Correspondence, 1967 - 2013

Series — Multiple Containers

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Correspondence is comprised of a wide range of formats, such as handwritten letters on loose-leaf paper, word processed letters on official government letterhead, greeting cards, briefings, memoranda, reports attached to letters, constituent cases (restricted), and the like. Over the course of nearly five decades, Marshall corresponded with many public representatives at the federal, state, and local levels throughout her various roles, which demonstrates the longstanding support (and sometimes falling-out) between elected officials as they advance in their respective careers. Respected by many of her peers as an experienced politician, especially towards the end of her career as Borough President of Queens, the correspondence reflects how often Marshall was called on to publicly endorse young candidates, write letters of reference for prior employees, students, and family friends. The correspondence also provides a glimpse into the administrative proceedings of Marshall's various offices, from City Council to State Assembly and Borough President, showing not only how Marshall received news and reports from her staff that informed many of her decisions as an elected official, but actively sought out more details by drawing on her vast network of professional connections.

Dates

1967 - 2013

Language of Materials

From the Collection:

Majority of the materials are written in English. A small quantity of correspondence is in Spanish and Korean. It is possible that there are other languages present throughout the correspondence, though it would be a very small percentage.

Conditions Governing Access

Due to the sensitive nature of the contents and inclusion of personally identifiable information, constituent correspondence is restricted for 50 years from the date of creation. Constituent correspondence has been refoldered separately as a file grouping across this subseries.

Extent

5.21 Linear Feet (5 full standard record cartons (15.5" long x 12.5" wide x 10.25" high))

Additional Description

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged into two broad subseries, personal and professional, based on the nature of the relationship between Marshall and the correspondant. The professional subseries is further divided into files based on the different eras of Marshall's career, from her roles prior to and during her time as an elected official. Folders are broadly arranged chronologically by year.

Processing Information

This series was created by removing obvious correspondence from the Activity Files Series that was not directly related to the surrounding documents. This decision was made to facilitate researcher access to correspondence separate from the broad mix of file types present in the Activity Files. The correspondence was then broadly separated by career phase (file), then refoldered by year within each file. Chronological order was not enforced within each folder other than the overarching year of document creation.