rights measures, defense spending, crime, flood control in the Colorado River Basin and the Wabash River Valley, air pollution control, the Job Corps, and veterans benefits. There are also correspondence and papers regarding other issues before Congress, including the seating of Representative Adam Clayton Powell, the nomination of Abe Fortas as chief justice of the Supreme Court, the war in Vietnam, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, lowering the voting age to 18, and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Other materials comprise correspondence with the Ball Brothers Company of Muncie, Delaware County, regarding food production and food preservation legislation; papers regarding the Republican National Committee and the 1968 Republican National Convention; constituents' correspondence on current events and requests for information and assistance; campaign papers from his 1968 congressional campaign, and records of contributions to his 1966 and 1968 campaigns; financial and administrative records from the congressional office; retained copies of his letters of condolence to the families of soldiers who died in Vietnam; and papers relating to his efforts to obtain a pardon for a court-martialed soldier in Vietnam. Also included are copies of his speeches as an official of the Veterans Administration.
Dates
- 1960-1976
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Separated materials are restricted. Contact the repository for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
Literary rights, including copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts. The publisher must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Richard Lowell Roudebush was born on a farm in Hamilton County, near Noblesville, Indiana, on January 18, 1908. He attended Hamilton County schools and graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1941 before joining the United States Army on November 18, 1941 and served until August 12, 1944 as a demolition specialist for the Ordnance Department in the Middle East, North African and Italian Campaigns. He was awarded five battle stars. Roudebush later worked as a farmer and was a partner in a livestock commission company and then became the national commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1957-1958 and was chairman of Indiana Veterans Commission from 1954 to 1960. He was elected as a Republican to the eighty-seventh and to the four succeeding U.S. Congresses (January 3, 1961-January 3, 1971) but was not a candidate for reelection in 1970. Instead, he was an unsuccessful nominee in 1970 to the United States Senate. In 1971, Roudebush was sworn in as an assistant deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration. He died on January 28, 1995.
Extent
38 Cubic Feet (89 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Spanish; Castilian
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series and subseries:
Series 1: General, 1960-1971
Series 2: Correspondence, 1966-1969 Subseries 2.1: 89th and 90th Congressional Session, 1966-1968 Subseries 2.2: 91st Congressional Session, 1969
Series 3: Speeches, 1972-1976
Series 4: Restricted documents, 1960-1976
Series 1: General, 1960-1971
Series 2: Correspondence, 1966-1969 Subseries 2.1: 89th and 90th Congressional Session, 1966-1968 Subseries 2.2: 91st Congressional Session, 1969
Series 3: Speeches, 1972-1976
Series 4: Restricted documents, 1960-1976
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation on 1971/03/29 by Donald W. Ruby, administrative assistant to Elwood H. "Bud" Hills, on behalf of Congressman Richard L. Roudebush.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2019/04/11 by Abby Currier. EAD finding aid created 2019/04/11 by Abby Currier. EAD finding aid revised 2021/05/06; 2024/02/14 by Brittany Kropf.
- Agriculture -- Indiana
- Armed Forces
- Carmichael, Stokely, 1941-1998
- Civil rights
- Civil rights movements -- United States
- Correspondence
- Fortas, Abe, 1910-1982
- Gun control
- Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Ind.)
- Legislative bills
- Military veterans
- Political campaigns -- 20th century
- Politicians
- Politicians -- Indiana
- Politics and government
- Poor People's Campaign
- Post office stations and branches -- Indiana
- Powell, Adam Clayton, Jr., 1908-1972
- Prayer
- Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
- Social security -- United States
- Speeches, addresses, etc.
- United States -- Politics and government - 20th century
- United States Military Academy
- United States. Congress. House
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities.
- United States. Marine Corps
- United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Veterans -- Indiana
- Veterans -- Societies, etc.
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- Indiana
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- United States
Creator
- Title
- Richard L. Roudebush papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
