SERIES STATEMENT

The Jack Hightower Papers at the Legislative Collections Library of Baylor University consist of approximately 382 linear feet of materials documenting the years 1951 to 1984. Included in the papers are extensive correspondence, newspapers clippings, campaign materials, documents, and financial records covering most of Hightower's activities during this period. The Hightower Papers are divided into eleven series:

I. Files and Records, 1951-1966. This series covers the years prior to Hightower's election to the Texas Senate, and includes files and records relating to his membership in the Texas House of Representatives (1953-54), and his position as District Attorney of Vernon, Texas (1955-61). Also included in this series is material relating to his membership on the Baylor University Board of Trustees and his involvement in various other professional and fraternal organizations.

II. The Texas Senate, 1965-1974. This series is subdivided into five sections, one for each Legislature. Included in this series is also material documenting the Texas constitutional convention, which Hightower attended as a delegate. Held in 1974, the constitutional convention was an attempt to revise the 1876 state constitution.

III. U.S. Congress, Legislative Files. These files are further subdivided by Congress, Committee files, legislative subject files, voting records, and organization files. Well represented in the Legislative Files are a variety of major issues important during this period; particularly well documented among them are energy concerns, social security revisions, and efforts to reduce the federal budget defecit. Included are extensive files representing Hightower's membership on the House of Rep-resentatives Agriculture Committee, Appropriations Committee, and Select Committee on Hunger. Finally, the Organization Files sub-series reßect the organizational concerns of the House of Representatives. Included are files on various House caucuses, leadership elections, and notices and correspondence from the Democratic Party leadership.

IV. General Correspondence. This series consists of the large bulk of correspondence on general matters, mostly from constituents.

V. Casework Files. This series consists of case files of individuals and organizations who Hightower and his staff helped with problems involving the federal govern-ment. These files are divided on the basis of administering office: Washington, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, and Vernon.

VI. Project Files. This series consists of files on public works projects in the Thirteenth District with which Hightower was involved. Particularly important were Hightower's attempts to improve flood control on Holliday Creek in the face of massive reductions in spending for Corps of Engineers projects in the early 1980s (see page 82 for more information).

VII. Election Files. This series consists of files generated by Hightower's six congressional campaigns. Included are the financial records for all of these campaigns.

VIII. Executive Branch Files. This series consists of informational files on the White House, executive agencies, commissions, and departments.

IX. Subject Files. This series consists of informational files kept on a broad range of subjects. Agriculture, energy, and and an adequate water supply are all important subjects to Texas' Thirteenth District. Consequently, these subjects were also the key focus of Hightower's legislative interests and are well documented in this series, and throughout the Hightower Papers. Included here are also files on the consideration of Deaf Smith County as a site for a nuclear waste disposal site.

X. Office Records and Files. This series consists of the administrative files and records relating to the management of Hightower's Washington office. Also included in this series are the press files, consisting of a variety of press related material such as press releases and press clippings.

XI. General Files. This series consists of files on Thirteenth district disaster assistance, correspondence files on non-district matters, files recording Hightower's various trips both abroad and within the United States, and files of personal correspondence.

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