Leonard, Jerris, 1931- .

ABSTRACT: Papers, mainly 1958-1968, of a Republican state legislator who represented the northern Milwaukee suburbs in the Wisconsin Assembly (1957-1961) and Senate (1961-1969). The collection consists of correspondence to and from legislative colleagues, constituents, Milwaukee businessmen, lobbyists, and Republican Party leaders and an alphabetical subject file containing information about specific legislation, committee assignments, and investigations conducted by the senator. Among the well covered topics are budgets and taxes, the Governor's Commission on Human Rights and Open Housing, the Governor's Scholarship and Loan Committee, the Kellett governmental reorganization bill, alleged Communist influence of the Daily Cardinal, and pornography. Also included are copies of press releases, speeches and statements, and constituent newsletters and political correspondence relating to Leonard's unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1968 and other Republican campaigns, the Senate Republican Caucus, and other political matters. Prominent correspondents include Raymond Bice, Ody Fish, Walter G. Hollander, Warren P. Knowles, Clifford Krueger, Gerald D. Lorge, John Mitchell, and F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.

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 Jerris Leonard papers chiefly document his legislative career in the State Senate, although some correspondence from his earlier years in the Assembly is included. For the most part, the papers document his legislative actions and views, as well as the opinions of his constituents on numerous legislative issues, with lesser material on the progress of his political career. Virtually no personal papers are included.

Although the Leonard Papers share the depersonalized, bureaucratic character of most legislative collections of their era, they are, nevertheless, exceptional political documentation. This is due to the relative rarity of their contents (other important Republican political files of the period such as papers of Ody Fish having been destroyed), the high level in state political circles in which Leonard operated, and the unusual frankness of his correspondence style. Without doubt, the collection is one of the better research resources for studying the 1960s in Wisconsin.

The papers received from the senator have been weeded in the Archives in order to remove routine and ephemeral material. The discarded material included duplicates, form letters and orchestrated mail from constituents, routine requests and case work, documentation on legislation more accessible elsewhere, and publications.

Biographical Material consists of xeroxed biographical clippings gathered from throughout the collection.

The General Files, which make up the bulk of the collection, are subdivided into General Correspondence, Subject Files, and Political Files. The General Correspondence is arranged by legislative term and alphabetically by correspondent. Unlike the practice of many legislative offices, the Leonard General Correspondence files were used for correspondence of great value concerning pending legislation and politics, although some discussion of case work and other more routine matters in which Leonard was involved is included. Unfortunately no indexes to these files were received in the archives, and the files for individual letters of the alphabet are extremely disorganized. Although by no means a complete index, the following listing of prominent correspondents will serve as an aid to searching:

