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The collection contains the congressional correspondence, legislative papers, speeches, photographs, selected personal papers and scrapbooks of Hale and Lindy Boggs. Hale Boggs was Democratic House Majority Whip and Majority Leader prior to his death in 1972, when his wife, Lindy, took over his seat, which she held until 1991. Lindy would later go on to become the first female US ambassador to the Holy See, from 1997-2001.
The papers in the Hale Boggs series are arranged into topical sub-series. These include bills, correspondence, Majority Whip materials, Warren Commission papers, House Majority materials, Civil Rights materials, Congressional District Reapportionment materials, New Orleans office files, legislation, early career papers, personal correspondence, awards, memorials related to his death, AV materials and other assorted oversize items.
The papers in the Lindy Boggs series are arranged into topical sub-series. These include bills, speeches, legislative files, subject files, photographs, AV materials, political reapportionment, special events, public relations, meetings, phone calls, office files, speaking engagements, 1984 World Expo, voting records, scrapbooks and other papers.
The ambassadorial and post-ambassadorial series contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, transcripts and photographs of Lindy Boggs’ activities as US Ambassador to the Holy See (1997-2001), and papers related to Boggs’ activities following the end of her post. Boxes 1 through 9 contain the ambassadorial papers; Box 10 contains Boggs’ post-ambassadorial papers. Found in her correspondence are letters from prominent figures in the Catholic Church (including a note from Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI), as well as from various churches and dioceses across Louisiana. Boggs received large volumes of correspondence from friends and family, former constituents, and politicians. Many prominent politicians are featured in the incoming correspondence, including President Clinton; Vice President Al Gore; First Lady Hillary Clinton; Senators Joe Biden, John Breaux, Jesse Helms, Arlen Specter, Patrick Leahy, Dick Lugar and Mary Landrieu; Representatives Bob Livingston and Jim McCrery; Governors George W. Bush and Mike Foster; Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco; Ambassador to the UN and Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson; General Wesley Clark; and Mayor Richard Daley.