Records in process: Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions, an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or email including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.
Records series described in this finding aid have access restrictions specific to each of them. The terms of access are found in the finding aids for series and office records.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.
To view the videotapes or listen to the audiocassettes please contact the Archives' Preservation Officer.
Records contain information on 3.5 inch computer disks and CD ROMs.
Indices to portions of Governor Bush's records are available on CD ROM in Microsoft Access, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.
(Identify the item and cite the series and office), Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state, elected by the citizens every four years. The duties and responsibilities of the governor include serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces; convening special sessions of the legislature for specific purposes; delivering to the legislature at the beginning of each regular session a report on the condition of the state, an accounting of all public money under the governor's control, a recommended biennial budget, an estimate of the amounts of money required to be raised by taxation, and any recommendations he deems necessary; signing or vetoing bills passed by the legislature; and executing the laws of the state. The governor can grant reprieves and commutations of punishment and pardons, upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and revoke conditional pardons. He appoints numerous state officials (with the consent of the Senate), fills vacancies in state and district offices (except vacancies in the legislature), calls special elections to fill vacancies in the legislature, fills vacancies in the United States Senate until an election can be held, and serves as ex officio member of several state boards.
The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas. The position now exists under authority of Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution of 1876 and Texas Government Code, Chapter 401. To be elected governor, a person must be at least thirty years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election. In 1972, the term of office was extended from two to four years, effective in 1975. Since 1856 the governor has had the use of the Governor's Mansion.
In 1999 there were 198 full time equivalent employees in the Office of the Governor. Thirteen divisions outside of the Executive Office assist the governor in carrying out his functions: Administration, Appointments, Budget & Planning, Communications, General Counsel, Legislative, Policy, Scheduling, Criminal Justice Division, Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, Office of Film, Music, Television and Multimedia Industries, Women's Commission, and Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness.
George W. Bush served as governor of Texas from January 17, 1995 to December 21, 2000, resigning as governor in the middle of his second term to become president of the United States.
As a Republican, he challenged the incumbent governor, Democrat Ann Richards, running on promises to improve public education and to reform the juvenile justice system, welfare, and the state's tort laws -- the system under which an injured person may sue for damages. During the 74th Legislature in 1995, he worked with the Democrats who controlled both houses of the Texas legislature and managed to get bills passed that dealt with the four issues he had emphasized in his campaign. Bush was seen as pro-business and a consensus-builder.
Bush advocated and signed the two largest tax cuts to date in Texas history, totaling over $3 billion. To pay for the cuts, he sought (unsuccessfully) federal approval of a plan to privatize Texas' social services. Education reform was a priority throughout his terms, with legislation emphasizing local control of schools, higher standards, and a revised curriculum. Controversy has followed, with charter schools mired in financial scandals and protests against one test determining a child's promotion. After winning reelection in 1998, Bush began his bid for the presidency and was not as involved in the 76th Legislature in 1999.
George W. Bush was born July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He graduated from Andover Academy, and received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's from Harvard Business School. He served as a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. In 1978, Bush was defeated in a run for the U.S. Congress in West Texas. He was involved in energy exploration from the 1970s into the 1980s. From 1989 until his election as governor, Bush worked with the Texas Rangers baseball organization, leading a group of partners in purchasing the team, and then serving as managing general partner. He married Laura Welch in 1977; they have two daughters.
Records are correspondence, memoranda, legal records, legislative records, financial records, speeches, reports, meeting records, publications, printed material, lists, calendars and schedules, audio and video tapes, and photographs, dating 1854-2000 (bulk 1995-2000), created during George W. Bush's terms as Governor of Texas. Included are records of Bush's executive assistant, Joe Allbaugh, and Senior Advisor Margaret LaMontagne, as well as records of the following offices: General Counsel, Policy, Legislative, Budget and Planning, Grants Team, First Lady, Press, Executive, Scheduling, Correspondence/Constituent Services, and the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. The Appointments office, Criminal Justice Division, and Film Commission are also represented by a small amount of materials. Major subjects represented in the records are criminal justice, economic development, education, emergency management, executions, legislation, and the state budget.
This finding aid is a work in progress. Some series have been processed, others are still undergoing processing. All series yet to be processed are included in the framework of the finding aid. As these series are processed, this finding aid will be updated and links will be provided for separate finding aids containing fuller descriptions and folder listings.
These records are organized into 15 subgroups and 87 series:
Texas State Archives staff, February 2003 to June 2004
In order to present to the public as much information about the records as possible, the finding aid is mainly composed of descriptions created during a preliminary inventory of the records conducted by archivists at the Texas State Archives in September and October 2002. As series are prepared for research, this finding aid is updated, replacing basic information with links to separate finding aids containing fuller descriptions and folder lists.
A CD-ROM containing finding aids created by the Governor's Office and a folder listing begun by the Bush Library and completed at the Texas State Archives is available from the Texas State Archives.