Name	Years
Adamany, David	1963-1964
Anderson, Don	1967-1968
Barbee, Lloyd	1961-1962
Bice, Raymond	1963-1964 1965-1967 1967-1968
Brown, Manny	1967-1968
Bubolz, Gordon	1967-1968
Busby, Allen J.	1963-1964 1967-1968
Ceci, Louis J.	1965-1967 1967-1968
Cerilli, Art	1967-1968
Chilsen, Walter John	1967-1968
Cudahy, Patrick	1961-1962
Cudahy, Richard	1963-1964
Davis, Charles	1963-1964 1965-1967 1967-1968
Davis, Glenn	1967-1968
Dineen, Robert	1967-1968
Draheim, William	1967-1968
Dreyfus, Lee	1967-1968
Falk, Harold	1963-1964
Falk, Richard S.	1963-1964
Fish, Ody	1961-1962 1963-1964
Fitzgerald, Edmund	1961-1962
Gaylor, Ann	1967-1968
Gower, John	1963-1964
Greeley, George	1963-1964
Grover, Herbert	1967-1968
Hallows, E. Harold	1967-1968
Hansen, Connor T.	1961-1962 1965-1967 1967-1968
Hansen, Robert	1967-1968
Hay, Sam	1961-1962
Hendee, Kirby	1961-1962
Hollander, Walter	1963-1964
Hubert, Robert	1967-1968
Jasper, Claude	1959 1965-1967 1967-1968
Kellett, William	1967-1968
Kenney, Delbert	1961-1962
Keppler, Ernest	1965-1967 1967-1968
Kersten, Edward	1963-1964
Knowles, Robert	1961-1962 1965-1967 1967-1968
Knowles, Warren	1961-1962 1963-1964 1967-1968
Kohler, Walter	1963-1964
Kraus, William	1967-1968
Krueger, Clifford	1963-1964
Kuehn, Philip	1959 1961-1962
LaFave, Reuben	1965-1967
LaFollette, Bronson	1965-1967
Laird, Melvin	1965-1967 1967-1968
Leverich, J. Earl	1961-1962
Lorge, Gerald	1961-1962 1967-1968
MacIver, John K.	1967-1968
Maier, Henry	1965-1967 1967-1968
McDonald, Richard	1963-1964 1965-1967
McKay, J. Curtis	1961-1962 1963-1964
Mitchell, John	1965-1967 1967-1968
Nikolay, Frank	1967-1968
Nixon, Richard	1965-1967 1967-1968
Olson, Jack	1963-1964 1967-1968
Pabst, Richard	1967-1968
Padrutt, Arthur	1959 1963-1964
Panzer, Frank	1963-1964
Parker, Daniel	1963-1964
Pausch, Maurice	1963-1964
Peters, William Wesley	1965-1967
Peterson, Talbot	1963-1964
Phillips, Vel	1967-1968
Pierce, Robert	1961-1962
Reynolds, John	1959 1963-1964
Roseleip, Gordon	1967-1968
Schadeberg, Henry	1963-1964
Sellinger, Philip	1959 1963-1964 1965-1967
Sensenbrenner, F. James	1961-1962 1963-1964 1965-1967
Shabaz, John C.	1965-1967
Smith, Dena	1963-1964
Soik, Nile	1959 1967-1968
Stalbaum, Merrill E.	1961-1962 1965-1967
Steiger, Carl	1961-1962 1963-1964 1967-1968
Steiger, William	1965-1967
Steinle, Roland	1959
Travis, Robert	1961-1962
Unruh, Jess	1965-1967
Warren, Robert	1965-1967

The Subject Files are divided by legislative term, although the division is not strict and some files contain material spanning more than one session. For the earlier sessions in which Leonard served, the files are arranged alphabetically by subject; for the 1965-1966 and 1967-1968 sessions, there is also information concerning specific legislation filed in numerically-ordered bill files. Most of the Subject Files contain a mixture of material types, ranging from correspondence and reports to working drafts of bills. Several files consist of material assessing political appointees made by the governor. Filing in the Subject Files was frequently inconsistent, and some correspondence pertaining to topics for which there are individual subject folders may also be found in the General Correspondence. Among the most extensively documented topics in this group of records are files pertaining to budgets and taxes, the Governor's Commission on Human Rights and open housing, the Governor's Scholarship and Loan Committee, the Kellett governmental reorganization bill, alleged Communist influence of the Daily Cardinal, and pornography.

The Political Files are arranged basically by year, with the files spanning the period 1960 to 1968. Some fragmentary Leonard campaign material is included, chiefly in the form of committee correspondence. The rest of the material deals with general Republican Party matters. The researcher should note that political correspondence was not segregated from the general correspondence until 1964, and even after that time filing was not precise. As a result, the General Files should be searched by researchers interested in political history. Especially notable are files on the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee and the publicity produced by the Senate Republican Caucus.

Publicity files are arranged by type and then filed in chronological order. Included are speeches and statements, press releases, constituent newsletters, scripts from a radio program broadcast in 1963, and evaluations of Leonard by a university political science class.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Jerris Leonard, Wisconsin Republican leader and lawyer, was born in Chicago on January 17, 1931, the son of Jerris G. and Jean Marie Reville Leonard. After his father died when young Leonard was two years old, the family moved to Milwaukee where he attended Rufus King High School and received a B.S. in business administration (1952) and a law degree (1955) from Marquette University. After graduation he began practicing law in Milwaukee. In 1964 Leonard joined the legal firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich.

