John V. Dowdy, Sr. Papers. Inclusive: 1926-1986, Undated Bulk:1952-1972, Undated
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John V. Dowdy, Sr. papers. Inclusive: 1926-1986, undated Bulk:1952-1972, undated. W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor Collections of Political Materials Baylor University, Waco, Texas Summary Information Creator Dowdy, John V., Sr., 1912-1995 Extent (quantity/size) 519 document, 6 record, and 4 oversize boxes Language English Abstract The John Dowdy papers span the period of his life from the mid-1920s to his death in 1995. While the bulk of the papers are from his congressional years (1952-1972), there are also considerable materials in the Personal series pertaining to his years as Court Reporter and District Attorney (1935-1952), as well as the series covering his trial and imprisonment (1965-1974). Subjects Democratic Party (U.S.) / Dowdy, John V. -- Archives -- Indexes. / Legislators -- Texas. / Political corruption -- United States. / Politicians -- Texas. / United States. -- Department of Housing and Urban Development. / United States. Congress. House. Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. / United States. Congress. House. Administrative Information Restrictions on Access and Use All requests for copying of materials must be submitted to the W. R. Poage Legislative Library in writing. Please use the Request Form for Copying Materials sheet. Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator (s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Use/Reproduction Restrictions: The collection is open for research, although some material is restricted Preferred Citation When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: John V. Dowdy, Sr. papers, Accession #7, Box #, Folder #, Baylor Collections of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University. Processing Information Described by Mary Goolsby and released on 2018-10-22. Scope and Content The John Dowdy papers span the period of his life from the mid-1920s to 1986. While the bulk of the papers are from his congressional years, 1952-1972, there are also considerable materials in the Personal and Political series pertaining to his years as a court reporter and District Attorney (1935-1952). Another series Trial and Imprisonment dates mainly from 1970 to 1974 with a few letters written as early as 1965 and as late as 1978. Dowdy’s Congressional papers (1952-1972) contain government files for office administration, agencies and commissions, departments, committees, correspondence, and legislation. Points of interest include the District of Columbia Committee files, the Judiciary Committee files, and the extensive correspondence related to urban renewal. John V. Dowdy papers, page 2 The correspondence comes from every state and usually deals with governmental overspending and scandals related to local projects. Dowdy’s Personal papers contain information about his family, his court reporter and legal files, along with media materials with 3" reel-to-reel tapes, 12" vinyl records, 16 mm film, cassettes, and video tapes. Some of the material has been digitized and captured on DVD and/or made into mp3 files. It is rounded out with campaign material, including speeches he gave on the campaign trail and at numerous civic meetings and events. Publications in this series show Dowdy’s conservative roots. The Trial and Imprisonment series contains legal documents related to the trial, including appeals, FBI and defense reports, personalities, proceedings, and a complete trial transcript. A large portion of the series is supportive correspondence from people in Dowdy’s district, Texas, and throughout the U.S. Of special note is the journal (restricted) Dowdy wrote while serving his time in prison. Administrative/Biographical History John Vernard Dowdy was born in Waco, McLennan County, Texas, on February 11, 1912. He spent his early years in Rusk, Texas, and graduated from high school in Henderson, Texas, in 1928. He attended the College of Marshall (now East Texas Baptist University) from 1929 to 1931. In the spring of 1932, Dowdy began working in a law office at Center, Texas, as a secretary, and in August became the official court reporter of the newly established 123rd Judicial District of Texas. From January 1, 1937, to January 1, 1945, he served as court reporter of the 3rd Judicial District in Athens, Texas. During this time, he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in 1940. He was elected District Attorney of the 3rd Judicial District in 1944 and took office on January 1, 1945, serving eight years until his election to Congress in 1952. Dowdy was elected as a Democrat to the 82nd Congress to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Tom Pickett. In the House, he served on the House Administration Committee and the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, serving as chairman of the Postal Operations Subcommittee in 1955 and 1956. He later served on the Judiciary and District of Columbia committees. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, he authored legislation for protecting National Defense facilities; amended criminal laws to embrace air piracy; empowered postal authorities to police the mails; and proposed reforms in the control of obscene, pornographic, and subversive literature. Dowdy was elected to ten Congresses serving from September 23, 1952, to January 3, 1973. However, his years of service were not without controversy. On March 31, 1970, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Baltimore, Maryland, on charges of conspiracy, perjury and promoting bribery. The indictment charged that Dowdy allegedly accepted a $25,000 bribe on September 22, 1965, to intervene in a federal investigation of Monarch Construction Company of Silver Springs, Maryland. Consequently, Dowdy was arraigned on the indictments on April 10, 1970. The trial began November 8, 1971, and he was convicted of eight counts on December 30, 1971. Subsequently, he announced his retirement from Congress on January 18, 1972 and began a six-month prison sentence on January 18, 1974. In documents donated by his family following his death in 1995, tapes, correspondence, and trial transcripts indicate that Dowdy may have been set up by those who opposed his conservative stance to urban renewal. These extensive documents are open to researchers. Related Resources Related citations Ben Rogers, Sarah Kenton, and Nancy Arreola. Papers of John V. Dowdy, Sr. Finding Aid. 1998 April. John V. Dowdy, Sr. papers, Accession #7, Baylor Collections of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University. Archival Arrangement John V. Dowdy papers, page 3 The John Dowdy papers are arranged in eight series: Administrative, Agencies and Commissions, Departments, Committees, Correspondence, Legislative, Personal, and Trial. The collection was re-processed in 2017-2018 and an Administrative series was added. Series 1: Administrative. 1939-1984, undated Administrative/Biographical History The Administrative series contains correspondence with requests, invitations, congratulations and condolences. Material chronicles Dowdy’s visits to the counties he represented, as well as his voting record. Alpha files round out the General subseries. The Post Offices subseries is organized by city and county, then year. News clippings, newsletters, news releases, broadcast scripts, both radio and television, make up the Press/Media subseries. Dowdy’s work on rivers within his district, especially the Trinity River, make up the bulk of the Projects subseries. The State of Texas subseries contains correspondence and subject files on education, employment, public welfare and redistricting. Subseries 1. General. 1952-1972, undated Box 1. Folder 1. Appreciation, 1965, 1970-1971 Box 1. Folder 2. Appreciation Dinner, 1962 Box 1. Folder 3. Appreciation Dinner, 1966 Box 1. Folder 4. Assassinations, 1971, undated Box 1. Folder 5. Athens, Texas (Water Bonds), undated Box 1. Folder 6. B-Files, 1965 Box 1. Folder 7. B-Files, 1966 Box 1. Folder 8. B-Files, 1967 Box 1. Folder 9. B-Files, 1968 Box 1. Folder 10. B-Files, 1969 Box 1. Folder 11. B-Files, 1970-1972 Box 1. Folder 12. Baptist Publications, 1965 Box 2. Folder 1. Beaumont Remedial Clinic, 1964 Box 2. Folder 2. C-Files, 1957, 1963 Box 2. Folder 3. C-Files, 1965 Box 2. Folder 4. C-Files, 1966 Box 2. Folder 5. C-Files, 1967 Box 2. Folder 6. C-Files, 1968 Box 2. Folder 7. C-Files, 1969 Box 2. Folder 8. C-Files, 1970 Box 2. Folder 9. C-Files, 1971 Box 2. Folder 10. C-Files, 1972 Box 2. Folder 11. Calendar of Events, undated Box 2. Folder 12. Calendar Requests, 1965 Box 2. Folder 13. Calendar Requests, 1966 Box 2. Folder 14. Calendar Requests, 1967 Box 2. Folder 15. Calendar Requests, 1968 Box 3. Folder 1. Calendar Requests, 1969 Box 3. Folder 2. Calendar Requests, 1970 Box 3. Folder 3. Calendar Requests, 1971-1972 Box 3. Folder 4. Church Correspondence, 1964 Box 3. Folder 5. Clifton, Texas, 1954-1969 Box 3. Folder 6. Clerk of the House, 1952 Box 3. Folder 7. Clerk of the House, 1955-1956 Box 3. Folder 8. Clerk of the House, 1958-1960 Box 3. Folder 9. Clerk of the House, 1961-1964 Box 3. Folder 10. Clerk of the House, 1965-1966 Box 3. Folder 11. Clerk of the House, 1967-1968, 1971 Box 3. Folder 12. Clubs, 1953-1954 Box 3. Folder 13. Commendations (1 of 2), 1958-1962 Box 4. Folder 1. Commendations (2 of 2), 1958-1962 Box 4. Folder 2. Commendations, 1963-1964 John V. Dowdy papers, page 4 Box 4. Folder 3. Commendations, Testimonial Dinner—Nacogdoches, 1961 Box 4. Folder 4. Committee Assignments, 1953 Box 4. Folder 5. Committee Assignments, 1964 Box 4.