Accession numbers: 2002/151, 2003/026
In December 2000, Governor George W. Bush designated the George Bush Presidential Library as the repository for the records from his tenure as Governor of Texas, under authority of Texas Government Code, Section 441.201. Shortly after he left office, the records were shipped to the Bush Library in College Station, Texas. Texas Attorney General John Cornyn ruled the records are state records subject to the Texas Public Information Act and the management of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission even after transfer to a federal facility (Opinion No. JC-0498, May 3, 2002). In July 2002 the records were transferred from the Bush Library to the Texas State Archives in Austin for preparation for research use. In June 2003, a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and George W. Bush replaced a January 2002 interim memorandum of understanding. The records will be returned to the Bush Library after the project has been completed. An additional box of records was transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission from the Texas Office of the Governor on October 9, 2002.
Records are subject files, correspondence, general office files, publications, printed material, calendars, and audio and videotapes, dating 1987-1989, 1992-2000 (bulk 1995-1999), from the Executive Assistant's Office. Joe Allbaugh served as Executive Assistant to Texas Governor George W. Bush from 1995 to June 1999. Subjects cover the range of issues facing the governor, including appointments, the environment, transportation, child support enforcement by the Texas Attorney General, the LaSalle shipwreck, gambling, the tobacco settlement, and computer glitches based on the two digits allocated to expressing a four-digit year (Y2K). Files also exist for functions of and divisions within the Governor's Office such as emergency management and Criminal Justice Division, state and federal agencies, corporations, and organizations. Files are present concerning the Governor's office policies and procedures. Some files of Deputy Executive Assistant Dale Laine are included. Correspondents include Governor's Office staff such as the general counsel, state and federal agencies' staff, executives of corporations, and others.
Joe Allbaugh served as Executive Assistant to Governor Bush from January 1995 through June 1999, after which he joined Bush's presidential campaign. The executive assistant was directly responsible for the Scheduling Office, internal auditor, Governor's Mansion administration, and emergency management. In addition, memos from staff directed to the governor generally went through Allbaugh. He managed the day to day operations of the Governor's Office and appears to have assigned responsibilities to staff and directed workflow. Reggie Bashur was deputy executive assistant in 1995; Dale Laine served as deputy executive assistant in 1996 and 1997. Joyce Sibley served as Allbaugh's administrative assistant.
These records are organized into seven series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Tony Black, November 2002 [Deputy Executive Assistant Dale Laine's files]
Subject files contain correspondence, memos, reports, printed
material, photographs, videotapes, and other attachments, 1994-1999, from the
Executive Assistant's Office in the Texas Governor's Office. Joe Allbaugh
served as executive assistant to Governor George W. Bush. Records concern
issues such as appointments, criminal justice, emergency management, the
environment, transportation, child support enforcement by the Texas Attorney
General, the LaSalle shipwreck, gambling, the tobacco settlement, and computer
glitches based on the two digits allocated to expressing a four-digit year
(Y2K). Files also exist for functions of and divisions within the Governor's
Office such as emergency management and the Criminal Justice Division, state
and federal agencies, corporations, and organizations. Correspondents include
Governor's Office staff such as the general counsel, state and federal
agencies' staff, executives of corporations, and others. A file list is located
in the Administrative files series. See the
These records are arranged alphabetically by subject and then generally are in reverse chronological order. The files were originally arranged alphabetically in two separate runs, but are being integrated into one run. The second set of files may have been created when the filing cabinets were full.
(Identify the item), Subject files, Executive Assistant's Office files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Records are correspondence with attachments including clippings, printed material, a photograph, and a videotape, 1995-1998, from the Executive Assistant's Office in the Texas Governor's Office. Subjects in the correspondence file include requests and thanks for meetings, recommendations for appointments, legislation, emergency management, the Union Pacific/Southern Pacific railroad merger, criminal justice issues, redistricting, electric industry, economic development, problems with agencies, Republican caucus, Four County Task Force, and offerings of products and services. Correspondents include corporate executives, state legislators, governors and officials from other states, federal officials, and constituents. Joe Allbaugh served as executive assistant to Governor George W. Bush.
These records are arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent, and then chronologically. A few documents are filed by name of the state (New Mexico, Virginia, etc.).
(Identify the item), Correspondence file, Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Records are correspondence, resumes, employment and appointment
applications, biographical information, printed material, and clippings,
1987-1989, 1992-1999, sent to or from Joe Allbaugh, Executive Assistant to
Texas Governor George W. Bush. Letters request or recommend employment for
individuals: within the Governor's Office, with other state agencies (including
the Lottery Commission, General Services Commission, and Texas Department of
Housing and Community Affairs executive director positions), with the potential
presidential campaign, or other positions. There are occasional offers of
resignation or assistance and requests for appointments. Materials are included
both for individuals who were hired and those who were not hired. Biographical
information and employment history for some of Governor Bush's staff is
contained in the files. Recommendations are authored by Joe Allbaugh, Karl
Rove, Governor Bush's family and friends, members of the Texas Legislature and
U.S. Congress, and others. The requests forwarded to the presidential
exploratory committee were originally in a folder titled
These records are divided between those relating to the Governor's Office and those forwarded to Bush's presidential exploratory committee; both are arranged alphabetically by last name of applicant.