In 1956 Leonard was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly. He was reelected without opposition in 1958 and during his second term served as assistant minority leader in the lower house as well as serving on the GOP Policy Committee, the Joint Finance Committee, and the State Building Commission. Leonard was elected to the State Senate from the 4th District in 1960 and reelected in 1964. An acknowledged Republican leader in the legislature despite his relative youth, Leonard made a reputation for his fiscal conservatism, devotion to civil rights, and concern for family issues. In the Senate, Leonard served as assistant majority leader from 1961 through 1966, moving up to majority leader for two years in 1967. In 1963 he was chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and a member of the three-man Committee on Committees. He also served as president of the Wisconsin Agencies Building Corporation from 1963 until 1969. In 1965 the Wisconsin Jaycees named him one of the five outstanding young men in the state. In 1968 Leonard chose not to run for reelection in order to run for election to the U.S. Senate against incumbent Gaylord Nelson. He was defeated, but accepted a position in the Nixon administration as assistant attorney general for civil rights. Leonard remained in that position until 1971 when he became administrator for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. In 1973 he returned to private practice in Washington, D.C., as a partner in Leonard & Ralston. He remained active in the Republican Party, serving as a member of the Reagan transition team in 1980 and the Bush transition team in 1988.

ACQUISITION: Presented by Jerris Leonard of Madison, Wisconsin in 1965 through 1969 and 2000 (accession numbers M65-114, and M69-2).

