David Price papers, 1960-2006 and undated
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Summary
- Creator:
- Price, David Eugene
- Abstract:
- David Price is a political science professor at Duke University, and Democratic congressman from North Carolina's Fourth District since 1987 (re-elected in 2006). The David Price Papers (1960-2006) document the scholarly and political career of David Eugene Price, including his days as a graduate student in the 1960s, his tenure as a political science professor and Democratic Party staff member, and, finally, his years as a Democratic congressman from North Carolina's Fourth District. Records from Price's political headquarters contain thousands of original documents, handwritten and computer-generated; printed materials such as legislative bills and campaign publicity; and a variety of audiovisual materials, including photographs, some slides, many videos, and audio recordings. The collection is especially rich for researchers interested in the American political party system, the work and life of legislators, North Carolina history and government, the North Carolina Democratic and Republican parties, the U.S. Congress, its committee structure, the Hunt Commission, and the broader legislative process. Other materials document political campaigns, notably David Price's own congressional campaigns and Albert Gore's senatorial campaign of 1970-1971.
- Extent:
- 172.5 Linear Feet
8 Megabytes (Files extracted from 7 floppy disks) - Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.01048
Background
- Scope and content:
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The David Price Papers document the scholarly and political career of David Eugene Price, including his days as a graduate student in the 1960s, his tenure as a political science professor and Democratic Party staff member, and, finally, his years as a Democratic congressman from North Carolina's Fourth District from 1987 through 1998. Records from Price's political headquarters record the routine activities of Price and his office staff, and the larger system of government in which he participated. The files contain documents, handwritten and computer-generated; printed materials such as legislative bills and campaign publicity; and a variety of audiovisual materials, including photographs, some slides, many videos, and audio recordings. The collection is especially rich for researchers interested in the American political party system, the work and life of legislators, North Carolina history and government, the North Carolina Democratic and Republican Parties, the U.S. Congress, its committee structure, the Hunt Commission, and especially the larger legislative process. Other topics include political campaigns, notably Price's own campaigns and Albert Gore's senatorial campaign of 1970-1971.
Three primary groups comprise the collection. Full descriptions of series and subseries within these groups are found below in the detailed collection description. The Pre-Congressional Papers primarily document Price's years as a student, then as a professor at Yale and Duke Universities; they also trace Price's early involvement with the Democratic Party. These papers are a foundation and prelude to Price's later work as a member of Congress. The Congressional Papers were compiled during his years in public office, and reveal Price's activities as a member of Congress, and his relationships with colleagues, constituents, and other political stakeholders. Finally, the Campaign Office Files were created from the activity of his campaign office in Raleigh, North Carolina, largely separate - as required by law - from the work of his congressional office.
Most original folders and folder titles have been retained. Labels included many abbreviations, acronyms, and initials; the full versions were added in brackets whenever possible. "DP" in folder titles and elsewhere usually refers to "David Price" but can also mean "Democratic Party." Keyword searching is possible within the container list, with some important limitations. First, the expanded forms of acronyms and abbreviations were not added in every instance but rather at the first occurrence with a new series or subseries. Second, labels are not standardized. For example, the search "breast cancer" might retrieve some folders, but not the one labeled "Cancer--breast." A search for the EPA's "Southern Appalachian Mountains Air Quality Initiative" within this collection may not retrieve folders labeled only as "Southern Appalachian Air Quality." To be comprehensive, therefore, searches need to be formulated in several ways. Please consult with a Research Services staff when using this collection.
Dates were obtained by sampling within folders and so may not be strictly accurate. Sampling was also used to identify the content of audiovisual materials, therefore descriptions for recordings may not be complete.