(Identify the item), Requests and recommendations, Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Records are memos, travel vouchers, time sheets, resumes, emergency management correspondence, staff directories, file inventory, and meeting material for various governors associations, 1995-2000, from Joe Allbaugh's Office in the Texas Governor's Office. Allbaugh served as executive assistant to Governor George W. Bush. Memos are mainly routine concerning senior staff meeting times or receptions for artists, but a few although seemingly routine, shed light on procedures such as the routing of political mail to the campaign office and the suggestion for Governor Bush to personally call big donors. The materials postdating Joe Allbaugh's time at the Governor's Office concern routine letters declaring disaster areas or other emergency management issues. Also included are Joe Allbaugh's calendars.
These records are arranged roughly by type of material.
(Identify the item), General files, Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Records are reports, guides, directories, publications, books, meeting material, presentation material, videos, etc. received from corporations, organizations, and state and federal agencies, 1995-1997, housed in Executive Assistant Joe Allbaugh's Office in the Texas Governor's Office. Some items were entered in the Correspondence database and assigned a tracking number.
These records are arranged in no apparent order.
(Identify the item), Publications and printed material, Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Records are three calendars, 1998-1999, providing information on Joe Allbaugh's schedule. Joe Allbaugh served as Executive Assistant to Texas Governor George W. Bush. Two calendars for 1998 provide mostly duplicate information. The smaller volume was annotated by Allbaugh; the larger calendar was maintained by his office staff, and usually contains additional contact information for individuals meeting with Allbaugh. The 1999 calendar was maintained by Allbaugh's office staff. Entries covering his work as Executive Assistant date only to June 18, 1999. Allbaugh left the Governor's Office to join Bush's presidential campaign staff in July 1999. Individuals listed in the calendars include Governor Bush and Governor's Office staff, state agency officials and employees, legislators, Karl Rove, and representatives of organizations.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Calendars, Executive Assistant's Office files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush.Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
These records include correspondence, legislative documents,
notes, reports, press releases, news clippings, speeches, and briefings. They
comprise the files of Dale Laine, who was Deputy Executive Assistant to
Governor George W. Bush. They date 1996-1997 (mostly early 1997).
Correspondence includes letters, memoranda, faxes and e-mail; correspondents
include The Coalition for Property Tax Reform, the Houston Works Board, Texas
Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Texas Department of Commerce,
Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission, Texas Workforce Commission,
Karl Rove, etc. Dale Laine was sometimes the recipient or the sender of the
communication, but he was frequently simply copied in. Legislative documents
include copies of bills, Legislative Budget Board tax/fee equity notes, fiscal
notes, a daily floor report, and lists indicating how each member of the
legislature voted on a given issue. The subjects of these files include (most
prominently) property tax reduction, but also economic/workforce development,
and effects of military base closures. Of particular interest is a notebook
labeled
At least as early as May 1996, and at least through May 1997, Dale Laine held the position of Deputy Executive Assistant in Governor George W. Bush's administration. Prior to Laine, Reggie Bashur was referred to as Deputy Executive Assistant (1995). There is no evidence that anyone held that position for the rest of Governor Bush's term (1998-2000).
These records are not arranged in any discernible order. They were loose and placed into folders, but no attempt has been made to arrange them. The exception is that the materials in one loose-leaf notebook have been foldered by the dividers in that notebook.
None found at this time (November 19, 2002).
None.
(Identify the item), Dale Laine's files, Executive Assistant's Office files, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tony Black, November 2002
These records include correspondence, e-mails, faxes, and memos; notes; newsletters, brochures and other publications; newspaper and magazine clippings; copies of bills and other legislative records; attorney general opinions/advice and litigation documents; press releases and speeches; reports (both narrative and statistical); drafts and other policy development files; agenda and minutes; resumes and applications for employment; executive orders; conference packets; mailing lists; travel documentation; purchase documentation; forms; procedure manuals; maps; videotapes; and audiotapes. Records date 1948, 1964-1965, 1978, 1980-1983, 1986-2000, undated (bulk 1995-2000). They comprise records of the Office of Senior Advisor (Margaret LaMontagne) during the tenure of George W. Bush as Texas Governor (1995-2000). The vast majority of the records reflect the Bush administration's policies concerning education, with a small amount of records pertaining to appointments, thus reflecting the role of Margaret LaMontagne as (initially) deputy director of appointments, retaining some appointment functions after her promotion to education advisor.
