The papers of John Dingell span the years 1932-1955. The papers appear to represent a portion of his congressional office file. The collection consists of correspondence (both incoming and outgoing) and clippings relating to many of the bills which Dingell introduced, and copies of press statements, speeches, and interviews. There is no personal material. There are no documents relating to his committee work or to legislation introduced by other members of the House. Nor do the files of his own bills seem complete (for instance, Dingell's anti-pollution bill is missing). By and large the correspondence is fairly routine or for public consumption. Some of the correspondence is from constituents, some from special interest groups, and some (though not much) from colleagues.
John D. Dingell was born in Detroit on February 2, 1894. He resided in the city for his entire life, except for a brief stay in Colorado Springs, where he met and married his wife, Grace. Dingell pursued various careers, including newspaper writer and wholesale meat broker, before being elected in 1932 to serve as U.S. Representative from Michigan's newly-created 15th District in Western Detroit. He served Detroit continuously as U.S. Representative until his death on September 19, 1955 (his seat has since that date been filled by his son, John D. Dingell).
Dingell was elected as a "wet" Democrat and was an ardent supporter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. He was a member of the Ways and Means Committee from his second term. In the committee, Dingell helped to hammer out the Social Security Act. For the next twenty years he introduced bills to liberalize and extend Social Security benefits. Dingell was an outspoken and active spokesman for the employees of the Federal Government. His other legislative interests included the reduction or elimination of excise taxes; he also submitted numerous bills on trade issues, especially trade with Canada. He was one of the earliest and most consistent champions of the St. Lawrence Seaway project. From 1943 to his death, Dingell led the unsuccessful fight in the House for President Truman's national health insurance program.
Dingell was identified with most of the liberal Democratic issues of his day. He was, however, in advance of the bulk of his peers in working for anti-pollution laws, anti-lynch bills, and economic aid for Israel. Dingell also conscientiously pursued more mundane projects, such as new post offices, commemorative stamps for Detroit, and personal appeals from constituents.
