Texas Governor George W. Bush:

An Inventory of Governor George W. Bush Press Office Clippings Located at the George W. Bush Presidential Library, 1995-2000, undated, bulk 1995-1997

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The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas.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

Major responsibilities of the Press Office (also known as Communications) under Governor George W. Bush included issuing press releases and media advisories on the activities and actions of the Governor, as well as First Lady Laura Bush; writing speeches for the Governor and the First Lady; collecting, copying, and distributing copies of newspaper clippings about the Governor, First Lady, and issues of concern to Texans; handling requests for interviews with the Governor; and creating and maintaining the Internet web site for the Governor's Office. Karen P. Hughes served as Director of Communications until June 1999, when she became Governor Bush's presidential campaign spokesperson.

(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

Major responsibilities of the Press Office for Texas Governor George W. Bush included collecting, copying, and distributing copies of newspaper clippings about the Governor, First Lady, and issues of concern to Texans. Records in this series are news clippings. Dates range from 1995 to 2000 and undated with the bulk of records dating from 1995 to 1997. Texas Governor George W. Bush Press Office clippings are divided into four subseries: newspaper clippings (original clips), Texas Press Association clippings, Governor's news clippings, and miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Clippings are often policy-oriented, but there are also articles that are campaign- or personality-oriented. Topics cover a range of public policy issues, including gun control, tort reform, library openings, military base closings, racial profiling, and other issues.

Newspaper clippings (original clips) is composed of original newspaper clippings, January 1995 to February 2000, housed in envelopes. Each envelope contains about one week of clippings, sometimes bundled by day. At the beginning of the series, each clipping was identified by date and newspaper. Later clippings are not well identified, and there are many misfilings. Some envelopes also contain Texas Press Association (TPA) clippings and Texas Clipping Service (TCS) clippings, each identifiable by the tag pasted on the envelope.

Texas Press Association clippings is composed of original newspaper clippings, January 1995 to December 2000. Most of the clippings are still in the envelopes sent from the Texas Press Association to Karen Hughes, director of Communications, in the Governor's Press Office. Each envelope contains several days and/or weeks worth of clippings. Individual clippings are identified with a "Press Clips, Texas Press Association" tag, which also has the newspaper title pre-printed and a date stamp. Many of the articles are very brief, often containing only photographs. Smaller newspapers (such as the Alpine Avalanche, Woodlands Sun, Buna Beacon, and Dallas Novedades) are heavily represented.

Governor's news clippings, January 1995 to December 2000, are copies of Legislative Clipping Service clippings from the Texas Legislative Reference Library, plus copies labeled "Office of the Governor George W. Bush: News Clips" and some copies of clippings from the Texas Press Association (e.g., Office of the Governor News Clips Supplement, TPA Clips). Each day is in a manila folder. Most boxes contain two months or less of clippings. The "Office of the Governor" copies are printed out from the Lexis-Nexis website.

Miscellaneous news clippings, 1995 to 1997 and undated, contains various Associated Press clips and Texas Press Association clips, a mix of photocopies and originals, foldered by month and day, and a few subject folders.

[Note: The magazines and newspapers, dating 1994 to 2001, 13.62 cubic ft., collected by the Press Office were determined not to have archival value. A list was prepared to document the holdings, and the Bush Library will make a determination on whether or not to add these items to its library collection. To review this list, please submit a request to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by mail (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P. O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711), fax (512-463-5436), or email (Dir_Lib@tsl.state.tx.us).]

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

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

None.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Texas Governor George W. Bush Press Office clippings. 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, December 2010

Finding aid updated by Tonia J. Wood, April 2013

Detailed Description of the Records