John J.B. Shea Papers on Adlai E. Stevenson, 1952-1956

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Shea, John J. B., 1924-1978

Title:

John J.B. Shea Papers on Adlai E. Stevenson

Repository:

Public Policy Papers

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9p290933f

Dates:

1952-1956

Size:

7 boxes

Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-7

Language:

English

Abstract: The papers of John J.B. Shea document his activities as executive chairman of the 1956 Stevenson for President Committee (New York State). The committee was comprised of Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, and Independents devoted to promoting Stevenson's candidacy and election to the office of President of the United States. The New York committee organized local Stevenson for President Committees throughout New York State, and provided guidance and overall supervision to these local groups.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The correspondence, inter-office memoranda, public opinion polls, reports, press releases, issue files, newsletters, campaign ephemera and audio tapes detail the relationship between the central New York committee and its local affiliates, and their efforts to get Stevenson nominated as well as elected.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

The records of Stevenson for President Committee (New York State) executive chairman John J.B. Shea are arranged alphabetically with most material within the folders arranged in reverse chronological order.

Collection Creator Biography:

Shea, John J. B., 1924-1978

John Joseph Brendan Shea (1924-1978), lawyer and Democratic reform movement leader, was born in Boston, the son of Joseph B. and Catherine Hurley Shea. He attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School, earning degrees in 1944 and 1947 respectively. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1948 and joined the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, where he later became partner. In 1951 Shea married Felice Klau, a fellow attorney with whom he had three children: Steven, Katherine and Andrew.

A pioneer in the Democratic reform movement, he founded the Lexington Democratic Club in 1949, an insurgent organization designed as a protest against the regular or recognized political club within the Ninth Assembly District in Manhattan. His liberal viewpoint attracted him to Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign in 1952. He was asked to join several other active volunteers from the 1952 campaign to organize the 1956 Stevenson for President Committee (New York State). Shea served as executive chairman and later founded the National Committee to Draft Stevenson in 1960.

Through out his life, Shea remained active in the Democratic party and liberal causes serving as a member of the New York State Democratic Committee, 1958-1975; delegate to the New York State Democratic Convention, 1954-1968; co-chairman of the New York State Citizens for McCarthy, 1968; Justice Department hearing officer for conscientious objectors, 1961-1968; trustee and executive vice chairman of the Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation; 1965-1972; and as a board member of the National Committee for an Effective Congress. He also founded the Committee for Democratic Voters in 1959, a forerunner of the New Democratic Coalition.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Mrs. John J.B. Shea donated these papers in 1978 [[ML 1978-5].
Appraisal: No information about appraisal is available for this collection.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Kristine Marconi McGee with the assistance of Rachel Koblic and Suzanne Siefert in 2001. Finding aid written by Kristine Marconi McGee with the assistance of Rachel Koblic and Suzanne Siefert in 2001.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from the Mudd Library to move forward with their use.

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:

John J.B. Shea Papers on Adlai E. Stevenson; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

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