Manuscript Resources on Politics

Pierson, David, b. 1837, Letter, 1861. 1 item [photocopy]. Winn Parish representative to the 1861 Louisiana Secession Convention. Letter from Pierson to his father, William H. Pierson, explains his decision to enlist in the Confederate army, and his opposition to secession. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1612.

Pike, George A. Scrapbook, 1855-1865. 1 vol. Location: H:22. Politician, printer and editor of the Baton Rouge 'Comet.' Scrapbook of newspaper clippings pertaining to state politics, the Know-Nothing Party, and the Masonic Order. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2835.

Pinchback, Pinckney Benton Stewart, 1837-1921. Photographic portraits, circa 1875 and 1900. 2 copy prints. Location: 65:5. Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was governor of Louisiana between Dec. 9, 1872 and Jan. 13, 1873. He was the first African American to become governor of a U.S. state. These two photographic portraits of P.B.S. Pinchback are from circa 1875 and circa 1900. Mss. 4152.

Pinchback, Pinckney Benton Stewart, 1837-1921. Letter, 1883 October 5. 1 item. Location: Misc. African American Louisiana politician and governor. Letter written from the office of the surveyor of customs in New Orleans declines an invitation. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2897.

Pipes, David W. (Washington). Papers, 1880-1956. 321 items, 1 volume. Location: T:6-7, F:6; OS:P. New Orleans attorney and sugar planter active in Louisiana Republican Party. Pipes was a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives and president of the American Sugar Cane League. Papers include correspondence, news clippings, speeches, maps, photographs, and printed items pertaining to the Louisiana Republican Party and sugarcane. Scrapbook includes material from Pipe's political campaign. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1509, 1607.

Pitot, James. Certificate, 1827. 1 item. Location: Misc.:P. Certificate signed by Governor Henry Johnson of Louisiana, testifying that Pitot was parish judge in and for the Parish of Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1198.

Political Campaigns Collection, 1952-1991 (bulk 1964-1979). 3 linear ft. Location: OS:P, X:36-38. The Political Campaigns Collection consists of campaign literature, brochures, handbills, buttons, bumper stickers, pamphlets, cards, posters, signs, and other paraphernalia for campaigns for U.S. president (1960-1984), Louisiana governor (1952-1991), Louisiana lieutenant governor (1971-1979), Louisiana attorney general (1971-1972), and various other offices in Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1719, 2020, 2190, 2191, 2350, 2652, 3053, 3097, 3440.

Polk, Horace M. (Horace Moore), 1819-1883. Letter, 1860 Nov. 5. 1 letter. Location: Misc. Horace M. Polk was a planter on Bayou Bartholomew near Bastrop, Morehouse Parish, La. Polk on Bayou Bartholomew writes his father-in-law, Major John H. Bills of Bolivar, Tenn., about the presidential election and the possibility of secession by southern states if Lincoln is elected. He also discusses an inheritance case, an investment in land, and delays in picking cotton. Mss. 3916.

Porteous, Laura L. Collection, 1769-1922 [1936, 1949]. 2,260 items, 7 ms. vols. Location: 78:61-65. Collection includes transcriptions and translations of Spanish judicial documents and cases in the Cabildo (1769-1803); and lists of Spanish officials (1769-1803) and notaries in New Orleans (1822-1922). Also includes extracts and translations of the Favrot papers, and extracts from baptismal records. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1200.

Porter, Alexander. Letter, 1833. 1 item. Location: C:61. Sugar planter of Oaklawn Manor, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, politician, Louisiana Supreme Court justice (1821-1833). Letter r to Dr. John Ker, of Natchez, commenting on the nature and spread of cholera as frustrating to the medical profession; on the death of United States Senator Josiah G. Johnston; and the political prospects of General Walter H. Overton. Part of the George M. Lester Collection. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1209.

Prentiss, Seargent S. Papers, 1788-1851. 35 items (photocopies). Location: A:9. Material used by Dallas C. Dickey in his publication 'Seargent S. Prentiss, Whig Orator of the Old South.' Papersl include correspondence between Prentiss and members of his family; newspaper articles; and material from the J. J. Crittenden Collection, Library of Congress. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 239.

Prescott, Arthur T. (Taylor), 1863-1942. Manuscripts, circa 1910-1914. 4 items. Location: E:53. Manuscript titled 'American Government For Louisianians,' 'American History For Louisianians,' 'and 'How to Use Bell's Louisiana Portfolio.' For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 241.

