ANDREW J. VOLSTEAD AND FAMILY:

An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For details, please see restrictions.

OVERVIEW


	Creator:	Volstead, Andrew J. (Andrew John), 1860-1947, creator.
	Title:	Andrew J. Volstead and family papers.
	Dates:	1868-1955 (bulk 1920-1922).
	Abstract:	Largely legislative and political materials of Volstead, a Granite Falls (Yellow Medicine County, Minn.) lawyer and Republican congressman (1903-1922), with some family and personal items. Most materials concern the National Prohibition Act (1919) and its consequences.
	Quantity:	3.0 cubic feet (3 boxes).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Andrew John Volstead was born near Kenyon, Goodhue County, Minnesota on October 31, 1860. He attended St. Olaf College and graduated from Decorah Institute, Decorah, Iowa in 1881. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1884. He married Helen Mary Osler ("Nellie") Gilruth (1868-1918) on August 6, 1894 and in 1895 their only child Laura Ellen (Mrs. Carl Joys Lomen) was born. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 7th District of Minnesota and served from March 4, 1903 until March 3, 1923. He was unsuccessful in his re-election to the 68th Congress.

This collection of papers is mainly related to his authorship of the National Prohibition Act of 1919 (known as the Volstead Act) and his 1922 re-election campaign. The Volstead Act gave federal agents the power to investigate and prosecute violations of the Eighteenth Amendment. It was modified in 1933 to permit the sale of 3.2% beer and wine. He served on the Judiciary Committee for the 66th and 67th Congresses. Volstead resumed the practice of law after his defeat. He died January 20, 1947 and was buried in the cemetery at Granite Falls, Minnesota.

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SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Much of the correspondence is dated 1920-1922 and concerns Prohibition, the National Prohibition Act of 1919 (the Volstead Act), and Volstead's 1922 re-election campaign. There are also copies of Volstead's speeches on Prohibition.

Other topics in correspondence, speeches, or clippings are Volstead's other campaigns; farming and farm legislation; cooperatives; a congressional hearing on the competence of Judge Emory Speer of Georgia (1914-1916); the treaty status of the Mdewakanton Dakota in Minnesota (1907); the Indian school at Morris (Minn.); antitrust legislation; and construction of a post office at Montevideo (Minn.).

Personal and family materials include information on Volstead's wife Helen, a teacher; data on Volstead's mortgages and expenditures, including letters (1911-1920) from Charles A. Lindbergh, Sr.; and invitations to social and other functions in Washington, D.C.

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ARRANGEMENT

Materials within each section are arranged chronologically.


	These documents are organized into the following sections:
		Correspondence and Related Papers
		Speeches
		Congressional Bills and Hearings
		Invitations and Programs
		Newspaper Clippings
		Volumes

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access Restrictions:

Originals are closed. Access and use requires the curator’s permission.

These files are located off site in Remote Storage. Advance arrangements are required in order to view the files.

Please consult reference staff for more information.

Preferred Citation:

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

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples

Accession Information:

Accession number: 6263; 9916; 9938; 10,013; 10,091; 10,569; 11,370; 16,937

Processing Information:

Digitized by: Minnesota Historical Society, August 2019

Processed by: Miranda Nighbor, August 2002

Catalog ID number: 990017304530104294

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

CORRESPONDENCE AND RELATED PAPERS

This series largely contains correspondence on Prohibition and the Volstead Act. There are both opposing and supporting letters. There is also correspondence relating to other areas of legislation including the Drainage Act and the Capper-Volstead Bill. All the folders contain both letters received and replies from Volstead. There are newspaper clippings attached to some of the letters. Correspondence predating Volstead's election to congress tends to be more personal and more diverse in character. Below is a brief outline of the main topics found in each folder. It should be noted that it is not a comprehensive list.

Location

Box

305.G.15.8F

Undated.

This folder contains personal letters related to Volstead and his responses. In this folder is a biographical sketch of Volstead by Ari Hoogenboam from the Dictionary of American Biography (1971).