Edwin Meese papers, 1941-1991

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Summary

Creators:
Meese, Edwin
Abstract:
Speeches, correspondence, memoranda, reports, schedules, press releases, legal documents, printed matter, photographs, and sound recordings related to California politics and administration of the California state government during the governorship of Ronald Reagan; and to American domestic policy, Republican Party politics, and federal administration of justice during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.
Extent:
772 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 envelope, 5 sound cassettes, 2 motion picture film reels (325.0 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Edwin Meese papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Edwin Meese papers document Meese's role in the gubernatorial and presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan. The collection contains speeches, correspondence, memoranda, reports, schedules, press releases, legal documents, printed matter, photographs, and sound recordings related to California politics and administration of the California state government during the governorship of Ronald Reagan; and to American domestic policy, Republican Party politics, and federal administration of justice during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Meese began his work for Ronald Reagan during Reagan's two terms as governor of California. In his book With Reagan, Meese notes that he was recommended to the governor based on his experience with law enforcement. From 1967 to 1968, Meese served as legal affairs secretary, tasked with resolving issues of extraditions, prisons, and capital punishment, as well as acting as a liaison to legal, judicial, and law enforcement departments. From 1969 to 1974, Meese was executive assistant and chief of staff, directing the governor's executive office and serving on the cabinet. In this role, Meese also had responsibilities concerning the National Guard, the Office of Emergency Services, and the Office of Criminal Justice Planning. The Gubernatorial Administration of Ronald Reagan File documents Meese's work during this period through correspondence, clippings, memoranda, reports, schedules, speeches, and court documents.

During Reagan's campaign for the presidency in 1980, Meese served as chief of staff and senior issues advisor. In order to devote more time to the campaign, Meese spent less time teaching as a professor of law at UC San Diego and gave up his duties managing the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management. After Reagan was elected, Meese served as a counselor to the president and as a member of his cabinet.

Boxes 566 to 582 document the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal involving the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for Iran's help in releasing American hostages. In November 1986, after news of the scandal became public, Meese announced that some of the money gained from selling arms to Iran had been used to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. The collection includes clippings, correspondence, memoranda, testimony of Meese and others, phone logs, and chronologies related to the Iran-Contra Affair.

From February 1985 to August 1988, Edwin Meese held the position of attorney general of the United States. In this role, Meese influenced policy initiatives concerning drug abuse, civil rights, and criminal procedure, in addition to creating a national marijuana eradication program. His accomplishments included prevention and control of crime, improvement of the criminal justice system, protection of civil rights, promotion of economic growth, improvement of the legal system, government financial integrity, and the preservation of constitutional values. The Presidential Administration of Ronald Reagan File documents Meese's work during Ronald Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1988, including his efforts as the 75th attorney general of the United States.

As required by law, security-classified materials have been removed from the collection until they can be declassified by government officials.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1931 December 2
Born, Oakland, California
1954-1955
Served in the United States Army
1953
A.B. in public administration, Yale University
1958
Married Ursula Herrick
J.D., University of California, Berkeley
1959-1967
Deputy district attorney, Alameda County, California
1967-1968
Legal affairs secretary (previously called secretary on clemency and extradition) to Governor Reagan
1969-1974
Executive assistant, chief of staff to Governor Reagan, Sacramento, California
1975-1976
Vice president, administration, Rohr Industries, Chula Vista, California
1976-1980
Attorney at law
1977-1978
Director, Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management, University of California, San Diego
1977-1981
Professor of law, University of California, San Diego
1980
Chief of staff and senior issues advisor, Ronald Reagan Presidential Campaign
1981-1985
Member of the National Security Council
Member of President Reagan's Cabinet
Counselor to President Reagan, Washington, D.C.
1983
Recipient, Distinguished Public Service Award
1985 February-1988 August
U.S. attorney general, Washington, D.C.
1988-
Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy, The Heritage Foundation
Distinguished visiting fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California
1992
Author, With Reagan: The Inside Story
1996
President, Council for National Policy
1996-2004
Member, Board of Visitors, George Mason University
1997
Author, Making America Safer
2001-2013
Chairman, Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation
2004
Author, Leadership, Ethics and Policing
2006
Member, Iraq Study Group
2008
Named honorary Reagan fellow of Eureka College, Illinois
2012
Recipient, Bradley Prize
Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1991, with increments received in subsequent years.
Arrangement:

The collection was acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1991, and this initial accession, boxes 1-127, was arranged into seven groups: Biographical File, Speeches and Writings, White House Office File, Department of Justice Office File, Subject and Historical File, Sound Recordings, and Photographs.

The majority of the collection was received as an increment to this original accession. The incremental materials, boxes 128-774, have not been arranged, and the original order and titles have been retained. The materials are divided into two major groups based on Meese's service to Ronald Reagan during Reagan's terms as governor of California and president of the United States. The Index to Major Groups can serve as a guide to the incremental materials in the collection.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Box 509 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Edwin Meese papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
Website