LAWRENCE R. YETKA:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Yetka, Lawrence R., 1924-, creator. | |
| Title: | Lawrence Yetka papers. | |
| Dates: | 1921-1999. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, minutes, speeches and radio addresses, legislative files, political campaign materials, newspaper clippings, and photographs of a lawyer and Democratic-Farmer-Labor politician from Cloquet, Minnesota, who represented the 54th district in the state legislature (1951-1961) and who served as a Minnesota Supreme Court justice (1973-1993). | |
| Quantity: | 10.5 cubic feet (11 boxes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Lawrence Robert Yetka was born October 1, 1924 in Cloquet, Minnesota, to Frank and Martha (Norkowski) Yetka. He attended Cloquet public schools and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1947 and in 1948 from the University of Minnesota Law School.
His legal career included private practice in Cloquet; staff attorney for the Office of Price Stabilization (1951-1952); attorney for the Seaway Port Authority of Duluth (1957-1960); municipal judge (1961-1964); attorney for the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (1971-1973); and Cloquet City Attorney (1964-1973).
Yetka was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November 1950 as a member of the liberal caucus, and represented District 54 through 1960. While in the legislature Yetka was chairman of the Judiciary Committee (1955-1961), served on the Rules Committee (1955-1961), was assistant majority leader (1959-1961), and was involved in the passage of legislative reapportionment (1959) and legislation authorizing the construction of the Marine Port Terminal in Duluth (1957). He took an active role in Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) politics, participating in state and national conventions and in other DFL programs. He was active in the Eighth Congressional District political organization, and served as chair of both the Carlton County (1959-1969) and the Eighth District (1962-1966) DFL organizations.
Yetka was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota July 3, 1973 and was reelected in 1974, 1980, and 1986. He retired from the Court in 1993 and continued to be active in historical projects.
Yetka died November 12, 2017 in Cloquet.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The collection documents Yetka's participation in DFL politics, particularly in the Eighth Congressional District (1962-1970), the 1959 legislative session, his service on various commissions and committees, and some of his activities during his years on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Included as well are some personal and biographical files, a few photographs, and some personal correspondence.
Political files relate to Yetka's chairmanship of the Eighth District DFL organization and include correspondence (1962-1966) detailing routine political matters and personality conflicts and factional disputes. Political campaign files contain information on successor Bernard Carlson's candidacies for the 54th Legislative District (1960, 1968); volunteer committees for Walter Mondale's attorney general campaign (1962) and for Karl Rolvaag's gubernatorial campaign (1962); the election of Supreme Court justices (1960); the Citizens for Kennedy-Johnson organization (1960); the Freeman for Governor organization (1960); and the contested gubernatorial election between Elmer L. Andersen and Karl F. Rolvaag (1962). Other political files contain information on postmaster appointments (1962-1966); a campaign to name John Blatnik as Democratic National Committeeman (1962); the visit of President John F. Kennedy to Duluth (1963); and a controversy surrounding the proposed construction of an electric power plant by the Minnesota Power and Light Company and the Northern Minnesota Power Association (1963).
Commissions and committees files include minutes, correspondence, and related papers relating to the Duluth-Superior Harbor Commission and its successor, the Minnesota and Wisconsin Joint Harbor Commission (1959-1960); the Governor's Committee on Legislative Reapportionment (1957-1958); the St. Lawrence Seaway; the Great Lakes Commission (1959-1960); and the Seaway Port Authority Interim Commission (1957-1958).
Legislative files relate to the 1959 legislative session and contain correspondence and copies of bills introduced by the Judiciary Committee, and bills, correspondence, and other papers relating to retirement benefits for judges, teachers, and other public employees. Other topics include daylight savings time; reapportionment; and port authority taxes imposed on Great Lakes ports. Included as well are files of general legislative correspondence (1955-1959) and Yetka's newsletters from the 1959 session.
A numerically-coded set of files contains correspondence with DFL politicians and office holders, including Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Karl Rolvaag, Wendell Anderson, Sandy Keith, and John Blatnik; files relating to county, district, state, and national political conventions and election campaigns; and some press releases and news clippings.
