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

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 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.

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.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

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:

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

Permanent URL:

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

Location:

Public Policy Papers

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library

65 Olden Street

Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

(609) 258-6345

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Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-7

Subject Terms:: Politicians -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence
Presidential candidates -- United States -- 20th century
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1952
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1956
Public opinion polls.
Genre Terms:: Audio tapes.
Campaign literature, 1952 -- Democratic.
Campaign literature, 1956 -- Democratic.
Correspondence
Memorandums.
Speeches.
Names:: New York Committee for Stevenson
Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing) (1900-1965)