Presidential campaign songs, 1876, 1884. 4 items. Location: OS:P. Sheet music for political campaign songs for Rutherford B. Hayes, Governor Samuel J. Tilden, and James G. Blaine. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2600-73.

Prichard, Walter, 1887-1965. Collection, 1804-1950 ca. (bulk 1804-1897). 196 items. Location: C:11-12. Professor of History, LSU. Collection contains the papers relating to the cotton trade, the career of Thomas Bolling Robertson, a politician and jurist, and Jane Dunbar Ferguson, a planter of Washington, Mississippi. Papers concern the Louisiana political activities of Robertson, the friction between the French and Americans in Louisiana, and yellow fever in New Orleans. Family letters of Ferguson discuss travel from New Orleans to New York, education, family matters, and Natchez acquaintances. Papers also contain with transcriptions, research notes, and footnotes by Prichard. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2509.

Prolifers for Survival Collection, 1979-1987 (bulk: 1983-1986). 2.2 linear feet. Location: 6:35-37. Records documenting the administration and activities of a pro-life and anti-nuclear proliferation activist organization. Includes correspondence, publications, and audio visual materials. For further information see online catalog. Mss. 4166.

Prudhomme, P. Lestant. Diaries, 1850-1852. 3 v. (on microfilm). Location: Mss. Mf.:P. Son of a Natchitoches Creole planter. Personal diary reflects plantation life detailing social events, family affairs, personal activities, and local area news and weather. Entries also include possible sale of slaves (Feb. 12, 1850), visit to a former slave (April 27, 1850), and comments on secession (May 11, 1850). Several entries pertain to his many relations among the Metoyer, Cloutier, and Lambre families. Entry in French (page 133) discusses the birth of his cousin and significance of "baton" when a female child is born. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1578.

Pugh, George W. Collection, 1867-1896. 4 items (photocopies). Location: W:26. "Dr. Pugh Family Journal' compiled by Dr. Thomas E. W. Pugh and excerpts from a copybook comprise the collection. They relate to the genealogy of the Pugh and related Williams, Collins, Slade, and Alston families, news columns written by William Whitmell Pugh describe the history of Assumption Parish from 1820-1860, and the Last Island Storm of 1896. Letterbook excerpts concern financial and business affairs, and the estate of Race's wife, Olivia. Other correspondence relates to the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. Race relates his views on secession (April 21, 1880). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4750.

Pugh, W. W. (William Whitmell), 1811-1906. Sketch (typescript), circa late 19th century. 1 item. Location: Misc.:P. Planter of Woodlawn Plantation, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, state representative, and president of the Board of Levee Commissioners. Biographical sketch of the life of Dr. Whitmell Hill Pugh (1781-1834) by his son, W. W. Pugh. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 540.

Pugh, William W. Letters, 1891-ca. 1900. 20 letters. Location: T:35. Planter of Bayou Lafourche, Assumption Parish, La., Civil War officer and president of the Board of Levee Commissioners. Letters to Ellen Pugh discuss politics, plantation crops, sugar legislation, the sugar trade, weather, and the Spanish-American war. They also report on health, social activities and family matters. Pugh writes about the right to vote and literacy, presidential election of 1898 (Sept. 14, 1898, ca. 1900), and he refers to the mumps (Aug. 16, 1897) and yellow fever in New Orleans and Mississippi (1897-1898). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3578.

Pugh, William W. and family. Plantation records, 1830-1933 (bulk 1903-1908). 131 items, 14 volumes. Location: G:38-39, OS:P. Planter of Woodlawn Plantation, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, state representative, and president of the Board of Levee Commissioners. Papers include correspondence, legal and financial papers, township maps and survey plats, and printed materials. Financial records deal with Woodlawn, Himalaya, and Mount Lawrence plantations. Papers also include minutes of the Woodlawn Planting & Manufacturing Co., of which Pugh was chair; maps of land holdings in Assumption Parish; and cashbooks, ledgers, record books, and a time book. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 3, Reel 12. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 740, 753.

Pujo, Arsène Paulin, 1861-. Broadside. 1 item. OS:P. Lake Charles, Louisiana, attorney and U.S. congressman. Broadside announcing a Democratic political rally at Jennings, Louisiana, where Pujo and Judge E. D. Miller will speak. Pujo's portrait appears on the item. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2565.

Pulsifer, Henry. Letter, 1848 November 19. 1 item. Location: Misc.:P. Family letter written from Hartford, Connecticut, mentions writer's duties as an apprentice and describes local celebration in reaction to the election of Zachary Taylor. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2873.

