UNlVERSllY U BRARIJES w UNIVERSITY of WASHI NGTON Spe ial Colle tions 3375 Alfred R. Rochester papers Inventory Accession No: 3048-001 Special Collections Division University of Washington Libraries Box 352900 Seattle, Washington, 98195-2900 USA (206) 543-1929 This document forms part of the Preliminary Guide to the Alfred R. Rochester Papers. To find out more about the history, context, arrangement, availability and restrictions on this collection, click on the following link: http://digital.lib.washington.edu/findingaids/permalink/RochesterAlfredR3048/ Special Collections home page: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/ Search Collection Guides: http://digital.lib.washington.edu/findingaids/search ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 GUIDE Biographical Alfred Rochester, born in 1895, is a member of a pioneer Seattle family, former public relations consultant and long time activist in the state Democratic Party. In September 1938 Rochester became State Director of the National Emergency Council. The Council, part of the Executive Office of the President, was created November 17, 1933 "to coordinate and make more efficient and productive the work of numerous field agencies of the Government." It had the power to call conferences of local federal administrators and directors in order to insure proper enforcement and implementation of federal statutes and programs. The council was the liason between the Federal Government and cities, counties and state government and also the agency through which the Federal Government introduced sample or enabling legislation in the state. Rochester was responsible for explaining and promoting such legislation. The NF.C was also responsible for making available general information about all phases of government activity. Through its Office of Information it sponsored a weekly radio program of interviews with government representatives. Another duty of the State Office was reporting to the NEC on the efficiency and effects of Federal programs and making recommendations for their improvement. It also reported on general conditions in the state and monitored local public opinion and public acceptance of government programs. Rochester frequently attended meetings of public associations and groups. On July 1, 1939 The National Emergency Council was abolished and its personnel and most of its functions transferred to the Office of Government Reports. Rochester headed that Office until June 1942 when it was transferred and consolidated into the Office of War Information. One of Rochester's activities as head of the Office of Government Reports was an attempt to aid the apple growers of Washington. Rochester worked with the Business~n•s Committee of North Central Washington and several Federal agencies in order to coordinate government assistance for the rehabilitation and refinancing of the apple industry. In 1944 Rochester was elected to the Seattle City Council where he served until defeated for re-election in 1956. During this time he also served as Seattle's Official Greeter (from 1951-56), welcoming every troop transport ship returning to Seattle during the Korean War. Rochester is credited with originating the idea of a World's Fair in Seattle when in 1955 as a city councilman he authored a memorial to the State Legislature. Rochester was appointed Executive Director of the Washington World's Fair Commission and served from 1959-1962. In this capacity he attended the 1961 National Governor's Conference in Honolulu to promote the fair. Rochester subsequently worked as Exhibits Expediter for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. A long time friend of Senator Warren G. Magnuson, Rochester was employed from 1971-77 as a Special Assistant to Magnuson. He worked part time in Magnuson's Seattle office and handled casework and personal matters for the Senator. See also taped interview with Alfred Rochester. ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 GUIDE Page 2 Notes on arrangement The papers document Rochester's public career. They have been subgrouped according to his activities and the subgroups have been arranged chronologically. The PERSONAL PAPERS subgroup consists of papers which did not belong with any other subgroup. The records in the U.S. NATIONAL EMERGENCY COUNCIL. WASHINGTON subgroup begin before Rochester's appointment. They include correspondence of his predecessor, James E. Bradford and Roland B. Johnston, the Executive Assistant. The WARREN G. MAGNUSON subgroup includes a small selection of interoffice correspondence and constituent mail. It is partly Rochester's correspondence and partly copies of Magnuson's correspondence. There is also a small file of correspondence regarding election campaigns in 1964 and 1968. Provenance The papers were presented to the Libraries in November 1979 and August 1983. ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 INVENTORY Box/Fldr Dates Subgroup U.S. NATIONAL EMERGENCY COUNCIL. WASHINGTON. 