Texas Governor George W. Bush:

An Inventory of Governor George W. Bush Correspondence/Constituent Services Office Central Correspondence Files Located at the George W. Bush Presidential Library, 1955-2000, 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The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas.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. The division was responsible for the mail log, the central correspondence file, honorary certificates, greetings, and proclamations. The Ombudsman/Citizens Assistance program was housed within this division. During Governor Bush's second term, the 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.)

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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.)

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Scope and Contents of the Records

The Correspondence/Constituent Services Office of the Texas Governor's Office was responsible for preparing replies to many of the letters written to Governor George W. Bush. These records are correspondence and related records sent to Governor George W. Bush by various correspondents, usually, but not always, constituents. Dates range from 1955 to 2000 and undated with the bulk of records dating 1995 to 2000. Types of letters and subjects include greetings from Governor Bush on anniversaries, births, birthdays, retirements, and weddings of honorees; welcome greetings for special events; letters of support or protest, especially concerning executions, Confederate plaques on the Supreme Court building, hate crimes legislation, teacher compensation, and environmental issues; letters of appreciation and thanks; letters of recommendation, appointment, and resignation; and requests for auction items for charities. Correspondents include legislators and other elected or appointed officials, corporations, organizations, and the general public. Most Christmas cards were not retained by the Governor's Office.

The records have been fully processed up to correspondence item number 9609060016 with a list of missing correspondence items maintained by State Archives staff. However, after this point, due to the high volume of correspondence, these records received minimal processing only. Beginning in July 2011, several items of correspondence were found in alternate locations and refiled appropriately. Although some of these items date as early as 1995, the bulk of these items are from November to December 2000. A list of these records was not created, but may contain some letters listed in the fully processed central correspondence records as missing. Four cubic feet of photocopies of correspondence stamped pending, November to December 1997, are also present. Two oversize rolled items sent to Governor Bush by constituents are listed at the end of this finding aid.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to, agency memoranda and working papers (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.111); e-mail addresses (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.137); social security numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.147); financial information (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.136); records relating to allegations of child abuse (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.101, Family Code Section 261.201 (a)); psychiatric evaluations (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.101, Health and Safety Code Section 611.002); driver's license numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.130); and other information protected under common law privacy (V.T.C.A., Government Code Sections 552.101), 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

To obtain equipment to listen to the audiocassettes or view the videocassettes, please contact Archives staff.

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

Records contain information on 3.5-inch computer disks. Researchers wishing to view any of the information on the disks should consult with Archives staff and be aware that these disks may or may not still be readable. Some information on the disks may be exempted from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Texas Governor George W. Bush Correspondence/Constituent Services Office central correspondence files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 2002/151, 2005/144

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

Sharon Severson, February 2004

Jessica Tucker, September 2011

Finding aid updated by Tonia J. Wood, April 2013

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Detailed Description of the Records