Willford I. King papers

The Willford I. King Papers contain correspondence, printed material written by King and others, organizational records for the Committee for Constitutional Government, and three book-length works.

The majority of the papers consist of chronologically arranged correspondence. There are approximately 20, 000 letters, spanning the years 1917 to 1962. The largest segment within this series occurs between 1943 and 1959, which includes the correspondence concerning the Committee for Constitutional Government and its members. A substantial amount of the Committee correspondence involves Dr. Edward A. Rumely, who, along with King, was a charter member. Other major correspondents include Robert Dresser, a lawyer from Providence, Rhode Island; Sumner Gerard, Treasurer for the Committee; Daniel Luten, an architect from Indiana; Guy Irving Birch and Robert C. Cook, of the Population Reference Bureau; Bart Saunders, a New York City businessman; and Samuel Pettengill, a congressman and writer from Indiana. Notable politicians who corresponded with Dr. King include Presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower, then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and then-Senators Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Of particular note is a letter, February 23, 1950, from General Douglas MacArthur discussing the role of the United States in Japan with regard to birth control.

A smaller series of printed material follows and is primarily economic in nature. It has been divided into five sub-series reflecting the material's origin: writings by King; writings by other authors; Committee for Constitutional Government, Inc. publications, including runs of Paul Revere Messages and Spotlights for the Nation; Features for America's Future, Syndicated, which King co-authored with Ralph W. Gwinn; and press releases. All of the printed material has been filed in chronological order within each sub-series, except for that by other authors which has been arranged alphabetically according to the last name of the author of the work.

The Committee for Constitutional Government, Inc. series contains the group's financial records and papers relating to the Committee's organization. Among the financial materials are budget control reports, financial reports, operating statements and balance sheets, and reports on the publications distributed by the Committee all of which have been arranged chronologically within each type of record. Other documents include the constitution of the Committee; lists of trustees; notices, agendas, minutes of meetings, 1946-1953; and news clippings about the lawsuit, Dr. Edward A. Rumely vs. The Buchanan Committee.

Dr. King wrote a number of books during his career as an economist and statistician. Three of these works, The Small Loan Situation in New Jersey in 1929 (1929), Trends in Philanthropy (1928), and "The Valuation of Urban Realty for Purposes of Taxation" (1914) are included in the collection in the last box.

Three photographs are included in this collection: a Christmas card (1950s), a picture of Sameul Pettingill (1910s-1920s), and a picture of A.F. Davis, farmer, and family and Governor Lausche of Ohio (1951).