Jo Ann Emerson Congressional Papers c. 1970-2013 (bulk 1997-2013) Extent: ~100 linear feet Accession Number: 2014.003 Abstract: Materials related to Jo Ann Emerson’s service in the United States Representatives as a congresswoman from Missouri’s 8th congressional district from 1996 to 2013. Includes subject files; press releases; periodicals and clippings; articles; hearing booklets; correspondence; speeches; campaign materials; and thousands of photographs along with other audiovisual material; books; and artifacts. Some materials relate to Jo Ann Emerson’s husband Bill Emerson, who preceded her in Congress. Processed By: Holly Pletka, 2016-2017 Repository: Special Collections and Archives, Southeast Missouri State University Phone: (573) 651-2245; Fax: (573) 651-2666; Email: [email protected] Provenance: Donated by Jo Ann Emerson, 2014 Citation: Jo Ann Emerson Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Southeast Missouri State University. Biographical Note: Jo Ann Hermann Emerson was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on September 16, 1950. She was the daughter of Albert B. Hermann and Sylvia B. Bernstein Hermann and had one sister. Her father served at one time as the executive director of the Republican National Committee. In 1972, Emerson graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. After graduating, she worked in communication and lobbying roles for the American Insurance Association, the National Restaurant Association, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Jo Ann Hermann married Norvell William “Bill” Emerson on June 22, 1975. Bill Emerson died of lung cancer on June 22, 1996. Jo Ann Emerson then married Ron Gladney, an attorney, in January 2000. Bill and Jo Emerson had two daughters; she also has five stepdaughters and a stepson from her husbands’ previous marriages. Bill Emerson represented Missouri’s 10th and 8th districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death. In November 1996, Emerson was elected to finish her husband’s term in the 104th Congress, and also to a new full term in the 105th Congress. Emerson was the first Republican woman to represent Missouri in Congress. She was eventually reelected eight times, representing Missouri’s 8th district from 1996 to 2013 (104th Congress-113th Congress). The rural, agricultural district included all of the southeast and much of the south central region of the state. In her first full term (105th Congress, 1997-1999), Emerson served on three House Committees: Agriculture; Small Business; and Transportation and Infrastructure. She also served as a co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Center, a bipartisan, nonprofit organization aimed at relieving domestic and international hunger which had originally been co-chaired by Bill Emerson. From the 106th Congress (1999-2001) until her resignation, Emerson served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee; like most of that committee’s members, she served no other committees during that time. Eventually, in the 112th Congress (2011-2013), she became the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and Government. Emerson resigned from Congress on January 22, 2013, to become president and chief executive officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She retired from that position in 2016 for health reasons. Scope and Content Note: This collection consists primarily of materials created and collected by Jo Ann Emerson and her office during her service in Congress. The bulk of the materials are subject files created by Emerson and her staff about issues before the House of Representatives and the committees on which she served. Particularly significant are materials related to Emerson’s work on subcommittees of the House Committee on Appropriations. There are also significant materials about Emerson’s campaigns for office as well as some materials about Bill Emerson. Also of note are over 11,000 original photographs documenting the Emersons’ lives and service, along with many audio and video materials. The collection is arranged into thirteen series: Topical & Date Files, House Committee Files, House Committee on Appropriations, Congressional Hunger Center Files, Correspondence, Speeches, Campaign Materials, Bill Emerson Files, General Files, Audiovisual Materials, Books, and Artifacts. Rules or Conventions: Finding Aid prepared using DACS. Archivist’s Note: Three series of this collection (Audiovisual Materials, Books, and Artifacts) are still undergoing processing. Series Descriptions Series I: Topical & Date Files (1996-2013) Includes files assembled by Emerson’s office, arranged chronologically. Primarily consists of any newspaper and magazine articles that mention Emerson or discuss issues she was interested in and events in her district. Also included are press releases issued by her office. Most newspaper articles have been photocopied to reduce bulk and handling of the originals. Series II: House Committee Files (1995-1998) Contains files related to the three House committees that Emerson served on from 1997 to 1999: the Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Small Business. Files arranged by Emerson’s office. Consists primarily of topical subject files, along with some hearing booklets. Series III: House Committee on Appropriations (1996-2013) Contains files related to the various Appropriations subcommittees that Emerson served on from 1999 to 2013. Files are arranged into ten subseries; each subseries is left in order as arranged by Emerson’s office. Contains primarily subject files, along with some hearing booklets. Subseries I: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies (1993-2013) Includes files on issues related to agriculture and development. Subseries II: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related (2000-2012) Includes files on commerce, including the embargo against Cuba. Subseries III: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia (2004) Includes a single file with the 2004 appropriations for the District of Columbia. Subseries IV: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (1997- 2012) Includes files about different types of energy and energy use as well as issues relating to floods and water projects within Emerson’s district, especially the St. Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway. Subseries V: Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (2003-2012) Includes files related to the oversight of different government organizations such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Subseries VI: Subcommittee on Homeland Security (2006-2007) Includes files related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as the September 11 attacks. Subseries VII: Subcommittee on Interior and Environment (2003-2013) Includes files related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and national and state parks. Subseries VIII: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch (2003) Contains a single file related to the 2003 appropriations for the Legislative Branch. Subseries IX: Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure (1998- 2012) Includes files on the Interstate Highway system and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Subseries X: Subcommittee on the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government (1991-2003) Contains files on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and certain federal buildings within Emerson’s district. Series IV: Congressional Hunger Center Files (2001-2011) Contains files organized by Emerson’s office that relate to the Congressional Hunger Center. Emerson served as co-chair of the center’s board of directors. Includes subject files on programs such as Bread for the World and Victory Against Hunger. Many files refer to the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program and the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust. Series V: Correspondence (1997-2012) Contains letters and cards to and from Emerson, primarily from other members of Congress and constituents, arranged chronologically. Includes constituent requests for Emerson’s assistance. Many subject files in other series also contain correspondence related to their topics. Series VI: Speeches (2003-2006) Includes written drafts of twelve speeches that Emerson gave throughout her terms in Congress, mostly at events such as Veterans Day celebrations, arranged chronologically. Series VII: Campaign Materials (1996-2012) Primarily includes surveys from organizations whose endorsement Emerson was seeking in her 1998 re-election campaign. Also includes some campaign stickers, as well as all of Emerson’s official election certificates from the state of Missouri from 1996 to 2012. Files are in order as arranged by Emerson’s office. Series VIII: Bill Emerson Materials (1980-1996) Includes materials belonging to and related to Bill Emerson. The bulk of the papers concern Bill Emerson’s service on the House Committee on Transportation. Also contains a few of Bill Emerson’s election certificates from 1980 to 1994, and some materials regarding his death. Primarily consists of newspaper articles in addition to subject files. Also includes presidential signing pens given to Bill Emerson. These files are arranged by topic. Series IX: General Files (1997-2012) Includes files on various topics, such as Medicare, healthcare, stem cell research, and school prayer, among others, collected by Jo Ann