A-Z Correspondence , 1954

The Personal and Political Papers Series contains material about the Sparkman family, posters, and personal mementos, such as a shift schedule written by John J. Sparkman in 1923 while he was a student working at The University of Alabama’s power plant. There are also magazine covers commemorating major achievements made by Sparkman during his tenure in Congress, along with a number of certificates, awards, and plaques from local, state, and national organizations. These include a CUNA International award regarding Sparkman’s work pertaining to credit unions, a plaque from Jewish group Chabad Lubavitch of Alabama, and items from various builders’ associations and universities. The series includes publications collected or received by Sparkman, files covering Sparkman’s monetary contributions, and biographical material, particularly drafts for a biography of Sparkman that was being written by his press secretary, Grover Smith. The Personal and Political Papers Series contains correspondence with friends and government officials, including Alabama politicians Lister Hill, Hugo Black, and Frank Boykin; correspondence related to the decline of the Democratic Party in the South; and approximately twenty-eight boxes of correspondence regarding invitations for Sparkman’s participation in appointments, meetings, and public events. It also includes materials pertaining to Sparkman’s administrative assistants John Horne (1947-circa 1951; 1953-1961), Lewis Odom Jr. (1960s), and Octa Watson (circa late 1970s). The series documents Sparkman’s campaigns for political office, including his unsuccessful 1952 run for US vice president on the Democratic ticket with presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson. There is also information about Alabama voting patterns, a document called "Treatment of Civil Rights in the Platform of the Democratic Party," and publications related to the Democratic National Convention. The Personal and Political Papers series includes some speeches, although most speeches can be found in the Press and Media Materials Series.