A Guide to the Texas Observer Records, 1952-1990.

Biographical Note

From its first issue in 1954, the Texas Observer newspaper aimed to provide progressive viewpoints and to address topics that readers would not find in mainstream Texas newspapers. With solid roots in several local and regional Texas newspapers, going as far back as 1901 with the Austin Forum, the Texas Observer grew directly out of a merger of Austin’s State Observer and the Marshall-based East Texas Democrat. The State Observer’s publisher, Paul Holcomb, and the East Texas Democrat’s publisher, Franklin Jones hired Ronnie Dugger to edit the new publication.

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Mrs. Frankie Carter Randolph, a prominent Houston Democrat, infused the Observer with financial capital in 1957, a move that gave the paper stability and allowed Dugger to devote his attentions to editing and publishing the newspaper. Dugger remained general manager and editor for six years before assuming a contributing editor role while Willie Morris became general manager.

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With her financial support continuing in the initial years, Mrs. Randolph sought to reduce production costs in the early 1960’s. Ronnie Dugger returned to his position as publisher in 1963 and the paper became a biweekly. Following Dugger and Morris as editors were Greg Olds, Kaye Northcott, Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower, Rod David, Joe Holley, Geoffrey Rips, Dave Denison, and Lou Dubose. All carried forward with the editorial policies of the previous editors, particularly in their coverage of the Texas political scene, in which Northcott and Ivins specialized in the 1970’s. Coverage extended to global economic issues during Jim Hightower’s editorship from 1976-1979. Moving forward into the 1980’s, literature and arts became an editorial focus as well as the staple issues of civil liberties and social, racial, and economic justice. Dubose added literary essays in the 1990’s as well as a page devoted to poetry. In 1994, the Texas Democracy Foundation assumed publishing and promotion responsibility for the Texas Observer.

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Scope and Contents

The Texas Observer Records consist of newspaper clippings, correspondence, memos, photographs, and research and business records documenting the functions of the Texas Observer as a prominent newspaper in Texas. The records are arranged into four series:

• I. Research files
• II. Editor/Publisher files
• III. Office/Business files
• IV. Editorial files

The Research files consist mostly of newspaper clippings, but also include photographs, press releases, printed material, legal documents, legislative bills, correspondence, handwritten and typed notes, and drafts of articles and columns. The Research files are divided into two major sub-series: People files and Subject files. Each of these two sub-series includes further sub-series, which reflect areas of major research by Texas Observer staff members on broad topics such as civil rights, minority groups, educational and environmental issues, and politics, all with a special focus on these issues in Texas, as well as Texas cities, universities, politicians and the University of Texas at Austin.

The arrangement of the Editor/Publisher files is by issue of the Texas Observer. Files include manuscripts, typescript articles with annotations, “letters to the editor,” tear sheets and photographs. Editor’s files also contain correspondence, and include files from the editorial tenures of Jim Hightower, Ronnie Dugger and Molly Ivins, among others.

The Office/Business files consist of correspondence, financial records (including expense accounts, bills paid, invoices, ledgers and account books), printed materials and photographs, filed by the year.

The Editorial files consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, printed material, manuscript material, handwritten and typed notes, copy and proof sheets, photographs, a ledger and audiocassettes. The files are divided by editor’s name, following the chronology of editor’s at the Texas Observer. The final sub-series is Research, which is not associated with any one specific editor. Large portions of the Editorial files are copy and proof sheets, publication notes and issue files. The issue files consist of the news copy, proofs, letters to the editor, formatting notes, classified ads and other materials associated with the production of particular issues of the Texas Observer.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Texas Observer Records, 1952-1990, the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

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Detailed Description of the Papers