Esteban Torres Papers, 1949-1998, bulk Bulk, 1982-1998

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Summary

Creators:
Torres, Esteban E. (Esteban Edward), 1930-
Abstract:
Esteban Torres served eight terms in the United States House of Representatives as the Congressman for southeastern Los Angeles County. Prior to that he was an activist and labor organizer, the United States ambassador to UNESCO, and Special Assistant to the President for Hispanic Affairs under Jimmy Carter. This collection consists of his working papers, correspondence, and photographs. There is also a small amount of personal material.
Extent:
105.0 linear feet (104 record storage cartons; 1 oversize flat box)
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Esteban Torres Papers, 125. Chicano Studies Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of the collection relates to Esteban Torres's eight terms in the United States House of Representatives. Most of it consists of legislative files, which comprise research materials, correspondence, and drafts of bills written and under consideration by Torres. There is a great deal of material about environmental issues, as well as defense, labor, NAFTA, and consumer affairs legislation. There are also administrative files that reflect the work life of a member of Congress apart from voting. These include material about the maintenance of Torres's offices in Washington, D.C. and Pico Rivera, CA, as well as information about his participation in organizations such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which he was a senior member, and the Smithsonian Institution, of which he was a regent. The collection also contains correspondence, photographs, records from Torres's political campaigns, and many of the speeches he gave throughout the years. There is a small amount of material about his positions in the Carter administration, and from his personal life. There is also some audiovisual material and some realia, such as various awards he was given during his career.

Biographical / historical:

Esteban Torres was born January 27, 1930 in Miami, Arizona. As a young boy, he moved to East Los Angeles with his mother and grandmother. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army, serving at Fort Belvoir near Washington, D.C. during the Korean War. After his military service, he worked on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant in Los Angeles, and became active in the United Auto Workers union. UAW president Walter Reuther asked Torres to spearhead the creation of The East Los Angeles Communtiy Union (TELACU), a community development corporation intended to fight poverty in Chicano and other disadvantaged communities. Later, President Jimmy Carter asked Torres to become ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). After two years in that post, Carter asked him to serve as Special Assistant to the President for Hispanic Affairs. In 1982 Torres was elected to the United States House of Representatives for the newly drawn 34th congressional district, which encompassed much of southeatern Los Angeles County. Active in the Democratic Party and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he served on a variety of different committees and eventually became Deputy Democratic Whip. In 1998, he chose not to run for re-election and retired from the House at the end of the term.

Acquisition information:
Deed on file at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Archive Office.
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1. Legislative files
  • Series 2. Administrative files
  • Series 3. Correspondence
  • Series 4. Photographs
  • Series 5. Campaign files
  • Series 6. Pre-congressional career files
  • Series 7. Speeches
  • Series 8. Personal files
  • Series 9. Subject files
  • Series 10. Audiovisual material
  • Series 11. Awards, ephemera, and realia

Although it was not possible to reconstruct the original order of this collection, it is possible to glimpse traces of original filing systems in the way files clumped into various groups. For instance, files on the BKK landfill site in West Covina were found in four distinct groups: standing alone, amidst records organized by different cities in Torres's district, amidst material on toxic waste generally, and amidst material on Superfund sites. Rather than bringing all the files on BKK together, they have been kept apart to retain a semblance of the earlier filing system.

Gaps in box numbering are due to deaccessioning.

Physical / technical requirements:

Collection contains audiovisual material and digital material. Special equipment may be needed for safe viewing.

Physical location:
Materials are stored OFF-SITE at SRLF. All requests to access special collections materials must be made two weeks in advance. Please contact the CSRC Library for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research.

Terms of access:

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Esteban Torres Papers, 125. Chicano Studies Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Los Angeles, Chicano Studies Research Center Library, 193 Haines Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544, US
Contact:
(310) 206-6052
librarian@chicano.ucla.edu
Website