Connie Mack III Political Papers

The records of the Connie Mack III Papers date from 1888 to 2018 and are largely confined to Mack's career in the U.S. House (1983-1988) and Senate (1989-2001). The collection also contains material concerning Mack's post-Senate activities and family history. Among the many record types, the collection contains correspondence, memoranda, legislative staff files, press releases, speeches, articles, schedules and calendars, trip files, campaign materials, photographs, memorabilia, and audiovisual materials. Major topics include Cancer research and early detection, health care, Everglades restoration, financial modernization, modification of the tax code, public housing reform, Major League Baseball (MLB) expansions to Florida, foreign affairs, immigration, and the Elian Gonzalez controversy.

Series 1: "Legislative files, 1982-2000" contains staff working files, project files, subject files, committee files, floor statements, legislative activity reports, record vote analysis reports, and VIP correspondence with Congressional colleagues and government officials, including the President of the United States. The series contains very few files from Mack's time in the House, primarily documenting his service in the Senate. Of special interest are the staff working files which document specific bills, budget appropriations, and topics related to pending or possible legislation. Documented here are internal discussions between Mack and his staff on the questions of the day as well as correspondence with other legislators and interested parties.

Series 2: "Constituent services, 1983-2000" contains a near complete record of constituent mail sent to Mack's office during both his House and Senate career. Also included are form letter libraries and edited drafts of responses from Mack's staff. The House mail is arranged based on a numeric system that was assigned to each response sent by Mack's office and is ordered roughly chronological. The Senate mail is organized by the staff member who responded, typically legislative correspondents, who specialized in particular subject areas. Most of the Senate mail is organized chronologically by the date of response, but some files are organized topically by subject. Aggregate statistical information is also included for some years.

Series 3: "Campaign and political files, 1981-1997" documents Connie Mack's political campaigns for the U.S. House and Senate as well as his other political activities and polling data. Also present are the files of Jorge Arrizurieta, who worked as Executive Assistant to Alec Courtelis (Finance Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida) during President George H.W. Bush's 1988 election campaign. The files contain correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, internal memoranda, campaign event information, various types of campaign literature, A/V material, and polling data. Other campaign material can be found in the Memorabilia series (campaign signs and buttons) and Press Office files series (press staff files, and photographs).

Series 4: "Schedules and travel, 1985-2000" contains Connie Mack's daily schedules and travel files detailing Mack's trips both within and outside of Florida including trip itineraries, staff memoranda, and drafts of speeches. Only a small portion of his House career is documented in these files.

Series 5: "Press Office files, 1888-2006; bulk: 1982-2006" contains files created by Connie Mack's Press Office including staff subject files, speeches and interviews, press releases and newsletters, photographs, news clippings, and audio-visual material (excluding 1982 and 1988 campaign material which resides in the campaign series). Only a small portion of material from his House career is represented.

Series 6: "Immigration case files, 1991-1997" contains immigration case files handled by Senator Mack's Regional Senate Office in Miami. The files are arranged alphabetically by the applicant's name and divided into two subseries by year (1992-1996 and 1997). The case files primarily contain requests for assistance in obtaining visas to the United States, mostly from Cuban citizens. Immigration case files are restricted indefinitely pending further review by the Libraries. Please consult with special collections staff regarding use of case files.

Series 7: "Post-Senate career, 2001-2018" contains files documenting Connie Mack's career after his retirement from the Senate. Many of these files come from a later donation by Connie Mack in 2016. Of special interest are the files concerning his service as chairman of President George W. Bush's President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform.

Series 8: "Family history, 1949-1954" contains photocopies of letters, notes, and telegrams that were mostly written by Connie Mack's grandfather, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager Connie Mack I (1862-1956) to Mr. Shannon Fife (American journalist, screenwriter, and humorist) of Lake Placid, NY. The originals were found in a bookcase in Senator Mack's personal office.

Series 9: "Memorabilia, 1916-2003; bulk: 1982-2000" contains a variety of memorabilia from Connie Mack's House and Senate career as well as personal items related to his family (especially his grandfather, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager Connie Mack I) including scrapbooks, photographs, news clippings, programs, certificates, awards, plaques, campaign/political material, and other artifacts.