University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Flynn, James T.

Papers, 1973-1981.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 89

2 cubic ft. (4 archives boxes, and 2 small archives boxes)


ABSTRACT: Legislative papers of a Democratic lieutenant governor (1982- ) and former state senator who represented the 8th Senatorial District (1972-1982). The majority of the files pertain to service as chair of the Legislative Council's Special Committee on Court Reorganization, 1977-1978, and include summary transcripts, staff memoranda, research files, and correspondence. Included are memoranda, notes, and correspondence relating to legislation (1975-1977) related to this study and to the work of the Committee on Court Modernization which worked to pass the constitutional referenda on the subject. Also in the collection are smaller files on the Judicial Council's Committee on Court Administration and its Committee on Courts and the Senate Committee to Study Standing Committee Rules. Subject files deal with issues with which Flynn was greatly concerned such as crime victims, equal credit for women, and public defenders.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The papers of James T. Flynn consist of miscellaneous files relating to his tenure in the Senate. The miscellaneous nature of the files is no doubt attributable to the fact that the papers were received in the Archives via the Legislative Reference Bureau and not directly from Flynn's office. Clearly, this accession in no way represents the main body of his legislative papers.

The largest portion of the files pertain to the Legislative Council's Special Committee on Court Reorganization which did research and made recommendations for enacting the restructuring of the court system mandated by voters in April 1977. As Flynn was chairman of this committee from 1977 to 1978, his files are quite complete. Included are agenda and summary proceedings, general and specialized research correspondence, staff memoranda of several types, maps, and research information. Further supplementing these unpublished records are some serialized Legislative Council memoranda and reports held by the Wisconsin Historical Society Library. A small quantity of related correspondence and unintroduced legislation is included in the papers of Senator Henry Dorman (Parkside Manuscript Collection 55), also a member of the committee.

Smaller files of proceedings, correspondence, and working files relate to several other of Flynn's committee assignments: the Judicial Council's Committee on Court Administration, the Legislative Council's Committee on Courts, and the Senate Committee to Study Standing Committee Rules. Three legislative files of similar composition concern a privacy bill for which Flynn was a co-sponsor, the office of the public defender, and the transportation revenue package of 1975.

Two additional cartons of Flynn Papers received in 1983 and 1984 via the Legislative Reference Bureau contained additional material on court reorganization as well as documentation on his long interest in compensation for crime victims. This material has been arranged as an alphabetical subject file at the end of the first portion of the collection.

The court reorganization material consists of correspondence, memoranda, notes, and reports on the legislation enacted by the 1975/1976 and 1977/1978 sessions. There are also files on the Committee for Court Modernization which worked to pass the constitutional referenda on court reform in 1977. This file includes copies of statements from Flynn and advertising used by the committee. The crime victims file documents Flynn's involvement in various pieces of legislation on this subject from 1973 to 1978. Other subject files of interest include those on non-discriminatory credit for women, termination of parental rights for children in foster care, and fire safety for high rise buildings. Also added to this section from internal Archives files were two newsletters distributed by Senator Flynn.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Democratic lieutenant governor and former state senator James T. Flynn was born in Chicago on September 25, 1944. He attended Marquette University, receiving a B.A. in economics in 1970 and completing his law degree in 1973.

In 1972 Flynn was elected to the State Senate from the Eighth District which included Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Milwaukee, and portions of Greendale. During the ten years that Flynn served in the Senate he was appointed to a number of powerful committees and served in a leadership capacity on several. Among these were chairmanships of the Judiciary and Consumer Affairs Committee, the Joint Committee on Finance and the Joint Committee on Revision, Repeal, and Uniform Laws. From 1979 through 1982 he was assistant Democratic majority leader.

In 1982 Flynn was elected lieutenant governor on a Democratic ticket headed by Anthony Earl. In addition to serving in his constitutional position as president of the Senate, Flynn was appointed secretary of the Department of Development.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Flynn, James T.. Papers, 1973-1981. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 89. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.


ACQUISITION: Presented via the Legislative Reference Bureau in 1982-1984 (accession numbers 1982/318, 1983/183, and M84-090).

PROCESSING: Processed in February 1984 and March 1985 by CJM.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 89 BOX FOLDER
Adoption Fees, 1977 5 1
Aerosol Cans, 1973 5 2
Arguments on Miscellaneous Amendments, 1977, undated 4 9
Automobile Lease and Rental, 1973 5 3
Court Administration, Judicial Council Committee, Working Files, 1978 1 1
Court Reorganization, Court Modernization Committee, 1976-1977 5 4
Court Reorganization, Court Reorganization Conference Committee, 1975-1976 5 5
Court Reorganization, Court Reorganization Legislation, 1977-1978 5 6-7
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Correspondence, Committee Members, Officials, and Court Reporters, 1977-1978 1 6
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Correspondence, General, 1977-1978 1 3-4
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Correspondence, Judges and Others, 1977-1978 1 5
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, District Maps, undated 2 1
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Information, Administration, undated 3 1
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Information, Allocation, Statistics, 1977, undated 2 6
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Information, Costs, 1977 3 2
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Information, Discipline and Removal of Judges, 1978, undated 3 3
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Information, Workload and Court Facilities, 1977, undated 3 4
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Memoranda, Numbered Series, 1977-1978 2 3
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Memoranda, Staff, 1977-1978 2 2
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Proceedings, 1977-1978 1 2
Court Reorganization, Legislative Council Special Committee, Testimony of County Officials and Data, 1977 2 4-5
Courts, Legislative Committee, Proceedings, 1978-1980 4 1
Courts, Legislative Committee, Memoranda and Correspondence, 1978-1980 4 2
Crime Victims, Assembly Bill 313,1979 5 10
Crime Victims, Assembly Bill 1043, 1979-1981 5 13
Crime Victims, General, 1973, 1977 5 8
Crime Victims, Senate Bill 139, 1975 5 9
Crime Victims, Senate Bill 334, 1979 5 11
Crime Victims, Senate Bill 345, 1979 5 12
Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations (DILHR), 1979 5 14
Emergency Medical Treatment by Hospitals, 1973-1977 6 1
Equal Credit for Women, 1974-1975 6 2
Foster Care Parental Rights Termination, 1973 6 3
Health Spa Regulation, 1977-1978 6 4
High-Rise Fire Safety Regulation, 1973-1975 6 5
Miscellaneous, 1973, 1977 6 6
Newsletters, 1976, undated 6 7
Privacy Bill, 1977 4 3
Public Defender Bill, Correspondence, 1980 4 4
Public Defender Bill, Working Papers, 1980 4 5
Rules, Senate Committee to Study Standing Committees, General, 1975 4 7
Rules, Senate Committee to Study Standing Committees, Proceedings, 1975 4 6
Transportation Revenue Package, 1975 4 8

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Last edited on Wednesday, August 7, 2002.
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