Margaret La Montagne began working in the Governor's Office in January 1995 as Deputy Director of Appointments. After the 74th legislative session (1995), her title was changed to Senior Advisor reporting directly to the governor and her office was moved to the Capitol. Her focus was on education-related issues, which went through her rather than the Policy Division, especially after the 74th legislative session when the Education Policy person left and the position was not filled. She retained some of her appointment duties after becoming Senior Advisor, including selecting appointees for education related boards and commissions. Her staff included Public Education/Special Projects Counsel [title changed from Public Education to Special Projects and back] (first Michelle Tobias from 1995 to 1998, then Jennifer Piskun, followed by Debra Esterak); Administrative Assistant (Judy Okimura, then Shannon Smith); and Special Projects Assistant (Sheryl Labar for a while, spring 1996-February 1997).
These records are organized into eight series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), Senior Advisor's Office records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Tonia J. Wood, September 2002
Tony Black, May 2004
These records include correspondence, e-mails, faxes, and memos; notes; newsletters, brochures and other publications; newspaper and magazine clippings; copies of bills and other legislative records; attorney general opinions/advice and litigation documents; press releases and speeches; reports (both narrative and statistical); policy development files; agenda and minutes; resumes; executive orders; conference packets; videotapes; and audiotapes. Records date 1978, 1980-1983, 1986-1999, undated (bulk 1995-1998). They comprise subject files for the office of Senior Advisor to Texas Governor George W. Bush relating to education (with many of the files created by the Public Education/Special Projects Counsel, Michelle Tobias, later Jennifer Piskun and Debbie Esterak). Most of the incoming correspondence is addressed to Margaret LaMontagne but then was assigned to her education policy staff to work on; some items are addressed to Governor George W. Bush. Correspondents include organizations dedicated to educational issues, state and federal agency officials and employees (especially the Texas Education Agency's Commissioner Mike Moses), professional educators, corporations, consultants (such as Darv Winick and Sandy Kress), and private citizens interested in education. E-mails tend to be between Margaret LaMontagne and the Public Education/Special Projects Counsel. Notes are in the handwriting of both the counsel and Margaret LaMontagne. Many of the incoming letters are copies of logged correspondence, and some of the letters are the originals of logged correspondence. In either case, file numbers assigned by Bush staff have been included in the folder listing. Some letters do not appear to have been logged at all. The first file in the series contains copies of item-level inventories of some of these records, prepared by staff of the Governor's Office.
Among the numerous topics covered by these files, the following are especially well-represented: advanced placement, character education, charter schools, ECS [Education Commission of the States], Hopwood, literacy (including adult literacy), military tuition, property tax, reading (including the Governor's Reading Initiative), school finance, School-to-Work, special education, standards, SBEC [State Board for Educator Certification], teacher preparation, and TAAS [Texas Assessment of Academic Skills].
These records are the first of two groups of similar files. Except for correcting some obvious misfiles, the State Archives has maintained the original order of these records. The second group is the larger of the two (more than twice the size), and there is some overlap in dates. The difference (if any) between the two groups of records is not readily apparent. The researcher should be cautioned to search both groups, as well as any related records.
These records include correspondence, e-mails, faxes, and memos; notes; newsletters, brochures and other publications; newspaper and magazine clippings; copies of bills and other legislative records; attorney general opinions/advice and litigation documents; press releases and speeches; reports (both narrative and statistical); policy development files; agenda and minutes; resumes; executive orders; conference packets; videotapes; and audiotapes. Records date 1986, 1988-2000, undated (bulk 1995-2000). They comprise subject files for the office of Senior Advisor to Texas Governor George W. Bush relating to education, covering the first half of the alphabet (Academics 2000 - Lyceum). Many of the files were created by the Public Education/Special Projects Counsel, Michelle Tobias, later Jennifer Piskun and Debbie Esterak. Most of the incoming correspondence is addressed to Margaret LaMontagne but then was assigned to her education policy staff to work on; some items are addressed to Governor George W. Bush. Correspondents include organizations dedicated to educational issues, state and federal agency officials and employees (especially the Texas Education Agency's Commissioner Mike Moses), professional educators, corporations, consultants (such as Darv Winick and Sandy Kress), and private citizens interested in education. E-mails tend to be between Margaret LaMontagne and the counsel. Notes are in the handwriting of both the counsel and Margaret LaMontagne. Many of the incoming letters are copies of logged correspondence, and some of the letters are the originals of logged correspondence. In either case, file numbers assigned by Bush staff have been included in the folder listing. Some letters do not appear to have been logged at all.
