Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Michael J. Farrell Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974
6827253
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Michael J. Farrell Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974
Dates: 1969-1974
Collection Number: 6827253
Creator/Collector:
Farrell, Michael J. (Michael John), 1937-1999
Extent: 1 linear foot, 4 linear inches; 3 boxes
Online items available
Repository:
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Abstract: This collection reflects Michael Farrell's work in the White House Visitors Office. First, during his time as a Staff Assistant
and then Special Assistant to President Nixon.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research. Some materials may be unavailable based upon categories of materials exempt from public release
established in the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974.
Most government records are in the public domain, however, this series includes commercial materials, such as newspaper clippings,
that may be subject to copyright restrictions. Researchers should contact the copyright holder for information.
Michael J. Farrell Papers, White House Special Files, 1969-1974. Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
These materials are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration under the provisions of Title I of
the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-526, 88 Stat. 1695) and implementing regulations.
Biography/Administrative History
Michael John Farrell was born on February, 19, 1937 in Peoria, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois and graduated
with a B.S. degree in 1960. Between 1960 and 1969, he worked at U.S. Steel Corporation as a Commercial Representative. In
1969, Farrell began his tenure with the federal government.
Farrell was hired as a White House Visitors Office Staff Assistant to President Richard Nixon. He held the position during
the years 1969-1971. He then became Special Assistant to the President in the same office until Nixon’s resignation in August
1974. Farrell stayed on as Director of the White House Visitors Office under President Gerald Ford until 1977. Following his
time as a White House staffer, Farrell returned to the private sector. By 1991, he was an administrator at Wheelabrator Technologies,
Inc. in Exeter, New Hampshire.
In April 1991, Education Secretary, Lamar Alexander, appointed Farrell Deputy Assistant Secretary for Student Financial Aid.
Farrell also served as Interim Assistant Secretary for Post-Secondary Education but he remained with the Education Department
for less than a year before resigning in November 1991.
Michael Farrell died on May 11, 1999 in San Francisco, California.
Scope and Content of Collection
The materials of Michael J. Farrell cover the years 1969-74. During this Period, Farrell served first as Staff Assistant
to the President in the Office of White House Visitors (1969-71) and then as Special Assistant to the President to the President
in the same office (1971-74. Materials of John S. Davies, Farrell's predecessor as Special Assistant, are included. The
chief responsibility of the Office of White House Visitors was to arrange White House tours and visitor related special events.
The series contains the Memoranda subseries, the Personnel Records subseries, and the Tour Reservation Files subseries. The
Memoranda subseries is divided into Presidential Memoranda and First Family Memoranda files. The Presidential Memoranda contains
original and copies of memoranda concerning various White House Visitors Office functions directly related to President Richard
M. Nixon, particularly the acceptance of gifts from the public. The First Family Memoranda files contain memoranda to the
First Lady, which are annotated with her replies. These relate to specific projects under her direction, such as candlelight
tours of the White House, the Annual Easter Egg Roll, and summer cruises on the Presidential yacht, the Sequoia. The Personnel
Records subseries contains resumes of applicants for positions on the White House staff and miscellaneous memoranda about
members of the existing staff. The Tour Reservation Files subseries contains original of tour reservations sheets and documents
the system of ticket allotment used for White House tours.
The White House Central Files, Staff Member and Office Files contain an additional 13 cubic feet of Farrell materials. The
Late Accretions File contains less than a foot. On September 12, 1974, the Office of Presidential Papers and Archives recorded
an exit interview with Farrell upon his departure from the Nixon White House staff.
Mike Farrell
Michael Farrell
Michael John Farrell