Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers, 1971-1999 inclusive

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Summary

Creators:
Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-
Abstract:
The Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers are evidence of Dellums' 27-year career (1971-1998) as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. It includes committee files, constituent correspondence, legislative bills, and personal files relating to his work and legislative achievements in the U.S. Congress. Highlights include photographs and memorabilia from Dellums' distinguished career and life.
Extent:
432 linear ft. (432 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.

Background

Scope and content:

The Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers consists of records, artifacts, memorabilia, and related items produced by activities undertaken during his 27-year career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. These materials include various committee files, hearing and report books; correspondence with constituents and colleagues; sponsored or cosponsored legislative bills; personal files; staff files; press releases and other publications; and subject reference files.

Significant items include original copies of correspondence and memoranda from fellow Congressmen, staff, and constituents, original copies of invitations to various functions, and photographs. Also included are memorabilia from Dellums' career and life (awards, plaques, certificates, Congressional and military commendations), video recordings of House Floor tributes upon his retirement from Congress and the notes and reports from his work overseeing the budgets of the Department of Defense.

Biographical / historical:

(This history has been adapted from information published on two World Wide Web sites: Dellums' entry on Wikipedia.com (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Dellums), and Dellums' biographical sketch from The Institute of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley (http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Dellums/Dellums.html).)

Ronald Vernie Dellums (1935-2018) was born on November 24, 1935 and lived most of his life in Alameda County, California. Following high school, he joined the Marines and was discharged in 1956. After his discharge Dellums went to college under the GI Bill, earning an AA from Oakland City College (1958), a BA from San Francisco State College (1960), and a Master of Arts in Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley (1962). He worked as a psychiatric social worker for the California Department of Mental Hygiene before being elected to the Berkeley City Council in 1967. Dellums was elected to the House of Representatives in 1970 and served in 14 Congressional Sessions until his retirement on January 3, 1999. During his tenure in the House, Dellums held several leadership positions. Significant leadership positions included service as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), and as a member of the House District of Columbia Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the latter of which he co-founded. Dellums also taught at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley. He served as the Mayor of Oakland, California, from 2007 to 2011.

A known pacifist and socialist, Dellums was noted throughout his congressional tenure for his strong views regarding peace through diplomacy and disarmament. As the chair of the HASC, he was a driving force behind a great amount of anti-aggression legislation. Examples of legislative peace initiatives include his opposition to the deployment of the MX ICBM missile. Funding for deployment of the missile was rejected by Congress in 1976 and again in 1981. In 1985 Dellums was responsible for supporting Congressional rejection of the deployment of the second wave of the missile system. The MX missile program was eventually scrapped by the Air Force. Other peace measures included limiting funding for production of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, spearheading legislation that culminated in no new acquisitions of the bomber following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1995. He came into the position of chair of the HASC via seniority and lost the position when the House switched control to a Republican majority following the 1994 elections.

Important foreign policy activity initiated by Dellums focused on social justice. Dellums' firm stand against, and Congressional leadership in the ending of, U.S. support for the apartheid government in South Africa culminated in the passing of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986. The bill had significant bipartisan support and was able to override a presidential veto from Ronald Reagan. Domestically, Dellums initiated and cosponsored legislation favoring civil liberties, the environment, and affirmative action. Another significant domestic policy contribution was the National Health Service Act. While ultimately vetoed, the Act has remained a significant model for the development of other comprehensive health policy initiatives.

While Dellums enjoyed many successes during his congressional career, he was not without detractors. A major controversy in his early career resulted from an official visit to Grenada in 1982 at the invitation of socialist Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Grenada was constructing an airstrip that Based on his visit, Dellums felt that Grenada posed no threat to the United States, sentiments that were later contradicted by a diary recovered following a U.S. Marine invasion stating that the airstrip in Grenada "will be used for Cuban and Soviet military." Compounding this was a letter from one of Dellums' chiefs-of-staff, Carlottia Scott, to the leader of Grenada, declaring Dellums' commitment to Grenada and admiration of Fidel Castro (only mentioned by first name). Conservative opponents considered these sentiments and Dellums' actions "treasonous". There were also allegations brought against him and one of his aides, John Apperson, regarding marijuana and cocaine use. Following an eight-month investigation, the allegations were dismissed based on lack of evidence.

When Dellums retired as Congressman in 1999, he did so with accolades from several of his fellow Congressmen and Congresswomen, including tributes from Representatives Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Tom DeLay (R-TX). Following his retirement from Congress Dellums worked as a lobbyist for a variety of companies and industries, some of which garnered public criticism. He announced his candidacy for Mayor of Oakland, California, in October 2005. Following a two-week contentious ballot counting process, Dellums was unofficially announced Mayor-elect on June 16, 2006, and served as the forty-eighth Mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011. Dellums passed away on July 30, 2018, at age 82.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Ronald V. Dellums
Arrangement:

The collection is organized in 20 record series, divided into subseries when appropriate. Note: The processing of this fonds is still in progress, so this information is subject to change. The analog and the digital finding aids will be updated regularly. At present, the total processed volume (not including Memorabilia) is 47 boxes.

  1. Agency/Department files (1 box)
  2. Audio/Visual materials (1 box)
  3. Campaign files (1 box)
  4. Case Files (1 box)
  5. Clippings (3 boxes)
  6. Committee Files (6 boxes)
  7. Congressional Membership Organizations (1 box)
  8. Constituent Correspondence (5 boxes)
  9. Legislative files (8 boxes)
  10. Memorabilia (X boxes)
  11. Newsletters (1 box)
  12. Office Management files (1 box)
  13. Personal Files (5 boxes)
  14. Photographs (1 box)
  15. Press Files (2 boxes)
  16. Recommendations and Appointments (1 box)
  17. Speeches (1 box)
  18. Staff (2 boxes)
  19. State District (1 box)
  20. Subject Reference (4 boxes)
  21. Unprocessed materials (376 boxes)
Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the archivist at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland at 510-637-0198.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using DACS.

Access and use

Location of this collection:
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612, US
Contact:
(510) 637-0198
aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
Website