Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, U.S. Senator and Representative, businessman, Texas county judge, and decorated World War Two veteran, was born in Mission, Texas, on February 11, 1921. He ran for Vice-President of the United States in 1988 on the Democratic ticket with then Massachusettes governor Michael Dukakis. He served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994. Bentsen kept up a full schedule until 1998, when he retired after a decline in his health. He died on May 23, 2006.
Correspondence, printed material, creative works, legal documents, financial documents, minutes, photographic materials, sound recordings, and works of art make up the papers of Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. (1930-1994, bulk 1971-1993). Bentsen and his staff created the bulk of the material during his term as United States Senator from Texas (1971-1993), though the papers also contain records from Bentsen's term as United States Secretary of the Treasury (1993-1994). A limited amount of the material documents Bentsen's career in business and his private life. Few records exist from his term in the United States House of Representatives (1948-1955).
The material is organized in ten subgroups. The first seven subgroups consist of records from Bentsen's Senate offices.
Casework and personnel files are restricted for 75 years after creation, up to the year 2068.
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Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., Papers, 1921-1998, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Click on a subgroup link below to view the detailed inventory for that subgroup.
By Senator Bentsen's third term, his office received over 5000 pieces of mail per week. In a single day, the office might receive 2000 pieces. The Business and Administrative Manager oversaw the correspondence process, which required opening, sorting, and forwarding incoming mail, and producing and filing outgoing mail. Bentsen's Executive Secretary or Assistant received his personal letters and invitations. Press mail went to the Press Secretary. Political mail went to the Administrative Assistant. Mail from constituents about issues made up a large proportion of the incoming mail. Typically, Research Assistants, in consultation with Legislative Assistants, researched issues and developed responses, contacting other Congressional offices, Committee staffs, and federal agencies as necessary. Once a response had been drafted, the Chief Research Assistant edited it. Then, after the Legislative Director reviewed the prospective letter, Bentsen himself or his Administrative Assistant approved it, and staff sent it out over his name.
During Bentsen's first term, staff typed individual letters or drew on a library of complete letters on various issues. Automatic typewriters generated these issue letters, called "robos" by the Bentsen staff. Starting in late 1977, Bentsen's staff adopted the Correspondence Management System (CMS), a more sophisticated form of automation. In CMS, a database holds a "library" of individual paragraphs, and staff built individual letters out of them. Thus, a particular letter about an issue or legislation received a more detailed response than a general "robo" letter, and staff could respond more easily to a letter that raised multiple issues. CMS permitted the modification of library items or the creation of original letters as needed.
Staff members in the various sections read all mail, and, if appropriate, assigned codes for CMS library items on a work order. CMS operators then entered the name and address of the correspondent and created the letter. CMS included the capability to produce statistical reports, using topics, dates, and correspondents, about the Senator's correspondence. A small number of letters required individual responses, typed by staff. CMS staff entered these letters into the system, as well, so it held a complete record of Bentsen's correspondence.
Bentsen's staff used micrographics to store portions of his correspondence files. Many letters were microfilmed, and certain indexes and reports were created onto computer-output microfilm.
Incoming and outgoing letters, and associated coversheets, workforms, and enclosures from correspondents including printed material, photographic material, and sound recordings, constitute the bulk of Senator Bentsen's correspondence files. The files include both original letters and microfilmed copies, as well as reports, notes, indexes, and lists.
Correspondence with individual constituents and groups, supporters, political figures in Texas and elsewhere, friends, and influential people makes up Senator Bentsen's Political and personal correspondence. Bentsen's staff used two designations that broadly divide the material.
Political affairs, or political matters (PM) correspondence includes correspondence, both Texan and national, about the political parties, the electoral system, fundraising, campaigns, Bentsen's record and career, and similar topics. Similar letters may be found in the Singles section of the CMS correspondence.
Public affairs (PA) correspondence typically involves Bentsen's life as a public figure, and includes material such as condolences, thank you letters, holiday greetings, and correspondence having to do with such matters as the Senator's schedule and awards. Bentsen's personal staff managed his schedule and filed some invitations in his office. Some were filed or microfilmed with his political correspondence. Invitations may be found in this series as well as the Personal and Political Files Subgroup.
A small amount of personal correspondence, condolence letters received after the death of Lloyd Bentsen, Sr., was filed separately and is listed as part of this series. Bentsen retained some personal letters from prominent people, notably U. S. Presidents, in his personal offices in Washington and Houston. (Consult Personal/Political Materials Series, Personal and Political Files Subgroup, and Houston Office Files, State Offices Subgroup.) Because CMS operators processed Bensten's personal correspondence along with constituent and routine correspondence, personal mail may have been filed with issue mail by date in that series. (Consult the index reels in the System Records subseries to locate it in the Issue Mail Series.)
Constituent correspondence about current events, pending legislation, social trends, and other matters, constitutes the issue mail series (1970-1993). In 1978, Bentsen's office adopted the Correspondence Management System (CMS), and altered its filing system. Hence, the series is divided into two subseries, Constituent correspondence (1971-1979), and Correspondence Management System files (1978- 1993). In both systems, a constituent's letter was filed by the date of Bentsen's reply. Within each date, letters receiving identical or near-identical responses from the Senator were filed together by volume. Each sub-series is therefore divided into two sub-sub-series. Senator Bentsen's responses form part of the System records series.
Constituent correspondence, (1971-1977) 1979, includes two sub-subseries, Subject files, 1971-1979, and Robos files, 1971-1978.
The Subject files contain letters from person or small numbers of persons (around 10 or fewer) who received individual or unique responses. These files include replies to constituents whose letters discussed multiple issues. Staff arranged the subject files by year, legislative session, and topic. In the finding aid, where it was possible to determine the session, the first (January-June) precedes the second (July-December). The following inventory thus contains one alphabetical subject list for 1971, two each for the years 1972-1978, and one for the first session in 1979. Some Subject files for 1978-1979 include CMS code dates, reflecting the transition between systems. A file of National correspondence (1973-1977) is at the end of the Subject list, including a file of letters to Bentsen from non-Texans regarding the Subcommittee on Public Works (1973-1977). Correspondence about Public Activities and Political Affairs was filed separately, and is listed in the Personal/Political series.
The Robos files contain constituent mail that received form letters from the Senator in reply. The robos files (1970-1978) consist of constituent letters, bundled together, with cover sheets indicating the date and code number of the Senator's response. The bundles range in size from one letter to several hundred. Often, these files reflect coordinated efforts by interest, business, or community groups to influence the Senator. The earliest robos files include the names and addresses of correspondents on their coded cover sheets. That information is also available in the System records series. Robos correspondence has been foldered and listed by date, though each box is not strictly chronologically consistent. Some portions of the robos subseries inventory below include the titles of Bentsen's responses, but in general, access to the robos letters is by date only.
Correspondence Management System files, 1978-1993, also contain two sub-subseries, Singles files (1977-1992) and Group files (1978-1993). All CMS correspondence was filed by the date of Bentsen's response. Generally, the sheet indicating the response codes was filed with the letters. CMS could generate mass mailings off-site or through an in-office printer.
Singles files include up to five constituent letters receiving the same response on a particular day. The Group files contain more than five letters, all receiving the same response on the same day. Though some mail was filed by subject into 1979, in general, all of Bentsen's issue mail from constituents was filed by date after 1977.
Consult the Outgoing Correspondence and System Records Series description for more information. Indexes in that series provide name and subject access to the correspondence listed here.
Some portions of the inventory below include information about the titles of Bentsen's responses, the name of the CMS operator, and the number of the job.