Among the numerous topics covered by these files, the following are especially well-represented: accountability, advanced placement, bilingual education, character education, charter schools, early childhood development, Head Start, reading (including Reading Initiative), school safety, school finance, School-to-Work, social promotion, special education, TAAS [Texas Assessment of Academic Skills], TEKS [Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills], and vouchers/school choice. Organizations and agencies well represented include the Association of Texas Professional Educators [ATPE], Education Commission of the States [ECS], Educational Testing Service [ETS], Fordham Foundation, the Governor's Business Council [GBC], Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, National Education Goals Panel, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory [SEDL], Southern Regional Education Board [SREB], State Board of Education [SBOE], State Board for Educator Certification [SBEC], Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board [TIF], Texas Association of School Administrators [TASA], Texas Association of School Boards [TASB], Texas Business and Education Coalition [TBEC], Texas Education Agency [TEA], United States Department of Education, and the University of Texas System.
These records include correspondence, e-mails, faxes, and memos;
notes; newsletters, brochures and other publications; newspaper and magazine
clippings; copies of bills and other legislative records; attorney general
opinions/advice and litigation documents; press releases and speeches; reports
(both narrative and statistical); policy development files; agenda and minutes;
resumes; conference packets; videocassettes; and audiocassettes. Records date
1988, 1990-2000, undated (bulk 1995-1997). They comprise reference files for
the office of Senior Advisor to Texas Governor George W. Bush relating to
education. The difference is unclear between these files and the
These records include correspondence, e-mails to and from the
Public Education/Special Projects Counsel, memos, notes (in the counsel's and
Margaret LaMontagne's handwriting), printed materials, publications, clippings,
legislative records, press releases, minutes, agenda, and policy development
files, dating 1986-1987, 1995-2000, undated (bulk 1999-2000). They comprise
education issues files from the office of Senior Advisor Margaret LaMontagne in
the Texas Governor's Office, created during Debbie Esterak's tenure as Public
Education Counsel. Many of the documents have
These records include correspondence, e-mails, faxes, and memos; notes; newsletters, brochures and other publications; newspaper and magazine clippings; online articles; copies of bills and other legislative records; press releases and speeches; reports (both narrative and statistical); drafts and other policy development files; resumes; agenda; mailing lists; conference packets; travel documentation; purchase documentation; and forms. The records date 1964, 1982, 1987, 1995-2000, undated (bulk 1995-2000). They comprise files for staff of the office of Senior Advisor relating to education.
The exact provenance of these miscellaneous education files is
uncertain. They appear to have been separated from the other series in the
records of the Senior Advisor's Office and transferred at a later date. They
may fit into one or more of the existing series (
These records include copies of proposed legislation, some floor
amendments, a few copies of engrossed bills, plus a small amount of related
records (memoranda, correspondence, a Legislative Budget Board working paper, a
press release), dating 1998-1999, mostly 1999. They comprise Senate bill files
relating to education for the 76th Texas Legislature, Regular Session (1999).
The occasional piece of correspondence is addressed to Margaret LaMontagne. The
bills (most marked
These records include correspondence, drafts of correspondence, resumes, applications for employment, memoranda, faxes, newsclippings, publications, etc., dating 1995-2000 and undated (bulk 1998-2000). They comprise correspondence to and from Margaret LaMontagne, with occasional items addressed to others (including Governor George W. Bush, and members of Margaret LaMontagne's staff) and forwarded to Margaret LaMontagne. Correspondents include state and local officials, educators, prospective job applicants, prospective appointees, and private citizens. The subject of most (but not all) of the files in the first group in this series is education. The subject of most (but not all) of the files in the second group is future employment of job applicants. Resumes, recommendations, and inquiries about potential employment are especially numerous in this second group. Also numerous throughout are thank-you letters for gifts, meetings, and information.
Researchers should be aware that additional correspondence to and from Margaret LaMontagne is located in most of the other series in the Senior Advisor's Office records, described in this finding aid.
These records include lists of appointees, resumes,
correspondence (especially letters of recommendation), memoranda, e-mails,
mailing lists, legislation, press releases, newspaper clippings, copies from
the
Records are correspondence, memoranda, legal opinions and advice, execution case files, offers for claims settlements, death penalty protest letters, litigation files, policies and procedures, clippings, and desk calendars of the staff. These are files of the Office of the General Counsel of the Texas Governor's Office during the terms of George W. Bush. Dates covered are 1886, 1892, 1903, 1912-1921, 1925, 1932, 1939-2000 , the bulk dating 1986-2000. Functions of the office documented in these files include tracking and analyzing the cases of prisoners on death row; handling and advising the governor on pardon and executive clemency requests; providing legal opinions and analyses to the Governor's staff on a variety of questions, including statute interpretations, claims filed against the state, contracts, deeds, appointment questions, and other issues; answering public information requests; and litigating for the governor's office.
Correspondents include the General Counsel, Alberto Gonzales and his successor, Margaret Wilson; deputy and assistant general counsels Pete Wassdorf, Stuart Bowden, Donna Davidson and others; executive staff of the Governor's Office, including Joe Allbaugh; state agencies; federal and local government agencies; and the general public.
