WILLIAM JAMES CONNELL:

William James Connell was born in Chicago on September 2, 1925, the son of Lowell M. and Bernadette (Tuff) Connell, and spent his youth in California, Kentucky, and Texas. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1945, a M.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1947, and was a teaching assistant at the University of Texas, 1946-1947.

Connell served in World War II, receiving his commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in February 1945, and remaining on active duty until May 1946. He also served during the Korean War, 1950-1952. He continues to hold the rank of commander, USNR (Ret.).

From 1948 through 1950, and in 1952, Connell was employed by the University of Minnesota, first as script editor in the University's radio station, then as assistant director of university relations.

Connell joined the staff of United States Senator Hubert H. Humphrey in 1955 as executive assistant. From 1961 to 1965 he was Humphrey's administrative assistant, and his executive assistant from 1965 to 1968. He also assisted in the Humphrey senatorial campaign of 1970. At the end of Humphrey's vice presidential term Connell became president of Concepts Associates of Washington, D.C., a documentary film-making company. The firm also engages in public relations and political consulting.

Connell married Phyllis Batson on March 3, 1945. They have three children: William V., Cary A., and Thomas.

Return to top

The papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, subject files, extensive newspaper clippings, and other related material all pertaining to the period when William Connell was an assistant to Hubert H. Humphrey (1955-1972). During this time span Humphrey's career burgeoned from United States Senator to his election (1969) as Vice President of the United States and, from there, to receiving the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidency in 1968. This period also covers Humphrey's successful run for the senate in 1970 and his bid for the democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Although some items in the Connell papers cover the periods 1959-1964 and 1971-1972, the majority of the collection relates to the period 1965-1970.

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. William J. Connell Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 11,584

Processing Information:

Processed by: Bill Tessman, August 1994

Catalog ID number: 990017305130104294

Return to top

The trip files, which span the period 1957 through 1960, contain correspondence and memoranda relating to trips by both Humphrey and Connell. The files include trips to Minnesota, a trip by Humphrey to inspect the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a trip to the Midwestern States Conference in Des Moines, Iowa (1964). Also included in these files is an unedited copy of the minutes from a meeting held at the Conference on Anti-Trust Issues (1962).

Return to top

This section contains memoranda, some correspondence, form letters, speech schedules, copies of a few speeches, and newsletters. Also included is a copy of President Johnson's 1965 State of the Union Message. The majority of the memoranda were sent to and from William Connell, Hubert Humphrey, Ronald Stinnett (who worked in intelligence for Humphrey), Ted Van Dyk (who worked public relations for Humphrey), and other members of Humphrey's staff including Neil Peterson, Win Griffith, Julie Cahn, and Vi Williams. The large bulk of material found in this section can be broken down into three periods: Humphrey's endeavors as a U.S. senator (1960-1964), as Vice President of the United States (1965-1969), and as a presidential candidate (1968). Two separate files, one labeled "William G. Phillips" and the other labeled "Connell: Confidential and Secret," are also included.

The material dealing with Humphrey's activities as a U.S. senator covers local Minnesota problems, national issues, and international politics and problems. Humphrey served on the Committee on Government Operations and as chairman of the Sub-committee on Reorganization and International Organizations. The memoranda outline Humphrey's attempts to remedy local Minnesota problems through these committees, including the economic difficulties of northern Minnesota's taconite and iron ore industries, which Humphrey tried to remedy through the efforts of the Area Redevelopment Administration. Connell's papers also reveal Humphrey's efforts on such national issues as his attempt to pass a civil rights bill under President John F. Kennedy and his work on the Youth Conservation Corps. The papers also show that Humphrey confronted issues of diet and health leading, for example, an investigation of the Food and Drug Administration which had approved a drug called "MER/29" that was later found to cause cataracts and skin disease. Similarly, Connell's papers reveal Humphrey's involvement in international issues, including America's endeavors into oceanography, Humphrey's support of disarmament and prohibiting nuclear testing, Humphrey's support for the Food for Peace program, and his efforts to set up a World Food Congress. The papers also include itineraries for Humphrey's trips to Latin America to inspect housing conditions and agricultural practices, and to suggest improvements.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 vacated the vice presidency, leaving the more influential members of the Democratic Party, including Humphrey, to vie for the position. The Connell papers reveal the internal party rivalries, especially between Humphrey and Robert Kennedy, that resulted. Connell's papers include many newspaper clippings on Robert Kennedy, the most common of which are from the pro-Kennedy columnists Evans and Novak of the Washington Post. This rivalry continued even after Humphrey received the nomination and would later be renewed when the two vied for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.

Some of the material in the memoranda section from Humphrey's vice presidential years deals with the election campaign of 1964 (which the Johnson-Humphrey ticket won), but the majority of it relates to events during Humphrey's term as vice president. During this period Connell kept close tabs on the kind and amount of press that Humphrey received, evidenced by the lists that Connell kept concerning magazines that contained anything to do with Humphrey. There is also a transcript from a television program put on by The National Educational Television Network in which Vice President Humphrey took questions from around the country. Another item found frequently in this section is the weekly legislation update sent from Ronald Stinnett. Stinnett also kept Humphrey updated on meetings held by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Great concern was also placed on the election of 1966 and some of the memoranda provide good analyses of election results in such states as California, New York, and Texas.