Files from Yetka's years on the Supreme Court bench concern election and re-election campaigns. In addition they include poems, articles, some miscellaneous correspondence, and a few files relating to miscellaneous legal issues. This file set does not document Yetka's service on the bench.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Yetka, Lawrence R., Lawrence Yetka papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 15,046; 16,866
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, August 1994; additions by David B. Peterson, June 2014
Catalog ID number: 990017305080104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| 147.A.6.1B | 1 | Personal papers: | |||||||||
| Biographical information, 1951-1993. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence concerning civil service position in Economics Stabilization Administration, 1951-1952. | |||||||||||
| Speech notes and drafts, undated. | |||||||||||
| Radio addresses: Drafts and notes, undated and 1950-1962. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper clippings, 1951-1970. | |||||||||||
| Photographs, 1921-1957. | |||||||||||
| Political files: | |||||||||||
| State DFL organizations: | |||||||||||
| Young DFL organization: Victory by canvassing, voter registration, get out the vote, fund raising, debates, letters to the editor, 1964. | |||||||||||
| DFL Constitutional Reform Commission: Minutes and related records, 1968-1969. | |||||||||||
| 8th District DFL: | |||||||||||
| 8th District DFL Executive Committee: Minutes and related records, 1962-1966. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence files, 1962-1966. 5 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellany by county, 1962-1969. 22 folders. | |||||||||||
| Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis counties. | |||||||||||
| Political campaign files: | |||||||||||
| Carlson, Bernard: 54th Legislative District candidate, 1960, 1968. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Citizens for Kennedy-Johnson, 1960. | |||||||||||
| Freeman for governor, 1960. | |||||||||||
| Gubernatorial recount: Rolvaag-Andersen, 1962. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 147.A.6.2F | 2 | Lawyers' All-Party Volunteer Committee for Attorney General Mondale, 1962. | |||||||||
| Liberal legislators' campaign handbook, 1964. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Lawyers' Volunteer Committee to Return Supreme Court Judges, 1960. | |||||||||||
| Rolvaag-Keith campaign, 1962. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous papers, 1963-1970. | |||||||||||
| Other political files: | |||||||||||
| Appointments: | |||||||||||
| Postmasters (including Cloquet), 1962-1966. | |||||||||||
| Other appointments, 1963-1965. | |||||||||||
| Blatnik, John: Support for Democratic National Committeeman Appointment, 1962. | |||||||||||
| Jefferson Forum, 1968. | |||||||||||
| Kennedy, John F.: Visit to Duluth, 1963. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Northern Minnesota power dispute: Minnesota Power and Light Company and Northern Minnesota Power Association, 1963. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous political correspondence, 1964-1968. | |||||||||||
| Commissions and committees: | |||||||||||
| Duluth-Superior Harbor Commission and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Joint Harbor Commission: Minutes and related records, 1959-1960. | |||||||||||
| Governor's Committee on Legislative Reapportionment: Minutes and related records, 11957-1958. | |||||||||||
| Governor's Study Commission on Natural Resources: Minutes, 1955-1956. | |||||||||||
| Great Lakes Commission: Minutes, correspondence, and related records, 1959-1960. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Liaison and Facilities Commission on Higher Education, 1965-1967. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota State Claims Commission, 1955-1956. | |||||||||||
| Seaway Port Authority Interim Commission, 1957-1958. | |||||||||||
| Legislative files: | |||||||||||
| Legislative files (1959 Session): | |||||||||||
| Boat licenses. | |||||||||||
| Cloquet legislation. | |||||||||||
| Court houses: Saturday closing. | |||||||||||
| Daylight savings time. | |||||||||||
| District court judges retirement benefits. | |||||||||||
| Driver's licenses. | |||||||||||
| Judicial redistricting. | |||||||||||