1/1 ORGANIZATIONAL FEATURES 1939, n.d. 1/2 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE RE: Pacific Northwest Regional May 1939 Planning Commission INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE 1/3 Carroll, Thomas P. 1936-37 1/4 Dykstra, S. H. 1936-37 1/5-1/9 Foster, Addison G. Sept. 1936, June 1939 1/10 Hamlin, Frank Mar.-June 1939 1/11 Johnston, Roland B. July 1936-June 1938 1/12-1/13 Leggett, Eugene S. Nov. 1934-Apr. 1939 1/14 Mellett, Lowell June 1938-June 1939 1/15 Miller, C. H. 1936 1/16 Mitchell, D. Stanley Jan.-Mar. 1937 1/17 Oulahan Richard Mar.-Oct. 1937 1/18 Root, Harriet Dec. 1934-Nov. 1938 1/19 Rowe, James H. Sept. 1935-Nov. 1936 1/20 Foster, Addison G., re: Della Graff Aug. 1935-0ct. 1938 1/21 RE: Wood, Alice Lawrence Jan. 1935-Nov. 1938 REPORTS 1/22 Report of Policy Committee to the Pacific Apr. 29, 1939 Northwest Regional Planning Conference 1/23 Operations Report of Federal Emergency Agencies Mar. 1933- June 30, 1936 1/24 PRESS RELEASES 1936, 1939 1/25 PUBLICATIONS 1938 U.S. GOVERNMENT REPORTS OFFICE. WASHINGTON. 1/26 ORGANIZATIONAL 1958, n.d. 1/27-1/29 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE July 1939-1942 ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 Page 2 Box/Fldr Dates U.S. GOVERNMENT REPORTS OFFICE. WASHINGTON. (continued) INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE 1/30-1/32 Foster, Addison Aug. 1939-Jan. 1941 1/33 Graff, Della 1939-1940 1/34 Hamblet, Philip C. Jan.-May 1942 1/35-1/37 Hamlin, Frank July 1939-Feb. 1940 1/38 Herring, Eleanor E. A. Feb. 1939-Sept. 1940 1/39 Mellett, Lowe 11 July 1939- July 1940, 1942 1/40 Mitchell, D. Stanley Oct. 1939-Dec. 1940 1/41 Root, Harriet 1939 1/42 U.S. Government Reports Office. Montana 1940 1/43 Walkinshaw, Walter Sept., Oct. 1940 1/44 NEWSLETTER · Oct., Nov. 1939, Feb. 1940 1/45 REPORTS 1939, 1940 1/46 PRESS RELEASES 1940 PUBLICATIONS 1/47 Directory of Federal and State Departments of Agencies 1939, 1940 in Washington (state) 1/48 Miscellaneous 1939-1942 SUBJECT SERIES 2/1-2/2 Reciprocal Trade Agreements Program 1940 SUBJECT SERIES - Business Men's Committee of North Central Washington (Julius D. Weinstein, chairman) 2/3-2/6 General Correspondence Oct. 1939-July 1941 2/7 Editorials 1933, 1939-1940 2/8 Writings 1939, 1940 2/9 Wall Chart 1939 2/10 Clippings 1940 SEATTLE. COUNCIL. 2/11 BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES 1956 2/12 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 1945-49, 1955-56 2/13 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE - PERSONAL 1956 ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 Page 3 Box/Fldr Dates SEATTLE. COUNCIL. (continued) 2/14 RESOLUTIONS 1953, 1955 2/15 REPORTS 1953, 1955, 1956, n.d. 2/16 SPEECHES AND WRITINGS 1948 2/17 ADDRESS LIST n.d. 2/18-2/23 PHOTOGRAPHS n.d. 2/24 EPHEMERA 1953 2/25-2/29 CLIPPINGS 1944-52 SUBJECT SERIES 2/30 Campaign 1956 2/31 Proposition I 1956 2/32 U.S.S. Valley Forge ca. 1953 Sub-subgroup FAR EAST TRIP 2/33 Itinerary and Programs 1953 2/34 General Correspondence 1953 2/35 General Correspondence - personal 1953 2/36 Speeches and Writings 1953 2/37 Messages 1953 2/38-2/39 Servicemen's Messages to Families 1953 2/40 Photographs n.d. 2/41-2/42 Ephemera 1953 2/43 Clippings 1953 Subgroups SEATTLE. CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION, 1962. 3/1 HISTORICAL FEATURES 1955, 1959-62 3/2 ORGANIZATIONAL FEATURES 1949, 1958-62 ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 Page 4 Box/Fldr Dates SEATTLE. CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION, 1962. (continued) MINUTES 3/3 World Fair Commission Aug. 19, 1955 3/4 Century 21 Commission 1960 3/5 Century 21 Commission (various subcommittees) 1958, 1960-62 3/6 Century 21 Exposition Commission 1961 3/6-3/7 World's Fair Commission 1961-62 3/8 INCOMING LETTERS 1960-63 3/9 OUTGOING LETTERS 1960-62 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 3/10 Miscellaneous 1956-63 3/11 RE: Passes (Gold and Silver) 1962 3/12-3/13 RE: Personal/Official favors 1962 3/14 RE: Plaza of the States 1961-62 3/15-3/18 RE: Rochester appointment schedule 1960-62 3/19 RE: Tickets for institutionalized children 1962 3/20 INVITATIONS 1962 3/21 FINANCIAL RECORDS 1960-62 3/22 LEGAL DOCUMENTS 1960, 1963 REPORTS 3/23 Activities of the Protocol Office of the Seattle 1962 World's Fair 3/24 Visitors' Reactions to the Seattle World's Fair October 1962 3/25 Miscellaneous 1960-62 3/26-3/27 SPEECHES AND WRITINGS 1955-62 3/28 PLAY BILLS 1962 3/29 LIST 1962 MAPS 3/30 Partial map of Seattle 1959 3/31-3/32, PUBLICATIONS 1952, 1958-62 7/1-7/3 ROCHESTER, ALFRED R. Accession No. 3048, 3048-2 Page 5 Box/Fldr Dates SEATTLE. CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION, 1962. (continued) 7/4-7/7 EPHEMERA 1962 4, 5 PHOTOGRAPHS 1962 6 PLAQUE 1962 7/8-7/19, CLIPPINGS 1961-62 9/1-9/12 SUBJECT SERIES 9/13 California Contacts - Promotional Presentations 1960 9/14 Naval Ships 1962 9/15 Opening Day Plans 1962 9/16-9/17 Theme Building 1961 Sub-subgroup NATIONAL GOVERNORS CONFERENCE, HONOLULU, HAWAII, 1961.