Quinn Family. Papers, 1884-1947 (bulk 1902-1918). 44 items. Location: W:8. Family of Pointe Coupee and East Baton Rouge Parishes. Correspondence to and from members of the Quinn family. Several WWI letters from Ernest Plummer, who served in the Panama Canal and in France. Itemized bills and receipts for food and merchandise purchased, for the most part, from O. St. Dizier & Co of New Roads, Louisiana. Letters of soldiers in France to a friend in New Roads discussing the war, the French people, the armistice, and coming home. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2575.

Quitman, John Anthony, 1798-1858. Letter, 1821 December 20. 1 item. Location: Misc.:Q. Natchez, Mississippi lawyer, soldier, politician, and planter. Letter to E. L. Hazelius, written from Natchez, Mississippi, discussing his reasons for leaving his former home in Ohio, his impressions of Mississippi and Natchez, and his professional prospects. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3218.

Quitman, John Anthony, 1798-1858. Papers, 1823-1872, 1919. 145 items, 12 vols. Location: B:8, OS:Q, H:10, 99:. Natchez, Mississippi lawyer, soldier, politician, and planter. Personal and family papers include record books, correspondence, broadsides and other printed documents, and diaries. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1403, 1431, 1471, 1595, 1793.

Quitman, John Anthony, 1798-1858. Letter, 1848 April 29. 1 item. Location: Misc. Natchez, Mississippi lawyer, soldier, politician, and planter. Letter from 'Monmouth' to Peter G. Washington listing a series of biographical and factual corrections possibly for Frost's history of the Mexican War published about that time. Filed in the online catalog under Quitman, John A., 1798-1858. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2139.

Quitman, John Anthony, 1798-1858. Note, 1855. 2 items. Location: Misc.:Q. Natchez, Mississippi lawyer, soldier, politician, and planter. Items include an autographed note to the Library of Congress and a brief published biographical sketch. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1955.

Rachal, Raoul. Oath of office, 1900. 1 item. Location: R. Justice of the peace, 10th ward, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Oath of office of Raoul Rachal. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 929.

Ransdell, John H. Papers, 1842-1886 (bulk 1842-1869). 9 items, 2 ms. vols. (on 1 microfilm). Location: Mss.Mf:R, B:40. Planter of Elmwood Plantation in Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. He and his wife, Amanda Thickman, had nine children, one of whom, Joseph E. Ransdell, became a U.S. congressman and senator from Louisiana. Papers include a plantation diary (1842-1863) and letters written from Elmwood Plantation to Governor Thomas Overton Moore (1863) describing destruction of property by federal troops. A plantation account book (1867-1869) contains accounts of laborers on Elmwood Plantation (1869). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 959.

Ransdell, Joseph E. (Joseph Eugene). Papers, 1898-1948. 677 items, 28 volumes, 1 microfilm reel. Location: E:117, P:2, MSS.MF:R. U.S. congressman and senator from Louisiana. Papers and scrapbooks highlighting Ransdell's political career and reflecting his work on flood control, public health, the merchant marine, and his activities as a Catholic layman. Papers include speeches, correspondence, and materials used in the writing of his biography. Correspondence includes a letter supporting President Truman's appointment of General Mark W. Clark as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Collection includes photographs of Ransdell. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1127, 1243, 1349.

Recios, T. M. Letter, 1844 Apr. 22. 1 letter. Location: Misc:R. T. M. Recios (?) in Bellefonte, Alabama, writes John J. Walker of Huntsville, Alabama, about rash claims he made about Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, suffrage for free people of color, and other political matters, asking for any proof that might help him defend his positions. Mss. 4097.

Reid, John (John William), 1821-1881. Papers, 1861-1867. 40 items, 1 vol. Location: E:84, F:12. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 3. Confederate soldier, lawyer, and congressman of Jefferson Country, Missouri. Official papers include 18 letters concerning commissary supplies in Louisiana and Texas during the Civil War. Personal papers include land deeds, receipts, and bills. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 365.

Reid, Robt. R. (Robert Raymond), Papers, 1875-1949 (bulk 1875-1900). 381 items. Location: W:14, OS:R. Attorney of Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana; judge in the 18th and 25th District Courts; member of the Louisiana Constitutional Convention; and associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Professional and personal papers relate to Reid's legal career, local economic conditions, Illinois Central Railroad, and family matters. Collection includes bills and receipts, printed items, news clippings, and maps. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2887.

