TOMMY G. THOMPSON COLLECTION
1957-[ongoing], bulk 1986-2001

Series 2: Scope and Content

Records in this series were created between 1987 and 2001, during Thompson's tenure as Governor of Wisconsin. The series is further divided into four sub-series.

Series 2.1, Personal Correspondence, 1987-2000, undated, contains incoming and outgoing letters and cards. Most of the incoming correspondence consists of birthday or holiday greetings and thank you messages. The outgoing correspondence is composed primarily of thank you letters for gifts received as well as letters of recommendation written by the Governor on behalf of others. The series includes some items from First Lady Sue Ann Thompson; they appear with the Governor's correspondence.

Series 2.2, Speeches, 1987-2001, undated, consists of public remarks prepared by staff for Governor Thompson and First Lady Sue Ann Thompson. In cases of multiple drafts, archives staff retained the latest draft. Earlier speeches (ca. 1987-1989) exist in paper format only. Later speeches (ca. 1990-2001) appear in either paper or electronic format.

Series 2.3, Biennial Budget Papers, 1987-2001, contains a variety of textual materials pertaining to the seven biennial budgets prepared by Thompson's administrations. Arranged chronologically by budget cycle, this series documents the often contentious budgeting process in Wisconsin. Types of material include correspondence, briefing reports, and subject files, as well as copies of Department of Administration (DOA) and Legislative Fiscal Bureau publications. The last two budgets are the most thoroughly documented.

Series 2.4, Subject Files, 1992-2000, consists of miscellaneous files from Thompson's long governorship. Several files pertain to his annual Harley-Davidson riding tours. Box #2 describes the governor's personal library of books that was donated in 2005. Thompson received many of the volumes as gifts, either as governor or HHS secretary. The books themselves were not retained in the collection; however, the covers and title pages were photocopied to provide evidence of the books he owned.

Series 2.5, Schedules, 1988-2001, contains listings of Thompson's public appearances, broken down by date and county. These were compiled by Patricia Hackett and Donna Sarow for the governor when he left office in 2001. They remained in his personal possession until 2011 when he donated them to the collection.

Series 2.6, Trade Missions, 1987-2000, consists of two binders of documents about the governor's missions to foreign countries. The documents are organized by mission and arranged chronologically.