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Non-Gubernatorial Papers
The G. Mennen Williams Non-Gubernatorial Papers consists of materials documenting the careers, political activities, and personal life of G. Mennen Williams prior to 1949 and since 1960. The subgroup comprises 107 linear feet of materials and contains appointment books, case files, clippings, correspondence, financial records, memoranda, schedules, speeches, student notebooks, and topical files which thoroughly document Williams' non-gubernatorial endeavors.
As the Williams materials have come to the archives in periodic accessions since 1961, it is natural that little of the original order was preserved. By the time of Williams' death in 1988 what remained of original order consisted of very rough chronological order at some junctures and inconsistent filing by type of material at other points. A decision was made during the 1989 processing of the collection to reorganize the materials. The Non-Gubernatorial papers are divided into seven series reflecting aspects of Williams' career as a public servant, his partisan political activities, and his personal life. The series include: Pre-gubernatorial materials, Undersecretary of State to Africa, Wayne County Equal Employment Opportunity, Ambassador to the Philippines, Michigan Supreme Court, Political, and Personal.
Pre-gubernatorial materials
The Pre-gubernatorial materials series include journals and diaries kept by Williams over the period 1926-1945; class notebooks from Salisbury prep school, Princeton, and University of Michigan Law School; correspondence, including letters from Williams' 1933 trip to Russia; and Democratic Party materials, 1947-1949, mainly relating to his campaign for governor. The materials were part of the earliest accession and have been used frequently by researchers, so they have been preserved in the order created during the original processing.