Thomas A. Daschle Personal Papers

Color photograph of Senator Tom Daschle in his office

Identity elements

Reference code

DA 03

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Papers

Title

Thomas A. Daschle Personal Papers

Date(s)

  • 1968-2005 (Accumulation)

Extent

66.0 linear feet (66 records boxes)

Name of creator

(1947-)

Biographical history

Senator Daschle is one of the longest serving Senate Democratic Leaders in history, and the only one to serve twice as both Majority and Minority Leader. As the Democratic Party Leader, he co-managed the impeachment trial of President William Jefferson Clinton, only the second impeachment trial in United States history. Daschle also led the Senate in response to the attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the anthrax attack on his office on October 15, 2001.

Tom Daschle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, winning by fewer than 200 votes. He was reelected three times before running successfully for the U.S. Senate in 1986. He was re-elected twice to the Senate before being defeated in 2004. Daschle is considered a populist politician, which helped the Democratic Party win elections in a predominately Republican state. Senator Daschle quickly rose to leadership roles within Congress, becoming the Senate Democratic leader in 1994 and serving in that position until his defeat in 2004, thus becoming the second longest serving Senate leader in party history. He was a member of many committees during his tenure in the U.S. Congress, including the Senate Finance Committee, the Democratic Policy Committee, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, the Veterans and Indian Affairs Committees, and the Finance and Ethics Committee.

Family Background

Thomas Andrew Daschle was born on December 9, 1947 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He was the oldest of four sons born to Sebastian C. and Elizabeth Meier Daschle. He attended public and private schools in Aberdeen and was active in Scouts as a youngster. He played basketball, served as president of the student council, and was elected senior class president at Aberdeen Central High School. His growing interest in politics was nurtured by attending American Legion Boys State. Former Senator George McGovern made an impression on Daschle when he spoke at Tom's high school graduation ceremony.

aschle became the first person in his family to graduate from college, earning a political science degree from South Dakota State University in 1969. While in college he was a member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Political Science Club. He ran for sophomore class president in 1965, but lost.

Senator Daschle is married to Linda Hall Daschle and has three children, Kelly, Nathan and Lindsay.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

The Personal Papers are composed of materials Daschle separated from the rest of the collection which were of personal interest to him. Included are pre-congressional materials, campaign records, legislative records, correspondence, political records, media files, and files saved for their intrinsic value.

System of arrangement

This collection is arranged into series:

  • Series DA 3.0: Pre-Congressional Relations
  • Series DA 3.1: Campaign records
  • Series DA 3.2: Legislative Records
  • Series DA 3.3: Correspondence
  • Series DA 3.4: Political Records
  • Series DA 3.5: Save Files
  • Series DA 3.6: Media Activity

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Open. Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only. Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Related descriptions

Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

ID

DA003

ID

DA 3

Description control element

Rules or conventions

DACS, 2nd e. Society of American Archivists

Sources used

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Digital object metadata

Digital object (Master) rights area

Digital object (Reference) rights area

Digital object (Thumbnail) rights area

Accession area