The Modern Political Archives (MPA) contains over 4,000 linear feet of archival material (manuscripts, books, photos, film, sound recordings, digital files, memorabilia and ephemera) representing the careers and legacies of select Tennessean members of the U.S. Congress, the federal judiciary, and presidential cabinets.

Some of the MPA collections open for research are listed below:

Howard Baker, Jr. Papers, 1964 – 1987. (326 linear feet). Contains material covering Baker’s senatorial career (1967 – 1985) and political campaigns, including his roles as senate minority and majority leader, his service as vice chairman of the Watergate committee, and his involvement in issues such as the Panama Canal and SALT II Treaties. Materials include correspondence, reports, memos, news clippings, case files, public opinion mail, speeches, manuals, photographs, film, video and audio recordings.

NEW: Howard Baker timeline.

Estes Kefauver Papers, 1925 – 1967. (858 linear feet). The collection contains the personal and political files of the senator, who was well-known in the 1950s for his popular televised hearings on organized crime as well as his presidential and vice-presidential campaigns in 1952 and 1956, respectively. Newspaper clippings, eulogies and condolences to Nancy Kefauver after Senator Kefauver’s death make up the portion of the collection dated 1963-1967.

Fred D. Thompson Papers, 1993-2002. (350 linear feet). Documents Thompson’s career as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1994-2002. Correspondence, notes, memoranda, reports, audio and video tapes, and many other formats of materials document the complete workings of the Thompson administration, both in Washington and in his state offices throughout Tennessee. Some material on Thompson’s two Senatorial campaigns (1994 and 1996) is also included.

Bill Brock Papers, 1930 – 1994. (119 linear feet). The papers of the former Senator, who was also chairman of the Republican National Convention (1977-1981), United States Trade Representative (1981-1985), and Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Labor (1985-1987). The collecion includes legislation, correspondence, schedules, books, speeches, photographs, slides, audio recordings, films, videos, scrapbooks, and ephemera.

More information on these and other MPA collections currently open to the public can be found via the SCOUT finding aid database.

The Modern Political Archives is housed on the second floor of the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy, and is open for research by appointment.

Phone: (865) 974-0939

Email: mpa@utk.edu