- Biographical / historical:
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Date Event 1940 Aug. 17 Born in Johnson City, Tenn. to a high school principal and a teacher.1957-1959 Studied at Mars Hill College1959 Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill1961 Earned B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill1963 Hired as summer intern for Senator Bartlett (D.-Alaska); subsequently worked for several summers as a legislative aide1964 Received Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale University.Canvassed for Johnson-Humphrey presidential ticket1967-1969 Instructor at Yale University1968 Married Lisa Kanwit1969 Received Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and obtained faculty appointment there1970 Organized campus groups and Get-Out-The-Vote operations in Senator Albert Gore's (Sr.) (D.-Tenn.) last reelection campaign1970-1973 Resident Fellow, Trumbull College at Yale University1972 Served as a field organizer in Muskie's presidential campaignDissertation published as Who Makes the Laws? (Schenkman, 1972).1973- Joined political science faculty at Duke University. Helped launch what later became the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy1975 Published The Commerce Committees: A Study of the House and Senate Commerce Committees1976 Served as Deputy Campaign Manager for North Carolina, managing two congressional districts in Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign1978-1979 Served as a Field Associate in the Community Development Block Grant monitoring project, The Brookings Institution1979-1980 Executive Director of the North Carolina Democratic Party1981-1982 Staff Director, Democratic Party Commission on Presidential Nomination1981-1983 Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science, Duke University1983-1984 Served as Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party1984 Published Bringing Back the Parties (Congressional Quarterly Press, 1984)1985 Apr. 13 Announced candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's Fourth Congressional District1986 Nov. 4 Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (100th Congress)1987 Sponsored the Home Equity Loan Consumer Protection ActJoined the Democratic Budget Group.Appointed to two subcommittees of the Science Committee: Science, Research, and Technology; and Investigations and Oversight.Appointed to three House committees: Banking and Financial Services (formerly Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs); Science (formerly Science, Space, and Technology); and Small Business.1988 Left the Small Business CommitteeWon reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives (101st Congress).1989 Joined the Democratic Caucus' Committee on Organization, Study, and ReviewBecame co-chair of the Democratic Budget Group.Switched from the Investigations Subcommittee to the Natural Resources, Agriculture Research, and Environment Subcommittee.1990 Won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives (102nd Congress)Awarded the American Political Science Association's Hubert H. Humphrey Public Service Award.1991 Appointed to House Appropriations Committee. Joined Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development.Gave up assignments on House Banking, and Science, Space, and Technology Committees.Appointed At-Large Majority Whip1992 Passage of a bill first introduced by Price, the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992.Won a reelection bid to the U.S. House of Representatives (103rd Congress)Published first edition of The Congressional Experience (Westview Press).1993 Joined the Budget CommitteeLeft the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development for the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Subcommittee.1994 Lost reelection campaign to the U.S. House of Representatives (104th Congress).1995 Returned to faculty position at Duke University1996 Regained seat in U.S. House of Representatives (105th Congress) for the Fourth District1997 Received appointment to Appropriations subcommittees VA-HUD, and Treasury, Postal, and General Government.The Price Education Affordability Act was passedReappointed to House Appropriations Committee.1998 Reappointed to House Budget CommitteeWon reelection campaign to U.S. House of Representatives (106th Congress).1999-2000 Served on Budget Committee Task Force on Natural Resources and the Environment2000 Reelected to U.S. House of Representatives (107th Congress)Published second edition of The Congressional Experience (Westview Press).2002 Reelected to U.S. House of Representatives (108th Congress)2004-2006 Reelected to the U.S. House of RepresentativesPrice was involved in a number of caucuses, including the Sunbelt Caucus for Members with interests in the southern U.S. For more biographical information, including a list of the many articles Price published, see his curriculum vitae within the collection.
- Acquisition information:
- The David Price Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a transfer in 1988 and 1997, and a gift in 2010, 2013, and 2016.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Lisa Chandek-Stark and Michael Shumate, November 2004
Encoded by Lisa Chandek-Stark, Michael Shumate, and Paula Jeannet
Completed November 2006
Accessions 1987-0002, 1987-0005, 1995-0063, and 1998-0516 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Accessions 2010-0219, 2013-0123, and 2016-0138 added by Rubenstein Technical Services Staff.
Collection level notes, especially Conditions Governing Access and Conditions Governing USe, updated by Tracy M. Jackson, November 2019.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Politicians -- North Carolina -- Correspondence
Legislative hearings -- United States
Bills, Legislative
Political parties -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Legislators -- United States -- Archives
Political campaigns
Democratic Party (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century
Democratic Party (N.C.) -- History -- 20th century
Elections -- North Carolina -- 20th century - Format:
- Video recordings
Photographic prints
Sound recordings - Names:
- Hunt Commission
Democratic National Committee (U.S.)
Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library
Republican National Committee (U.S.)
Hunt, James B., 1937-
Gore, Albert, 1907-1998
Price, David Eugene - Places:
- North Carolina -- Politics and government -- 20th century
North Carolina -- History -- 20th century
United States. Congress. House
United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Budget
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations
United States. Congress. Senate
United States -- Politics and government -- History -- 20th century
Contents
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Access note. Accessions 2022-0183 and 2023-0027 are restricted. These materials require additional arrangement, description, and/or screening. Contact Research Services for more information.
Collection contains fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Pre-Congressional Papers Record Group includes unpublished interviews in certain folders. Use of unpublished interviews in autobiographical material is restricted. Permission is not granted for publication. The user is responsible for obtaining permission to publish from the interviews.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], David Price Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m10657