New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation Records, 1960-1966 (mostly 1964-1965)

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Collection Overview

Creator:

New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation

Title:

New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation Records

Repository:

Public Policy Papers

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/b2773v715

Dates:

1960-1966 (mostly 1964-1965)

Size:

3 boxes

Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-3

Language:

English

Abstract: The New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation formed in July of 1964 in response to a Congressional effort to circumvent the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Reynolds v. Sims. The New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation document the committee's history through correspondence, reports and miscellaneous files.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The New Jersey Fair Representation Committee Records document the committee's history through correspondence, reports and miscellaneous files. The correspondence consists of intra-committee letters and committee members' correspondence with members of the media and various politicians. The reports consist of drafts and copies of the recommendations submitted by the committee. Also included here are summaries of preliminary research completed before the drafting of the report. The miscellaneous files consist of charts, maps, bills, resolutions, meeting minutes, lists, financial statements, press releases, and newspaper clippings collected during the course of the committee's work and immediately thereafter.

Please see series descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.

Collection Creator Biography:

New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation

The New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation formed in July of 1964 in response to a Congressional effort, led by Senator Everett Dirksen, to circumvent the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Reynolds v. Sims. In June of 1964, the Supreme Court ruled on Reynolds v. Sims ordering that state legislatures be reapportioned on a population basis. The committee, consisting of New Jersey-based political science professors and lawyers, fully supported the Supreme Court's decision. Co-chaired by Princeton professor Alpheus T. Mason and Newark lawyer Joseph Harrison, the committee met throughout the last six months of 1964 with the purpose of drafting a report consisting of recommendations for implementing the Supreme Court's decision. Their final draft, Reapportionment in New Jersey: Recommendations and Supporting Statements, was finished in 1965 and submitted to the Legislative Reapportionment and Congressional Redistricting Commission. Among the committee's recommendations were the retention of a bicameral legislature, the use of population for the drawing of districts, enlarging the state senate to 30 members, and the re-drawing of districts with an eye toward growth trends. The committee opposed systems of weighted or fractional voting and the tying together of state legislative and congressional districts.

Collection History

Acquisition:: This collection was donated by Joseph Harrison in 1968 .
Appraisal: No material was separated during processing in 2007.
Sponsorship:: These papers were processed with an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Casey Babcock in October 2007. An EAD finding aid was created from a MARC record in 2007. This finding aid was updated in October 2007 by Casey Babcock. A collection-level description and inventory list were created at this time.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

New Jersey Committee for Fair Representation Records; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/b2773v715

Location:

Public Policy Papers

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library

65 Olden Street

Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

(609) 258-6345

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