This finding aid is a work in progress. Some series have been processed, others are still undergoing processing. All series yet to be processed are included in the framework of the finding aid. As these series are processed, this finding aid will be updated and links will be provided to separate finding aids containing detailed descriptions and folder listings.
The General Counsel position within the Texas Office of the Governor was created in October 1973 when the Executive Director of the Governor's Criminal Justice Division appointed an individual as General Counsel, to assist him in providing statute interpretations and in other matters relating to policies and procedures. Today the Office of the General Counsel is a separate division in the Governor's Office. During the Bush Administration, Alberto Gonzales served as General Counsel, succeeded in 1998 by Margaret Wilson.
Duties of the General Counsel include providing statute interpretations; tracking inmates on death row as their cases move through the judicial process including all appeals to the governor for commutations or stays of execution; handling pardon requests sent to the governor; reviewing proposed settlements, land patents, grant requests, contracts, easements, and deeds for the governor; analyzing proposed legislation and regulations for validity and legal effect; assisting appointments staff in determining eligibility and other legal issues related to proposed appointments; handling extradition and requisition matters; coordinating ethics guidelines and training for the governor's office; advising the governor on federal programs administered by the state; coordinating the governor's criminal justice policy with the governor's Policy Director; and providing legal advice and handling litigation filed against the governor or the Governor's Office, in conjunction with actions of the Attorney General on the governor's behalf.
These records are organized into 11 series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), General Counsel files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series consists of correspondence and memoranda of the Office of the General Counsel in the Texas Office of the Governor during the terms of George W. Bush, dating 1892, 1918, 1921, 1925, 1932, 1942-1944, 1948, 1954, 1956, 1963, 1965, 1968-1969, 1972-2000, the bulk dating 1995-2000. The majority of the items are memoranda from the General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel to the Governor, his executive assistants, including Joe Allbaugh, or staff in other divisions of the office, such as Grants, Office of the First Lady, etc. There are also memos between Deputy General Counsels and/or Assistant General Counsels and the General Counsel. The General Counsel during this period was Alberto (Al) Gonzales, succeeded by Margaret Wilson. Other staff names appearing frequently in these records include Deputy General Counsels Pete Wassdorf and Stuart Bowden, and Assistant General Counsel Donna G. Davidson. The memos contain analysis, opinions or advice on a variety of issues handled by the governor's office, including executions, appointments, policy matters, settlements, contracts, grants, deeds, easements, litigation, bond issuance, ethics, legislation, child support, gambling, intern research, cession of state land to the federal government and retrocession of such land back to the state, certification of local workforce development boards, functions attended by the first lady, and education, including school education vouchers and an investigation of the state's higher education system by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.
Some memos have attachments, including correspondence (usually with state or other governmental bodies), copies of laws and statutes, printouts of the results of on-line legal research, legal documents (largely deeds, easements, land patents, and some contracts), bonds, certifications, and resolutions.
Some memos to the governor require his approval or denial and
his signature, such as those concerning settlements, deeds, grants, and the
certification of local workforce development boards. The vast majority of the
grants memos concern grants handled by the Criminal Justice Division of the
Governor's Office. See also the series of Grants Team files in the records of
the Governor's Budget and Planning office. Memos with more detail on settlement
offers as well as supporting documentation can be found in the series
Of special note are the execution summaries prepared by the
general counsel for the governor to review. The summaries are found in two
series. The ones in the
The
Records are execution case files, death penalty protest letters, and death penalty notebooks, 1886, 1892, 1903, 1912-1921, 1925, 1932, 1939-2000 (bulk 1986-2000), of the General Counsel to the Governor of Texas.
These records are organized into three subseries:
The files consist of execution case summaries; memos and correspondence; court documents (judgments, opinions, appeals, petitions, motions, orders, etc.); notes; police reports; medical or psychological summaries or reports; crime lab reports; investigative reports of detectives; Texas Department of Criminal Justice disciplinary reports and other internal reports about specific inmates; criminal history reports; clippings; and occasionally, crime scene and/or autopsy photos. Dates covered are 1995-2000. These are the files of the General Counsel to the Texas Governor that were created to track the cases of death row inmates and document intervention by the courts and the governor through appeals, requests for stays of execution, or clemency. Correspondents include staff of the General Counsel's Office, the Governor, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Department of Criminal Justice, appeals courts, district attorneys, and inmates or their attorneys. The majority of the letters are directed either to the General Counsel or to the Governor. While many of the letters are directed to the Governor, they are stamped General Counsel's office and there is no indication that the Governor reviewed them. What the Governor did review are the execution summaries prepared by the General Counsel for the Governor. Most of these have a place for the governor to check deny or grant and for him to sign. Some of these are originals, most are copies.
