Harold Washington Archives & Collections. Mayoral Records. Central Files Records

Abstract

The Central Files Records consist of correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office. Incoming mail was sorted by Harold Washington’s Executive Office using the Central Filing System. Included in the collection is a small amount of papers from Harold Washington and the files of Dolores Woods, Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary.

Historical Note

Central Files Records is composed of correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office. Dolores Woods, Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary, handled all of the certified and registered mail, any mail that was considered personal, and telegrams. All other mail was opened, sorted, dated and stamped by the Central File Clerk. This mail was then forwarded to relevant offices according to subject and need. A detailed explanation of the Central Filing System can be found in box 37, folder 5.

Biographical Note

Dolores Tucker Woods was born on August 31, 1936, in Chicago. Woods worked for Chicago Public Schools for over 20 years and, in 1964, began to work for Harold Washington following his election to the Illinois House of Representatives. She continued working for Harold Washington as his Executive Secretary as he won elections to the Illinois Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and as Mayor of the City of Chicago. Following Washington’s death in 1987, Woods continued to work with Acting Mayor Eugene Sawyer. She moved to the Chicago Public Library to oversee the establishment of the Harold Washington Archives and Collections and curated the opening-day exhibit in the new central library, the Harold Washington Library Center, which drew heavily from the archival collections. Woods was one of the founders of the Harold Washington Archives and Collections Advisory Committee. Following her retirement in 1992, Woods returned to education, earning a Bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois’ University Without Walls program, and she continued to volunteer at DuSable Museum and at her church. Dolores Woods died on February 21, 2011.

Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983.

Harold Washington was born on April 15, 1922, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. His parents, Roy Lee and Bertha Jones Washington, divorced when he was young, and he lived with his father in Chicago and attended boarding school in Milwaukee. Washington entered Chicago’s DuSable High School in 1939, served in the Civilian Conservation Corps for six months, enlisted in the military from 1943 to 1946, and returned to DuSable High School to graduate in 1946. After earning a bachelor degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago and a law degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Washington enjoyed a career as a practicing attorney before he turned to politics.

Washington’s political career encompassed roles at the municipal, state and national levels of government. He served as Illinois State Representative for the 26th District from 1965 to 1976. He then became Illinois State Senator for the 26th District from 1976 to 1980. Washington ran for mayor of Chicago in 1977, but lost. In 1980, he became a U.S. Congressman for the 1st District and served in that post until 1983. Washington again ran for mayor in 1983, winning the Democratic primary election in February of that year and the general election in April. He was inaugurated on April 29, 1983 and was re-elected in 1987. Harold Washington died at 1:36 PM on November 25, 1987 of a cardiac arrest, just a few months into his second term as mayor. He is buried in Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.

Scope and Contents

Central Files Records primarily contain correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office, and a small amount of reports and publications. Much of the correspondence was sent by Chicagoans asking for help and, as such, are closed for privacy reasons. There is one small box of files that relate to Harold Washington directly (box 36) which includes a program from his graduation from Roosevelt College in 1949, notification of the reinstatement of his law license in 1976 and handwritten notes taken by the Mayor. The collection also has the files of Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary, Dolores Woods. Woods maintained these files as they often contained information that the Mayor would consult frequently or wanted to keep near for reference. Records include correspondence, memoranda, reports, research files and studies.

Arrangement

Central Files Records are arranged in four series:

• Series 1: Routed Correspondence (Case Files), CLOSED, 1985-1987
• Series 2: Papers of Harold Washington, 1949-1987, undated
• Series 3: Files of Dolores Woods, 1974-1987 (bulk dates 1983-1987)
• Series 4: Reports and Publications, 1971-1987 (bulk dates 1983-1987)

Related Materials

• Harold Washington, Illinois State Representative Records
• Harold Washington, Illinois State Senate Records
• Harold Washington, U.S. Congressional Records
• Harold Washington, Mayoral Campaign Records
• Harold Washington, Pre-Mayoral Photograph Collection
• Harold Washington, Asian American Advisory Committee Records
• Harold Washington, Community Services Sub-Cabinet Records
• Harold Washington, Chief of Staff Records
• Harold Washington, City Council Proceedings Records
• Harold Washington, Development Sub-Cabinet Records
• Harold Washington, Finance and Administration Sub-Cabinet Records
• Harold Washington, Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet Records
• Harold Washington, Legislative Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs Records
• Harold Washington, Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records
• Harold Washington, Press Office Records
• Harold Washington, Press Office Photographs
• Harold Washington, Public Safety/Regulatory Sub-Cabinet Records
• Harold Washington, Real Estate Committee Records
• Harold Washington, Schedules and Evaluations Records
• Harold Washington, Videocassette Collection
• Harold Washington, Political Education Project Records
• Eugene Sawyer Mayoral Records
• Steve Askin Papers

Subject Headings

• Washington, Harold, 1922-1987
• Washington, Harold, 1922-1987-- Archives.
• Woods, Dolores Tucker
• Chicago (Ill.) -- Politics and Government – 1951-
• Records (Documents)
• Business correspondence
• Budgets

Collection Inventory

Series 1: Routed Correspondence (Case files), CLOSED, 1985-1987

Scope and Contents

Routed Correspondence files are housed in 35 records center cartons (35 boxes) equaling 52½ linear feet. This correspondence includes mail that became part of the Central Filing System created by Office Manager, Ella Richmond, in 1984. This includes material to and from the Mayor, chief of staff, agency liaisons, city departments, and general files. The majority of the correspondents wrote asking for help with personal matters and, as such, the letters are closed to respect individuals’ privacy rights. At the end of each year, each office division would route incoming correspondence with a copy of the response to the File Clerk. Files would be sorted, processed, and classified by filing reference and held for records management purposes in a secondary filing system.

Arrangement

Files are arranged by year, then alphabetically.

Series 2: Papers of Harold Washington, 1949-1987, undated

Scope and Contents

Papers of Harold Washington are housed in one document case (one box) equaling ½ linear foot. These papers contain a mix of items, including Harold Washington’s graduation program from Roosevelt College; the reinstatement of his law license; and correspondence, files, and notes written to or by Harold Washington.

Arrangement

Files are arranged chronologically.

Series 3: Files of Dolores Woods, 1974-1987

Scope and Contents

The Files of Dolores Woods are housed in 11 document cases (11 boxes) equaling 5 ½ linear feet. These files were especially important to Delores Woods, Executive Secretary to Harold Washington, as they often contained information that the Mayor would have to consult or wanted to keep near for reference. This series contains a few early files from 1974, 1981 and 1982.

Arrangement

Files are arranged alphabetically then chronologically where appropriate.

Series 4: Reports and Publications, 1971-1987

Scope and Contents

Reports and Publications are housed in seven document cases (seven boxes) equaling 3 ½ linear feet. Reports and publications were either generated by the Mayor’s Office or City of Chicago Departments, or sent to the Mayor’s Office outlining special concerns or issues.

Arrangement

Files are arranged by the following broad subjects: Budget; Business; Development;

Education; Events; Fire Department; General; Health; Housing: Labor; Management; Police Department; and Transportation. Files are then arranged alphabetically within.