| Judiciary Committee: Correspondence. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 147.A.6.3B | 3 | Judiciary Committee: Bills introduced during regular session, January-April 1959. 3 folders. | |||||||||
| Legislative bills: | |||||||||||
| House authors' index (Yetka). | |||||||||||
| Bills authored by Yetka. | |||||||||||
| Bills introduced during special session, April-July 1959. | |||||||||||
| Motor vehicle titles. | |||||||||||
| Port authority installation taxes. | |||||||||||
| Probate court judges: Questionnaires and other records, 1958-1959. | |||||||||||
| Railroad station closings. | |||||||||||
| Reapportionment. | |||||||||||
| Retirement: Teachers and other public employees. | |||||||||||
| Rules Committee. | |||||||||||
| Trunk Highway 39: Jay Cooke State Park. | |||||||||||
| Other legislative records: | |||||||||||
| General correspondence, 1955-1959. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence: Legislative appointments, 1958-1959. | |||||||||||
| Newsletters (Yetka), 1959. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.10.14F | 4 | Coded correspondence and files: | |||||||||
| File listing [old], undated. | |||||||||||
| 2.1 Correspondence with Hubert H. Humphrey, 1949-1977. | |||||||||||
| 2.2 Correspondence with Walter F. Mondale, 1965-1978. | |||||||||||
| 2.2A Mondale's contribution list, 1971. | |||||||||||
| 2.3 Correspondence with Eugene McCarthy, 1964-1968. | |||||||||||
| 2.3A McCarthy suit, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 2.4 Correspondence with Governor Karl F. Rolvaag, 1964-1966. | |||||||||||
| 2.4 Correspondence with Governor Wendell R. Anderson, 1969-1974. | |||||||||||
| [no number] Correspondence with Senator Wendell R. Anderson, 1977. | |||||||||||
| 2.5 Correspondence with Lieutenant Governor Sandy Keith, 1964-1967. | |||||||||||
| 2.6 Correspondence with Attorney General, 1963-1966. | |||||||||||
| 2.6A Correspondence with Warren Spannaus, 1970-1971. | |||||||||||
| 2.7 Correspondence with Representative John A. Blatnik, 1963-1977. 5 folders. | |||||||||||
| 3.1 Correspondence with state [DFL] party officials, 1963-1973. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.1B | 5 | 4.3 (1) - 4.3 (4) District convention, 1963-1966. 4 folders. | |||||||||
| 4.3 (5) Precinct caucuses, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (6) Political convention, Carlton County and delegate lists, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (7) District convention, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (8) State convention, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (9) National convention, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (10) National convention, 1956. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (11) County convention, 1970. | |||||||||||
| 4.3 (12) District and state convention, 1970. | |||||||||||
| 4.4 (1) - 4.4 (4) Delegate lists, 1964-1966. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| 4.5 Precinct worker lists, circa 1960-1963. | |||||||||||
| 4.6 Eighth District listing of newspapers and radio, 1964. | |||||||||||
| 5.3 Presidential visit fund-raising, 1963. | |||||||||||
| [no number] Presidential visit, 1963. | |||||||||||
| 6.1 (1) - 6.1 (3) Legislative campaign materials, 1950-1954. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.2F | 6 | 6.1 (4) - 6.1 (5) Legislative campaign materials, 1956-1958. 2 folders. | |||||||||
| 10.5 Humphrey campaign, 1960. | |||||||||||
| 10.10 Citizens for Humphrey, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 10.11 Humphrey-McCarthy preconvention correspondence, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 10.12 Johnson Re-election Committee correspondence, 1964. | |||||||||||
| 10.14 Political campaign materials, 1962. | |||||||||||
| 10.15 Municipal judgeship appointment, 1958-1963. | |||||||||||
| 10.16 State district court filings, 1964. | |||||||||||
| 10.17 (1) - 10.17 (4) Potential judicial appointment materials, 1961-1967. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| 10.18 Eighth District [DFL] Central Committee, 1969-1970. | |||||||||||
| 10.19 Eighth District Attorneys for Humphrey and Anderson, 1970. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.3B | 7 | 10.21 County convention, 1972. | |||||||||
| 11.0 Yetka gubernatorial candidacy, 1970. | |||||||||||