Reorganization of the Democratic Party handbill, 1896. 1 handbill. Location: E:Imprints. Handbill announcing elections to be held on June 2, 1896, to elect a new Parish Democratic Executive Committee for East Baton Rouge Parish, La., as the existing committee had been deemed defunct. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1155.

Reorganization of the Democratic Party, 1896. 1 broadside. Location: E:Imprints. Broadsid titiled "Reorganization of the Democratic Party. Election of parish Democratic committee on Tuesday June 2, 1896, from 12 <p.>m. to 6 p.m. Official proceedings of the Democratic State Central Committee." For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1155.

Republican National Committee. Circular letter, 1963. 2 items. Location: Misc.:R. Letter soliciting funds for the sustaining program for the national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and an enclosure showing colored Kennedy family rockers as symbol for the fund drive. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1979.

Republican Party. Election ticket, 1872 Nov. 4. 2 items. Location: E:Imprints. List of Republican candidates for Louisiana state offices and presidency in the election of 1872, including a list of presidential electors for Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2880.

Reynolds, Edwin R. Letter, 1861 January 31. 1 item. Location: Misc.:R. Member of U.S. Congress. Letter, with free franked envelope, addressed to Mr. Bullock, mentioning Reynolds' efforts on behalf of Bullock's appointment and expressing his position against compromise with slavery. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3421.

Richardson, Hardy and family papers, 1809-1951 (bulk 1848-1890). 0.75 linear ft. Location: W:57-58, OS:R. Resident of Washington Parish, Louisiana, lawyer, Louisiana state senator, and Confederate army colonel. Correspondence and legal papers pertaining to national and local politics, land administration and sales, and the Grange movement. Included is a circular soliciting assistance of Grangers to complete construction of the Washington Monument. The collection also contains a U.S. military railroad map; bills, receipts, and tax documents; printed items; notebooks; and photographs. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2862.

Riefenstahl, Leni. Oral history interview, 1979 September 5. 3 cassette tapes, 1 ms. vol. Location: 4700.0053. German actress and filmmaker. Taped interview with Leni Riefenstahl. Topics include a discussion of her production of official documentaries for the Nazi regime during the 1930's and her personal contacts with Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking government and party officials. Included are a typed transcription and a translation from German into English of an edited version. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.0053.

Ripley, Eleazer Wheelock. Letter, 1816. 1 item. Location: Misc.:R. United States Army general, Louisiana state senator, and representative in Congress (1835-1839), stationed at the U.S. Army headquarters in Boston. Letter to John Langdon, Jr. concerning funds apparently for the Army. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1512.

Roberts, Evans. Papers, 1797, 1890. 2 items (photocopies). Location: Misc.:R. Land survey document of property in Nueva Feliciana signed by royal surveyors of Spanish colonial Louisiana and by the governor. Also an indemnity patent signed by President of the U.S., Benjamin Harrison, transferring land to the state of Louisiana. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2654.

Robertson, Lelle Dupre, Papers, 1850-1929. 7 items (photocopies). Location: U:105. Broadside and pamphlet satirically forecasting the election for judge of the Fifteenth Judicial District (St. Landry, Lafayette, and Calcasieu Parishes, Louisiana). A 1929 letter identifies the persons mentioned. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1734.

Robertson, Thomas Bolling, 1779-1828, Poem. 1 item. Location:Misc.:R. Louisiana congressman, governor (1820-1824), and district judge. Poem 'To Jno. Adams' criticizes Adams' policies and administration. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3056.

Robertson, Thomas Bolling, 1779-1828. Commission, 1824 Oct. 29. 1 commission. Location: Misc. Thomas Bolling Robertson was Louisiana's first member of the House of Representatives, 1812-1818, and was governor, 1820-1824. Governor Thomas Bolling Robertson commissions Moses Cox and A. Dubourg justices of the peace in New Orleans. Mss. 3773.

Robinson, John G. Diary, 1857-1865. 1 diary, 5 items. Location: 1:, MISC:R. President of the Pelican Hook and Fire Company Number Four and cotton factor of New Orleans, Louisiana. Diary contains daily entries for 1864 describing chiefly the weather, business and financial transactions, insurance information, and social life and news. There are also ten entries for 1865. Mss. 4177.

Robinson, Joseph Taylor, 1872-1937, Letter, 1935. 1 item. Location: Misc.:R. U.S. senator from Arkansas. Letter of acknowledgement to Ashley Cole for expressing approval of Robinson's speech in answer to Senator Huey Long's attacks on the Roosevelt administration. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2193.