Execution case summaries are also present in the
This series consists of 16 binders of death penalty information, dating roughly 1995-2000. Two of the notebooks contain clippings and reports about the death penalty and related topics. The remaining fourteen notebooks are divided into death penalty cases, each case having a separate section. Files for each case include a memo from the General Counsel to the Governor about the scheduled execution in this format: I. Brief summary of the facts. II. Background information and personal history. III. Previous criminal history. IV. Summary of proceedings. V. Brief discussion of applicable law. VI. Legal claims. VII. Clemency request. VIII. Conclusion. Other items present may include clippings about the scheduled execution, and a copy of the petition for a reprieve before the Board of Pardons and Paroles. A petition may contain numerous attachments, including correspondence, medical and mental health treatment plans, parole placements, parole summaries, letters in support of clemency, and competency evaluations by a doctor.
Although the inmates were executed, some materials are still confidential - medical/psychological reports; any reports or documents produced by TDCJ and files gathered by the Board of Pardons and Paroles for their review.
These are letters written to the governor to protest the
execution of inmates on death row. These letters are dated 1992-1994 and are
directed to Governor Ann Richards, except for a couple of folders of letters in
the files of Joseph S. Faulder dated 1998-1999 directed to Governor Bush. The
letters were written by members of Amnesty International and similar groups and
by citizens throughout the country and the world. Protest letters that were
sent to Governor Bush are largely in the series
These are clemency applications presented to Texas Governor George W. Bush by his General Counsel's office for prisoners or convicted felons out on parole wishing a pardon, asking to have their sentence commuted, asking for an emergency medical reprieve, or asking for a pardon/commutation under Senate Concurrent Resolution 26 (passed by the 72nd Legislature in 1991), which requires the Governor to focus special consideration upon pardon applicants whose crime arguably was a response to severe spousal abuse. The files contain a pardon application tracking form; an executive summary from the General Counsel (GC) to Bush stating a summary of the facts, evidence, proceedings, the Board of Pardons and Paroles recommendation, the GC recommendation, and the Governor's decision - deny or grant (these are initialed by the Governor); or memos with facts about the applicant, not including voting information. Dates covered are 1961, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1983-2000, the bulk dating 1995-2000. There are voting memos present for most cases, some that list multiple cases. These memos were sent to the governor and contain a minimum of facts about the case with the GC's recommendation (deny/grant). Also present may be notes about the case, pardon proclamations, correspondence of trial officials and attorneys with the governor and/or the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP), court records, BPP voting summaries, BPP case file materials, Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmate records, criminal histories, law enforcement records, press releases, clippings, and petitions for pardons based on innocence, such as DNA testing in old rape cases that exonerates the inmate. The petitions often include medical reports, crime summaries (which may include the name of a rape victim), victim impact statements, etc.; most of those materials are confidential, as well as TDCJ inmate files, letters to the BPP, BPP case file material, law enforcement records, and criminal histories. See the Restrictions statement for further information about confidential records.
Files of prisoners denied pardons usually just have the pardon application tracking form, a voting memo, notes, and/or the executive summary from the GC to the governor. Usually multiple cases are filed together under the date the pardon was denied with all such cases being listed on the governor's voting memo.
Types of records include correspondence, court filings (briefs, orders, etc.), proposed/final settlement agreements, press releases, news clippings, attorney's notes, affidavits, deposition transcripts, research materials, exhibits, videocassettes and audiocassettes, 1995-2000. These are litigation files maintained by the General Counsel for the Texas Office of the Governor. The largest number of records involves the tobacco lawsuit. There are also 12-15 other cases covered in these files. Topics of cases include redistricting, creation of new federal judgeship districts, school prayer, equality of financing between black state universities and other state universities, firing of employees, a whistleblower case, and a case involving the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the return of funds to the federal government after the addition of several thousand education employees to the Uniform Group Insurance Program (UGIP).
Two of the cases are mislabeled on the boxes and in the box and folder inventory. Curbo vs. Fundderburger is actually Curbo and Fundderburger vs. the State of Texas. A related case, listed as McDaniel vs. Curbo, is actually McDaniel vs. the State of Texas. Two employees in the Criminal Justice Division were fired (Curbo and Fundderburger), they felt unfairly. They asked the head of the Texas Crime Stoppers Program, Ms. McDaniel to look into the case. She did and filed a complaint about the way they were fired and the reasons for the firing. A few months later she was fired. She filed a suit claiming she was fired because she was a whistle blower. Because these were personnel cases, there is much documentation from the personnel files of all three employees present, most of it containing their Social Security numbers.
Tobacco litigation spans 11 cubic ft. It includes information about the tobacco litigation case that the State of Texas filed against several tobacco companies and about the national lawsuit the federal government was attempting to file. The federal government wanted some of the money gained by various successful state's lawsuits to pay for Medicaid costs. But, the records largely pertain to the intervention of Governor Bush and several legislators in the state's tobacco lawsuit to reduce the attorney fees the state was to pay to private legal counsel used during the lawsuit. It contains court filings (briefs, orders, etc.), separating out in some cases filings by the Attorney General's office (documents filed by Morales, the former Attorney General), documents filed by Bush, documents filed by Legislators; outside legal counsel agreements/contracts; items used in arbitration of the case; and the proposed settlement.
