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Guide to the John G. Schmitz Campaign Materials
MS-R047
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Title: John G. Schmitz campaign materials,
Date (inclusive): 1968-1976
Date (bulk): 1972
Collection number: MS-R047
Creator:
Schmitz, John G., 1930-
Extent:
0.6 linear feet (1 box and 2 oversize folders)
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: This collection comprises news clippings, correspondence, memoranda, press releases and other papers related to the 1972 campaign
of John G. Schmitz as the nominee of the American Party for President of the United States. Also included are news stories
and publications by and about the national American Party and its affiliated state parties.
Language:
English.
Collection is open for research. Access to fragile originals is restricted when preservation photocopies are available.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Guide to the John G. Schmitz Campaign Materials. MS-R47. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine,
California.
Gift of John G. Schmitz, 1979.
Arranged in labeled folders and a brief inventory created in 1996. Fully processed by Tami Morse McGill in 2001.
John G. Schmitz was born on August 12, 1930 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1964 Schmitz was elected as a Republican to the California
State Senate and was reelected in 1966. He successfully ran for a seat in the United States Congress in 1970, where he represented
Newport Beach, California (35th District) for a single term. After losing his congressional reelection bid in the June primaries
in 1972, Schmitz was nominated to run for President of the United States by the American Party, known in California as the
American Independent Party. Although unsuccessful, he and his running mate Tom Anderson received over a million votes in
the 1972 presidential election. Schmitz returned to the Republican Party after this election and ran unsuccessfully for Congress
in 1976. He served again in the California State Senate from 1978-1982. Schmitz died on January 10, 2001, in Washington,
D.C.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises news clippings, correspondence, memoranda, press releases and other papers related to the 1972 campaign
of John G. Schmitz as the nominee of the American Party for President of the United States. Also included are news stories
and publications by and about the national American Party and its affiliated state parties.
Clippings include those collected by the Schmitz-Anderson campaign office. They consist of both publicity (press releases)
and unsolicited campaign coverage, and a few articles on Schmitz's activities before and after the campaign.
There are also a large number of letters and telegrams received by Schmitz or the campaign office. They include expressions
of support, requests for materials, statistics on the election results, and letters calling Schmitz's attention to particular
issues. Much of the correspondence also includes news clippings enclosed by the senders.
The collection includes newsletters and other documents concerning the history, activities, and platform of the American Party
and affiliated state parties, for example, the American Independent Party, the Courage Party, and the Kansas Conservative
Party. It does not contain any materials relating to Schmitz's terms in the California State Senate or the United States Congress.
The collection is arranged topically.
A related collection of political ephemera from Schmitz's senatorial office and campaigns can be found in the California Political
Publication and Ephemera Collection (MS-R14), Special Collections and Archives, the UC Irvine Libraries.
Papers relating John G. Schmitz's term in the United States Congress are at the Wichita State University Special Collections
and University Archives. A finding aid is available online at their Web site. Two sound tape reels and one film reel of
commercials used in Schmitz's presidential campaign are at the University of Oklahoma Political Commercial Archive, Department
of Communication, Burton Hall, Norman, OK 73019.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Schmitz, John G. 1930- --Archives.
American Party (1967- )--Archival resources.
American Independent Party (Calif.)--Archival resources.
Presidents--United States--Election--1972--Archival resources.
United States--Politics and government--Archival resources.
Orange County (Calif.)--Archival resources.
Campaign paraphernalia--United States.
Politicians--United States.