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

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 115	BOX	FOLDER
Biographical Material, undated	1	1
General Correspondence, 1958-1960	1	2
General Correspondence, A-G, 1961-1962	1	3-7
General Correspondence, H-R, 1961-1962	2	1-6
General Correspondence, S-Z, 1961-1962	3	1-5
General Correspondence, A-B, 1963-1964	3	6-7
General Correspondence, C-H, 1963-1964	3A	1-6
General Correspondence, I-P, 1963-1964	4	1-6
General Correspondence, Q-W, 1963-1964	5	1-6
General Correspondence, Y-Z, 1963-1964	6	1
General Correspondence, A-C, 1965-1966	6	3-5
General Correspondence, D-I, 1965-1966	6A	1-6
General Correspondence, J-M, 1965-1966	7	1-9
General Correspondence, O-T, 1965-1966	7A	1-7
General Correspondence, U-Z, 1965-1966	8	1-2
General Correspondence, A-B, 1967-1968	8	5-7
General Correspondence, B-F, 1967-1968	9	1-7
General Correspondence, G-K, 1967-1968	10	1-6
General Correspondence, K-O, 1967-1968	11	1-7
General Correspondence, P-S, 1967-1968	12	1-6
General Correspondence, T-Z, 1967-1968	13	1-5
General Correspondence, Chronological File, 1963-1964	6	2
General Correspondence, Chronological File, 1965-1966	8	3-4
General Correspondence, Chronological File, 1967	13	6-7
Political Files, Attorney General Campaign, 1965	23	9
Political Files, Political Correspondence, 1963-1964	23	6-7
Political Files, Political Correspondence, 1966-1968	23	10-11
Political Files, Political Correspondence, 1966-1968	23	10-11
Political Files, Republican Caucus, Columns, 1967	23	12
Political Files, Republican State Senate Campaign Committee, 1965-1966	23	8
Political Files, Senate Floor Leader Campaign, 1962	23	5
Political Files, State Senate Campaign Literature, 1960	23	4
Political Files, United States Senate Campaign Literature, 1967-1968	23	13
Publicity, Constituent Newsletters, 1967-1968	24	10
Publicity, "How Do You See It?" Radio Interview, 1963	24	2
Publicity, Political Science Class Evaluations of JGL, 1963	24	1
Publicity, Press Releases, 1960-1968, undated	24	6-8
Publicity, Speeches, 1963-1968, undated	24	3-5
Publicity, Statements, 1962-1967, undated	24	9
Subject Files, Agency Shop for Public Employees (SB248 & AB389), 1965-1966	16	14
Subject Files, Alienation of Affection/Abolishing Actions, 1965	16	15
Subject Files, Americanism vs. Communism (SB 459), 1965-1966, undated	16	16
Subject Files, Anti-Smut Literature (SB102), 1965-1966	16	17
Subject Files, Appointments, 1963-1965	25	1-3
Subject Files, Appointments, 1967	25	4
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, 1965-1966	18	14-15
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, 1965-1966	19	1-2
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, 1967-1968	20	20
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, Budget Bill 1103, 1967-1968	21	1-6
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, Joint Resolutions, 1965-1966	19	3
Subject Files, Bill Files, Assembly Bills, Joint Resolutions, 1967-1968	21	7
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, 1965-1966	19	4-9
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, Kellett Reorganization Bill, 1967-1968	21	8-9
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, 1967-1968	21	1-8
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, Future and Proposed Legislation, 1965-1966	19	10
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, Future and Proposed Legislation, 1967-1968	23	2
Subject Files, Bill Files, Senate Bills, Joint Resolutions, 1967-1968	23	1
Subject Files, Branch Banking (AB420), 1965	16	18
Subject Files, Budget Deliberations (AB99), 1965, undated	16	19
Subject Files, Cardinal Controversy, 1965	17	1-2
Subject Files, Code of Ethics, undated	20	1-2
Subject Files, Committee on Committees, 1962	13	8
Subject Files, Consumer Fraud, 1965-1966	17	3
Subject Files, Council of State Governments, 1967	20	3
Subject Files, Crime Investigation Files, 1963, undated	16	6
Subject Files, Decisions of Chair, 1961	13	9
Subject Files, Education, 1962, undated	14	1
Subject Files, Education, Re-Evaluation, NCSLL Committee On, 1960-1961, undated	14	2
Subject Files, Educational Television, 1967, undated	20	4
Subject Files, Election Laws (LRB12), 1966	17	4
Subject Files, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1966, undated	20	5
Subject Files, Fair Housing Legislation (SB310 and AB413), 1965	17	5
Subject Files, Flood Control, 1960	14	3
Subject Files, Floor Debate Schedule, 1967	20	6
Subject Files, Gas Tax for Recreational Boat Use, undated	17	6
Subject Files, Governmental Affairs, 1962, undated	14	4
Subject Files, Harrison Oil Company (SB608), 1965-1966	17	7
Subject Files, Highway and Highway Safety, 1965-1966	17	8