Robinson, William S., Papers, 1837-1900. 5 items. Location: OS:R. United States land grants in Jackson and Catahoula Parishes and receipts for payment (1837-1856); and commission as justice of the peace in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893.

Rodrigue, George print, undated. 1 item. Location: OS:R. Print of a George Rodrique painting depicting Louisiana Lt. Governor Bobby Freeman (1980-1988) and his wife in front of the Old State Capital in Baton Rouge. Print is signed by Bobby Freeman. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4432.

Roemer, Buddy. Papers, 1980-1988. 227,00 items. Location: B:6. Louisiana governor (1988-1992) and U.S. congressman (1981-1988). Congressional office files (1980-1988). Papers unprocessed. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4175.

Rogers, Guy. Guy and Nell Rogers Papers, 1920-1965. 0.6 linear feet, 5 oversized items. Location: S:138, OS:G. Husband and wife Guy and Nell Foster Rogers were colonists at the Newllano colony (sometimes called New Llano), Louisiana, a socialist cooperative colony, and later moved to Gainesville, Fla., where they founded the People's Industrial System, a socialist organization. Correspondence principally regards socialism, the Newllano Colony, and the People's Industrial System. Includes newspapers from the Newllano colony and the People's Industrial System newsletter, PINS, both of which Guy Rogers edited and printed, newspaper clippings concerning socialist politics and speeches, and essays relating to the People's Industrial System. Also includes a photograph of Nell Foster Rogers circa 1964. Mss. 4848.

Romaine, Howard. Papers, 1931-1973 (bulk 1963-1973). 3.5 linear ft. Location: 53:1-3; OS:R. Author, journalist and political activist. Personal and professional papers including correspondence and letters, financial papers, photographs, printed items, and writings especially relating to Romaine’s involvement with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and political campaigns. Mss. 3252

Roman, André Bienvenu, 1795-1866. Commission, 1835 Mar. 6. 1 commission. Location: Misc. André Bienvenu Roman served as governor of Louisiana for two terms, 1831-1835 and 1839-1843. Governor Roman appoints Charles W. Shaumburgh as associate judge of the City Court of New Orleans. Mss. 3907.

Roman, André Bienvenu, 1795-1866. Letter, 1835 Jan. 15. 1 letter. Location: Misc. André Bienvenu Roman served as governor of Louisiana for two terms, 1831-1835 and 1839-1843. Governor Roman writes James Turner Morehead, the Governor of Kentucky, requesting information on the expenses, disbursements, and resources of his state to compare with the expenditures in Louisiana. Mss. 4130.

Roman, Sousthene. Land patent, 1853. 1 item. Location.: Misc.:R. Land patent for purchase of swamp and overflowed land in the southeastern land district west of the Mississippi River signed by Paul O. Hebert, Governor of Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1198.

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Photographic portrait, 1907. 1 copy print. Location: 65:5. This copy print of a much damaged original photographic print of Theodore Roosevelt while President of the United States includes the holographic message: "To the Hon. John A. McIlhenny with the warm good wishes of his friend and former colonel, Theodore Roosevelt, April 17th 1907." Mss. 3310.

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Manuscript, 1905-1912. 67 items. Location: B:7, OS:R. President of the United States. Autographed typewritten copy, with handwritten corrections, of the manuscript of OUTDOOR PASTIMES OF AN AMERICAN HUNTER; galley proofs for four chapters; newspaper clippings of four chapters; and fifty-nine photographs. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2367.

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Letter, 1906 February 8. 1 items. Location: Misc.:R, vault. 1. President of the United States. Letter to jurist Uriah Milton Rose invites him to serve as a delegate to the Second Peace Conference at The Hague in 1907. Original restricted, use photocopy. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3053.

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Photograph, 1940 June10. 1 item. Location: E:68. President of the United States. Group photograph taken during a visit to Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2999.

Roxborough, Charles A., Letter. 1 item (1 leaf). Location: Misc.:R. African American lawyer and politician, and U.S. supervisor of elections for Iberville Parish, Louisiana. He resigned from the Republican Executive Committee because he supported Democrat Edward J. Gay rather than Republican J. S. Davidson for Congress. Roxborough's printed open letter to Davidson, African American Chairman of the Iberville Parish Republican Executive Committee, states his reasons for resigning from the committee and advises African American Republicans of Louisiana to affiliate with the Democratic Party. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1744.