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George S. McGovern Papers

The George McGovern papers are composed of George McGovern's office files and document his activities in the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, as well as his time as director of the Food for Peace Program. The collection contains legislation files; campaign materials; correspondence; speech texts; schedules and invitations; travel files; patronage files; subject files; photographs; and audiovisual materials. It does not include the personal papers of George McGovern; files labeled \personal\ identify files maintained by McGovern rather than his staff.The collection is especially noteworthy for its comprehensive documentation of George McGovern's work on food and nutrition issues. It includes files from McGovern's appointment as the director of the Food for Peace Program (1961-1962) as well as his activities as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs (1969-1970, 1973-1977) and its successor, the Subcommittee on Nutrition of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (1978-1980). Of related interest are files documenting McGovern's activities as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (1967-1972). Campaign files included in this collection cover McGovern's first bid for the Senate in 1960, his subsequent campaigns in 1962, 1968, and 1974, and his final, unsuccessful reelection campaign in 1980. In addition, the campaign files also include McGovern's 1968 candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination and his 1972 presidential campaign. With the exception of audiovisual records found in the Audiovisual Materials series, no documentation of McGovern's activities after 1981 exists in the collection.