Texas Governor George W. Bush:

An Inventory of Governor George W. Bush Correspondence/Constituent Services Office Bulk Mail Not Logged Located at the George W. Bush Presidential Library, 1994-2000, undated, bulk 1995-2000

Agency History

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The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas.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.

Correspondence/Constituent Services is listed as a division within the Communications Office (also known as the Press Office). Shirley Green served as director of Correspondence/Constituent Services from 1996 to 2000. The division was responsible for the mail log, the central correspondence file, honorary certificates, greetings, and proclamations. Also housed in this division was the Ombudsman Office/Citizens Assistance program, which received citizen's comments and complaints through its toll-free hotline and reported them to the Governor. During Governor Bush's second term, the Correspondence/Constituent Services division also handled some of the scheduling functions.

(Sources include: Guide to Texas State Agencies, 9th and 10th eds., (1996 and 1999); the contents of the records; and versions of the Governor's Office web site during Governor Bush's term available on the Internet Archive at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.governor.state.tx.us, accessed on March 3, 2009.)

George W. Bush Biographical Sketch

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.

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.

(Sources include: Versions of the Governor's Office web site during Governor Bush's term available on the Internet Archive at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.governor.state.tx.us, accessed on March 3, 2009.)

Scope and Contents of the Records

The Correspondence/Constituent Services Office was responsible for preparing replies to many of the letters written to Texas Governor George W. Bush's Office. Types of records in this series include correspondence, ballots, petitions, and related materials. Dates range from 1994 to 2000 and undated with the bulk of records dating from 1995 to 2000. The records of the Texas Governor George W. Bush Correspondence/Constituent Services Office bulk mail not logged in the central correspondence database are divided into four series: capital punishment correspondence, state opinion ballots, Texas congratulatory correspondence, and other bulk mail.

Capital punishment correspondence, 1994-2000, undated, bulk 1995-1997, is composed of letters sent to the Texas Governor's Office during George W. Bush's term in office concerning protests against the death penalty in general and in favor of sparing specific individuals on death row. Inmates who have a significant amount of correspondence concerning them include Odell Barnes, Clarence Lackey, Joseph Stanley Faulder, and Irineo Tristan Montoya. Some correspondence is in Spanish.

State opinion ballots are form letters sent to the Texas Governor's Office, 1995-1996, 1998-2000, bulk 1998-2000, with brief statements on selected issues, prepared by National Write Your Congressman, Inc. There are two versions in each of the three groupings. Issues listed on the 1995-1996 ballots include tax reform, state treasurer position, welfare reform, initiative and referendum, term limits, concealed weapons, juvenile justice, and education reform. Issues on the 1998-1999 ballots include abortion, employer immunity, Olympics, and school vouchers. Issues on the 2000 ballots include same sex marriages, employment at will, and parental consent for abortions. Other information on the ballots includes date and name, occupation, and address of person filling out the ballot.

Texas congratulatory correspondence is composed of letters sent to Governor/President-elect George W. Bush, dating November to December 2000, congratulating him on his election as President of the United States. Correspondence includes attachments such as clippings and photographs. Among the correspondents are friends, local officials, children, and other supporters, with a very few opponents. This subseries contains letters that are post-election but before the outcome of the election in Florida was determined. Some letters are stamped GWB with a date, but most letters have no date stamps. Only a few were entered in the Bush correspondence database. Response to the correspondence is not attached, but GC-1 appears as a notation and some letters have check marks and initials, made by the Governor's Office staff member who handled the correspondence.

Other bulk mail records are form letters, petitions, school district performance reviews, correspondence, and emails, 1995-2000, undated, bulk 2000, sent to the Texas Governor's Office, concerning sea turtles; the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Network; Rio Grande Valley housing; death penalty for juveniles; United Nations; religious freedom; law enforcement; and parental rights. This subseries also includes correspondence dating toward the end of Bush's tenure as Texas Governor that was not entered in the central correspondence database. (Exceptions are noted in the folder listing.)

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to, social security numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.147); e-mail addresses (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.137); and financial information (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.136), 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 (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P. O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711), fax (512-463-5436), email (Dir_Lib@tsl.state.tx.us), or see our web page (https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/requestgovernorbushrecords.html). Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. (Note: The Governor's Office has requested that the State Archives contact the Public Information Coordinator for the Governor's Office when we receive a Public Information Act request for these records.) 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.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. 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.).

Technical Requirements

Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.

To view videocassettes or listen to audiocassettes and compact discs (CDs) please contact Archives staff.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Texas Governor George W. Bush Correspondence/Constituent Services Office bulk mail not logged. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 2002/151

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 that 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 were moved to the George W. Bush Presidential Library in February 2013.

Processing Information

Processed by Jessica Tucker, August 2010

Finding aid updated by Tonia J. Wood, April 2013

Detailed Description of the Records