Another major concern in the Connell papers was the growing rift within the Democratic Party over the issue of Vietnam. Many of the memoranda deal with topics like the rise of the New Left movement, anti-war groups like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and such peace Democrats as Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy. The papers also show a great concern over rising student violence on college campuses.

The material dealing with Humphrey's presidential campaign also provides insight into the growing split within the Democratic Party as seen in the primary campaign for the Democratic nomination. Humphrey received moderate competition for the nomination from a variety of Democratic peace candidates, such as George McGovern and Eugene McCarthy, but his greatest threat came from Robert Kennedy. Numerous memoranda have opinion polls attached to them showing people's preference. However, after Robert Kennedy's assassination in Los Angeles on June 6, Humphrey was able to receive the Democratic nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with little problem. From that point on, the memoranda section concentrates on the chances of Hubert Humphrey and his running mate, Senator Edmund Muskie, being elected over the Republican tandem of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. Some concern was also placed on third party candidate George Wallace, then governor of Alabama. The material in this part of the section contains campaign strategies, information on states to concentrate on and their electoral votes, and opinion polls.

The file on William G. Phillips consists of memoranda and other papers pertaining to William Phillips, who reported to the Humphrey staff on New Left groups and members of the dissenting Democrats who met at the National Conference for New Politics.

The file labeled "Confidential and Secret" consists of memoranda and reports on topics like Vietnam, the gubernatorial race in Minnesota, and the chances for a Robert Kennedy victory in 1968, which were strategically sensitive at the time they were written.

Return to top

The correspondence arranged by date consists of correspondence, memoranda, and form letters. It begins in 1963, when Humphrey was a U.S. senator, and carries through Humphrey's campaign for re-election to the Senate in 1970 and his campaign for the Democratic Nomination for president in 1971 The correspondence is with a variety of people and concerns topics like the nomination of Clement Haynsworth to the Supreme Court (September 1969) and the creation of the Hubert H. Humphrey Foundation (November 1968). Also included is a compilation of critical opinions from the Humphrey staff on the presidential campaign of 1968.

The correspondence arranged by state consists of correspondence, memoranda, and condolences over the loss of the presidential race, charts of states and their constituent counties, and thank-you letters. This section is organized alphabetically by state and chronologically within each state. The majority of the section deals with the political situation within each state and how it affected that state's congressional, senatorial, and gubernatorial races, as well as the presidential election. Also included are charts of electoral votes for each state and a campaign strategy for winning the necessary votes to become president. The Illinois file of 1969 contains numerous newspaper clippings about the dispute between Humphrey and Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, each of whom blamed the other for Nixon's victory. Humphrey claimed that Daley didn't campaign hard enough for him, while Daley claimed that Humphrey wasn't the best choice for president.

The correspondence arranged by name ranges from letters of condolence over the loss of the presidential race to letters offering donations to the Democratic National Committee. The correspondence is with a variety of people, perhaps the most prominent being Frank Sinatra, The letters to Sinatra were mainly requests asking him if he could schedule benefit concerts to raise money for the Democratic Party.

Return to top

Correspondence, memoranda, and newspaper clippings covering 25 subjects, with most of the information in the section found within five of them: businessmen, the Democratic National Committee, Robert F. Kennedy, political polls, and staff meetings. Most of the information in the Democratic National Committee files deals with the post-1968 election period. As titular head of the party, Humphrey had the leverage to influence the choice of people for the top committee positions, including that of DNC chair. Humphrey had to choose a DNC chair who was completely loyal to him to get a chance at receiving the Democratic nomination for president in 1972, and there is much information on the process that finally resulted in the selection of Lawrence O'Brien. The political polls file deals with both statewide and national polls, largely concerning the presidential campaign of 1968. Other polls dealt with opinions on President Nixon's decision to enter Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Return to top

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:

Civil rights -- United States.

Mass media -- United States.

New Left.

Political conventions.

Presidents -- United States -- Elections -- 1968.

Presidents -- United States -- Elections -- 1972.

Public opinion polls.

Student movements.

Television in Politics -- United States.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Campaigns.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Mass media and the conflict.

Persons:

Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976.

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978.

Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973.

Kennedy, Edward M. (Edward Moore), 1932-2009.

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.

Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968.

McCarthy, Eugene J., 1916-2005.

McGovern, George S. (George Stanley), 1922-2012.

Muskie, Edmund S., 1914-1996.

Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994.

O'Brien, Lawrence F.

Paulucci, Jeno F. (Jeno Francesco), 1918-2011.

Sinatra, Frank, 1915-1998.

Organizations:

Democratic National Committee (U.S.)

Democratic Party (U.S.)

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)

Students for a Democratic Society.

United States. Congress. Senate.

United States. Food and Drug Administration.

Youth Conservation Corps (U.S.)

Places:

Guantánamo Bay Naval Base (Cuba)

Minnesota -- Politics and government -- 1951-.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1961-1963.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1963-1969.

Occupations:

Politicians.

Return to top