Administrative Information
Ronald V. Dellums and His Congressional Career
Scope and Content
Organization
Controlled Access Headings
Bibliography
Title: Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers
Date Range : 1971-1999 inclusive
Collection number: MS 64
Creator:
Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-
Extent:
432 linear ft.
(432 boxes)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
510-637-0200
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.
Shelf 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.
Language:
Materials are in English.
Administrative Information
Access
The collections are open for research by appointment only. Appointments may be made by calling 510-637-0198.
Accruals
Additional materials may be added to this collection as donations are received.
Additional Materials
This collection contains only those materials suitable for treatment as archives. For more information on additional materials
not housed in the archives, contact the archivist at 510-637-0198.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the African American Museum & Library at Oakland. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please
contact the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public
Library
Acquisition Information
Gift of Ronald V. Dellums
Processing History
Processing of this fonds began in the Spring of 2005 and is still in progress. This is the first collection guide produced
for this fonds. All items are arranged in record series as recommended by the "Records Management Manual for Members of the
U.S. House of Representatives." As a result, the scope and content notes for the individual series have been paraphrased from
this manual. All materials have been housed in archival -quality boxes, folders and other enclosures. All boxes are standard
record carton dimensions unless noted otherwise. Most metal fasteners such as brads, staples, and paper clips have been removed
and replaced by plastiklips or other fasteners where appropriate or no fasteners at all. All audio and visual material has
been stored separately and in appropriate preservation storage settings. All the containers have been labeled and the processed
fonds is reflected in the Container List. This collection was processed by the following archival interns from the San Jose
State University School of Library and Information Science (SJSU SLIS), working under the supervision of Lecturer Lori A.
Lindberg: Katherine Dunham, Veronica Ehrenreich, Kate Hedstrom, Jennifer Johnson, Kate Kim, Laurie Skophammer, and Supriya
Wronkiewicz. The front matter and descriptive information for the Guide were written by Supriya Wronkiewicz and edited by
Lori A. Lindberg. EAD encoding of the Guide was produced by MLIS student Eric Milenkiewicz as part of the course requirements
for LIBR 284 - Seminar in Archives and Records Management at SJSU SLIS.
A debt of gratitude must be paid to the dozens of students who have worked with this material over two years and counting
as part of the processing practicum component of the SJSU SLIS course LIBR 256 - Archives and Manuscripts. The many MLIS
students who have sifted through vast amounts of material and assisted the lead archivist in the appraisal, weeding and rehousing
of this fonds have contributed tremendously to this processing effort.
This fonds is arranged chronologically within series, according to Congressional Session wherever applicable and in subject
order where appropriate. Materials with no discernible dates have been placed at the start of their respective series.
Ronald V. Dellums and His Congressional Career
(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.
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.
Organization
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.
- Agency/Department files (1 box)
- Audio/Visual materials (1 box)
- Campaign files (1 box)
- Case Files (1 box)
- Clippings (3 boxes)
- Committee Files (6 boxes)
- Congressional Membership Organizations (1 box)
- Constituent Correspondence (5 boxes)
- Legislative files (8 boxes)
- Memorabilia (X boxes)
- Newsletters (1 box)
- Office Management files (1 box)
- Personal Files (5 boxes)
- Photographs (1 box)
- Press Files (2 boxes)
- Recommendations and Appointments (1 box)
- Speeches (1 box)
- Staff (2 boxes)
- State District (1 box)
- Subject Reference (4 boxes)
- Unprocessed materials (376 boxes)
Controlled Access Headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Personal names:
Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-
Halterman, H. Lee
Barnett, Ida Nell
Subjects:
African Americans--Civil rights.
African Americans--Politics and government.
Berkeley (Calif.)--Politics and government.
Black militant organizations--United States.
Black Panther Party.
Black power--United States.
Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
Grenada--History--American Invasion, 1983.
Legislators--United States--Biography.
Oakland (Calif.)--Politics and government.
Political participation--United States.
Primaries--California--Case studies.
United States.Congress.House.Committee on National Security--Officials and employees.
United States.Congress.House--Biography.
United States--Military Policy.
United States--Politics and government--1945-1989.
United States--Politics and government--1989-
United States--Social conditions--1980-
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Atrocities.
Bibliography
Additional information about and written by Ronald V. Dellums, from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
(http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/bibdisplay.pl?index=D000222):
"Conversation with Ron Dellums" from the UC Berkeley Institute of International Studies: http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Dellums/, 1991.
"Ronald V. Dellums" in Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1989. Prepared under the direction of the Commission on the Bicentenary by the Office
of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991.
Dellums, Ronald V.
"The Responsibility of Black Politics."Black Scholar 10 (January/February 1979): 38-44.
Dellums, Ronald V., and H. Lee Halterman.
Lying Down with the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power. Boston: Beacon Press, 2000.
Dellums, Ronald V., with R.H. (Max) Miller and H. Lee Halterman.
Defense Sense: The Search For A Rational Military Policy. Cambridge, Mass.:Ballinger Publishing Company, 1983.
Fitch, Bob.
Right on Dellums! My dad goes to Congress. Photos and text by Bob and Lynne Fitch. Edited by Paul J. Deegan. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Educational Society, [1971].
James, Victor V., Jr.
"Cultural Pluralism and the Quest for Black Citizenship: The 1970 Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Primary Campaign."Ph.D. diss., University of California, Berkeley, 1975.
Towell, Pat.
"Dellums Walks a Delicate Line From Past to Chairmanship." Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report 51 (May 8, 1993): 1163-69.