| 11.1 Yetka press releases, 1968. | |||||||||||
| 11.2 Yetka itinerary materials, undated. | |||||||||||
| 11.3 Yetka meetings, undated. | |||||||||||
| 11.5 Yetka press clippings, undated. | |||||||||||
| 11.8 Yetka volunteer lists and strategy notes, undated. | |||||||||||
| 11.12 Contacts with various parties, 1955-1972. | |||||||||||
| Includes TLS from Adlai E. Stevenson (1955). | |||||||||||
| 11.13 Volunteer committee funds, 1969-1970. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.4F | 8 | Personal/general correspondence, 1949-1957. 13 folders. | |||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.5B | 9 | General correspondence, 1981-1992. 8 folders. | |||||||||
| Family correspondence, 1973-1992. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.6F | 10 | Supreme Court years: | |||||||||
| Fan mail, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous correspondence, 1973-1974. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Testimonial dinner, Cloquet, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Includes 2 reel-to-reel Sound tapes of swearing-in ceremony. | |||||||||||
| Election/re-election materials, 1974, 1980, 1986. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Retirement and testimonials, 1991-1992. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.7B | 11 | Poems, articles, and materials for court meetings, 1980s. 2 folders. | |||||||||
| Legal memos on certain cases helpful in legal research, 1980s. | |||||||||||
| Judicial selection controversy, 1983. | |||||||||||
| Extension of term materials, 1992-1993. | |||||||||||
| Judicial selection materials, 1993. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous files: | |||||||||||
| Possible federal judicial appointment, 1979. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Judicial Center dedication and brochures, 1995. 1 folder and 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation Centennial Commission award, 1984. | |||||||||||
| American Tree Farm silver award, 1985. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.11.3B | 7 | Minnesota Supreme Court Sesquicentennial Committee materials, 1995-1999. | |||||||||
| Cloquet fire history project, 1991-1993. | |||||||||||
RELATED MATERIALS
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Apportionment (Election law) -- Minnesota.
- Civil service -- Minnesota.
- Contested elections -- Minnesota.
- Elections -- Minnesota.
- Electric power-plants -- Minnesota.
- Forest reserves -- Minnesota -- Superior National Forest.
- Governors -- Minnesota.
- Harbors -- Minnesota -- Duluth.
- Harbors -- Wisconsin -- Superior.
- Judicial districts -- Minnesota.
- Legislative bodies -- Minnesota -- Committees.
- National parks and reserves -- Minnesota -- Superior National Forest.
- Patronage, Political -- Minnesota.
- Political campaigns -- Minnesota.
- Politics, Practical -- Minnesota.
- Post office buildings -- Minnesota -- Cloquet.
- Postmasters -- Minnesota.
- Presidents -- United States -- Election, 1960.
- Teachers -- Minnesota -- Pensions.
- Wilderness areas -- Minnesota.
- Persons:
- Blatnik, John A., 1911-1991, author.
- Carlson, Bernard O.
- Freeman, Orville L., author.
- Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978, author.
- Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
- Rolvaag, Karl F., 1913-1990.
- Organizations:
- Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
- Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. 8th District (Carlton County).
- Great Lakes Commission.
- Minnesota and Wisconsin Joint Harbor Commission.
- Minnesota Power & Light Company.
- Minnesota. Legislature. House of Representatives. Judiciary Committee.
- Northern Minnesota Power Association.
- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
- Seaway Port Authority of Duluth.
- Young Democratic-Farmer-Labor Clubs.
- Places:
- Arrowhead Region (Minn.).
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area (Minn.)
- Carlton County (Minn.)
- Cloquet (Minn.)
- Duluth (Minn.)
- Duluth-Superior Harbor.
- Saint Louis County (Minn.)
- Superior (Wis.)
- Superior National Forest (Minn.)
- Superior, Lake.
- Document Types:
- Photographs.
- Speeches.
- Occupations:
- Judges -- Minnesota.
- Lawyers -- Minnesota.
- Legislators -- Minnesota.
- Politicians -- Minnesota.
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