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Finding Aid to the William Byron Rumford papers, 1934-1982
BANC MSS 73/112 c
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Collection Title: William Byron Rumford papers
Date (inclusive): 1934-1982
Collection Number: BANC MSS 73/112 c
Creator:
Rumford, William Byron
Extent:
10 cartons, 1 box, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder (13.50 linear feet)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The William Byron Rumford papers including correspondence, subject files, legislative files and campaign materials.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Collection is open for research.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor
restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public
domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
[Identification of item], William Byron Rumford papers, BANC MSS 73/112 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Rumford, William Byron
California -- Legislature -- History.
Berkeley (Calif.)
Donated by William Byron Rumford in 1973 and 1984.
No additions are expected.
Processed by Mario H. Ramirez.
A California State Assemblyman for the 17th District from 1949-1967, William Byron Rumford was a steely pioneer who struggled
against the obstacles that would bar him and other people of color from succeeding and attaining parity. A proponent of fair
housing and employment legislation, Rumford equally concentrated his efforts on curbing youth unemployment and working towards
a higher minimum wage. A pharmacist by training and profession (he owned and ran Rumford’s Pharmacy in Berkeley), he also
focused on a number of health issues including the effects of air pollution and tuberculosis.
Scope and Content of Collection
Documenting the life and political career of the first African American elected to public office in Northern California, the
William Byron Rumford papers are a great resource not only for local Berkeley and California political history, but moreover
for the information they provide on the tenor and shift of attitudes towards race at the tail end of the 1950s and early 1960s.
The collection also ably documents Rumford’s controversial and contested Senate campaign and the numerous bills he worked
on while in office. Additional highlights include materials on the Negro Political Action Association of California (NPAAC)
and a small collection of broadsides, pamphlets and newsletters from white supremacists groups in California. In tandem with
other documents on civil rights, these materials provide a multi-faceted snapshot of the racial climate in the U.S. mid-century.