Subject Files, Highway and Highway Safety, 1967	20	7
Subject Files, Highways, 1960-1964, undated	14	5
Subject Files, Hold-Over Bills, 1961	14	6
Subject Files, Home and Family Council, 1965-1966	17	9
Subject Files, Huber Law Extension, 1963-1965	17	10
Subject Files, Human Rights, Governor's Commission On, 1960-1965, undated	14	7-8
Subject Files, Income Tax Simplification, 1958-1961	14	9
Subject Files, Integrated Family Court Study, 1966	17	11
Subject Files, Judicial Retirement, 1965-1966	17	12
Subject Files, Judiciary, 1960-1961, undated	14	10
Subject Files, Judiciary, Notes, 1959-1961	14	11
Subject Files, Juveniles, 1965-1966	17	13
Subject Files, Labor, 1959-1961, undated	14	12
Subject Files, Legal Holidays, 1962-1963	16	7
Subject Files, Legislative Council, 1966	17	14
Subject Files, Legislative Organization, Joint Committee On, 1967	20	8
Subject Files, Legislative Reference Bureau Drafts, 1961	15	1A
Subject Files, Legislative Services, 1959-1961, undated	15	1B
Subject Files, Legislative Staff Improvement, 1977, undated	20	9
Subject Files, Liaison Committee Minutes, 1961	15	2
Subject Files, Medical Education Task Force, 1966-1967	20	10
Subject Files, Mental Health Compact, 1965	17	15
Subject Files, Metropolitan Study Committee, 1961, undated	15	3
Subject Files, Milwaukee County Schools, 1956-1961, undated	15	4
Subject Files, Milwaukee County Taxes, 1966, undated	17	16
Subject Files, Milwaukee Medical Center, 1966-1967	20	11
Subject Files, Milwaukee School Problems, 1967	20	12
Subject Files, Milwaukee Teachers, 1967, undated	20	13
Subject Files, Miscellaneous Bill Files, 1956-1961, undated	15	5-6
Subject Files, National Conference of State Legislative Leaders, 1960	15	7
Subject Files, Nelson, Gaylord, 1958-1961	15	8
Subject Files, Nuclear Facilities Committee, 1963-1966, undated	17	17
Subject Files, Oleomargarine, 1965	17	18
Subject Files, Open Occupancy, 1967, undated	20	14
Subject Files, Operations on Mental Patients, 1965	17	19
Subject Files, Organization of Administrative Branch of State Government, 1956-1961	15	9
Subject Files, Outstanding Young Man Award, 1965	18	1
Subject Files, Payroll Exclusions for Employees of the University, 1962-1963	16	8
Subject Files, Physically Handicapped, 1960-1961, undated	15	10
Subject Files, Polygraphs, 1965, undated	18	2
Subject Files, Price Discrimination, 1961, undated	15	11
Subject Files, Proposed Legislation, 1961, undated	15	12
Subject Files, Radiation, 1959-1961, undated	15	13
Subject Files, Reapportionment, 1961	15	14
Subject Files, Reapportionment, 1964	16	9
Subject Files, Reapportionment, Amendment to U.S. Constitution SJR22, 1965	18	3
Subject Files, Republican Caucus Bill Assignments, 1967	20	15
Subject Files, Roll Calls, 1959-1960	15	15
Subject Files, Scholarship and Loan Committee, 1965	18	5
Subject Files, Scholarships, 1959-1964	16	10
Subject Files, Silent Prayer Bill (SB408), 1965	18	4
Subject Files, Social Development Commission, 1965-1966	18	6
Subject Files, Space Utilization Study, 1961, undated	15	16
Subject Files, State Treasurer, 1966	18	7
Subject Files, Tax Material, 1961, undated	15	17
Subject Files, Tax Material, 1961, undated	16	1
Subject Files, Telephone Rates for Telephone Company Employees (ASB866), 1964	16	11
Subject Files, Transfer of Real Estate, Filing Report Penalty (SB207), 1965-1964	18	8
Subject Files, Twenty-Third Amendment (Liberty Amendment), 1959-1961, undated	16	2
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin Riots, Senate Select Committee On, 1966-1967	20	17
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, 1963-1964	16	12
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Dept. of Religious Studies, 1966-1967, undated	20	16
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Investigation, 1963-1964	18	9
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Maintenance Department, 1966	18	10
Subject Files, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Parking and Expansion, 1965-1966, undated	18	11
Subject Files, Unsigned Miscellaneous, undated	23	3
Subject Files, Vicksburg National Military Park, Wisconsin Day, 1961	16	3
Subject Files, Water Zoning (LRB468), 1965	18	12
Subject Files, Welfare, 1959-1963, undated	16	4
Subject Files, Whitefish Bay State Park, 1966-1967, undated	20	18
Subject Files, Wisconsin Neurological Foundation, 1961	16	5
Subject Files, Wisconsin State Building Commission, 1963-1964	16	13
Subject Files, Wisconsin State Building Commission, 1964-1966	18	13
Subject Files, Wisconsin State Building Commission, 1967-1968	20	19

Leonard, Jerris, 1931- .

Papers, 1956-1968, 1998-2000.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 115

11.2 cubic ft. (28 archives boxes)