This finding aid is a work in progress. Some series have been processed, others are still undergoing processing. All series yet to be processed are included in the framework of the finding aid. As these series are processed, this finding aid will be updated.
These records are arranged by case.
(Identify the item), Litigation, General Counsel files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Laura K. Saegert, September 2002
These records are court filings (motions, briefs, requests for writ of mandamus, affidavits, bills of review, complaints, petitions, interrogatories, depositions, orders, and judgements), press releases, notes, reports (to/from court generally), memos from General Counsel's Office (GC) to Governor or between GC staff about the case, memos or letters from the Attorney General to the GC or the Governor about the case, and correspondence between the GC or Attorney General and plaintiff's attorney's or parties in the claim, dating 1990-2000, the bulk dating 1995-2000. Many of the letters are a notification to the governor's office that a claim has been filed against the state, often with no further documentation about the claim. The files comprise records of claims filed against the state of Texas handled by the General Counsel's office of Texas Governor George W. Bush. Claims were filed in district, state or federal court against the state, state agencies, state agency heads or other state personnel by individuals, businesses, organizations, local or federal government agencies, and in some cases the state petitioned the court for intervenor status. In a few instances files concern claims filed by the state against the federal government.
Claim topics include tort claims, injuries, medical treatment for prisoners, wrongful termination, care of patients in state hospitals, local jail conditions, backlog of state prisoners in county jails, abortion, treatment of prisoners, gambling on Texas Indian reservations, removal of the executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, and the school finance system. Correspondents include the Attorney General's office, other state agencies, federal or local government agencies, and plaintiffs and/or their attorneys.
Settlement offers are generally not present in the files. Some settlement offers for 1995-1996 can be found in the series General Counsel's settlements. Settlement offers also present in the series General Counsel's legal opinions and advice for the years 1995-2000.
The settlement offers may concern some of the claims in this series. An item level index to portions of the General Counsel's records, created by the Governor's Office, is available on CD ROM. Contact Texas State Archives staff for assistance.
This series consists of memos detailing settlement offers
prepared by the General Counsel of the Texas Governor's office for the
Governor's review, including a summary of the case with the General Counsel's
recommendation to accept or decline. Other items include correspondence from
the Attorney General and the General Counsel or Governor (usually the General
Counsel) regarding claims, judgements from court, and letters from the General
Counsel to the Attorney General listing settlements approved by the governor.
Dates of the records are 1995-1996. Claims were submitted by either individuals
or companies. Types of claims include property damage, physical impairment,
violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, denial of unemployment benefits,
wrongful arrest, alleged sexual assault by coworker, and wrongful termination.
The governor's decision to approve or not approve the settlement is not noted
in these records. In the
These records are arranged roughly in two runs, 1995-1996, 1996, alphabetically by claimant; with one box in reverse chronological order by the date of the memo to the Governor from the General Counsel.
(Identify the item), Settlements, General Counsel files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Laura K. Saegert, September 2002
This series contains the bill files, dating 1999, of James Hines, the Public Information Officer, in the Texas Governor's General Counsel office. The folder labels contain the bill number, the sponsor, and topic of the bill. The files contain a copy of the bill. Most also contain a bill analysis, a fiscal note, and perhaps a committee report.
The files are separated into Senate and House bills, filed by bill number within each group, though not in numerical order consistently. .
(Identify the item), Legislation, General Counsel files, Records, Texas Governor George W. Bush. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Laura K. Saegert, September 2002
This series consists of general correspondence of the Texas Governor's General Counsel's office, dating 1963-1964, 1975, 1985-2000 (bulk 1995-2000). There is correspondence with constituents and topical files - consular matters, inmate correspondence, executive clemency requests, Texas Department of Criminal Justice correspondence, ethics, Attorney General correspondence (includes files on claims and child support), and personnel correspondence (generally letters of resignation of appointees from committees and boards). Most of the files consist of incoming letters, there is not much outgoing except for constituent correspondence, which is incoming and outgoing. Correspondents include state and federal officials, legislators, local officials, law firms, citizens, inmates, companies, board and commission members, and the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel or other General Counsel staff. Also present are cover letters for executive orders that were issued and some correspondence between the Attorney General and the General Counsel or Governor Bush. The orders are not present. Most of the outgoing letters are signed by the Deputy or Assistant General Counsel - a few are signed by Al Gonzalez. The constituent correspondence covers a wide variety of issues, usually involving legal issues or a request handled by the General Counsel's office, like requests for pardons or paroles. Topics covered in other