This blog post was written by Thomas DeShong, the Processing Archivist at the Baylor Collections of Political Materials.
In April 2019, I joined the Baylor Collections of Political Materials housed at the W. R. Poage Library. My colleagues gave me a few weeks to wet my feet and explore the collections before I was charged with processing the W. R. “Bob” Poage papers. Piece of cake, right? Not exactly…everything’s bigger in congressional libraries. The archival collections of government officials tend to be rather large, and Bob Poage served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 42 years! After navigating a global pandemic, earning a library school degree, and learning an awful lot about our library’s namesake, I am proud to announce that Poage’s papers are now processed and available for research.
Poage was born on December 28, 1899, in Waco, Texas. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War I, he studied geology and law at Baylor. He then shifted his ambitions towards politics, serving in the Texas House of Representatives (1925-1929) and Texas Senate (1931-1937) before ascending to the U.S. House of Representatives by defeating incumbent O.H. Cross of Texas’s 11th Congressional District. Poage, a Southern Democrat, went on to win 21 consecutive terms in the House (1937-1978), often running unopposed. Affectionately known as “Mr. Agriculture,” Poage advocated strongly for the needs of rural Texans, serving on the House Agriculture Committee (1941-1978) and ultimately becoming its chair (1967-1974).
When processing Poage’s papers, I was surprised how many significant events in U.S. history are referenced in the collection. Poage did, after all, serve in the House for much of the mid-20th century, a time of significant changes both nationally and globally. Events you would expect to find are represented in some manner – the Civil Rights Movement, integration busing, the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Cold War and its various theaters and conflicts, McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee, the Equal Rights Amendment, urban renewal, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Watergate, and more.
Of course, the papers of “Mr. Agriculture” also reflect many of the changes that developed in the agricultural industry. The collection addresses every angle you can imagine with folders on cash crops (i.e. cotton, tobacco, sugar), conservation efforts, the use of chemical pesticides, migrant labor, the humane treatment of livestock, and rural electrification and telephone service. Poage also traveled with congressional delegations around the world, visiting every continent (including Antarctica) to learn and share agricultural knowledge with foreign counterparts. His travel journals and the accompanying photographs provide a unique snapshot into diplomacy.
Texas’s 11th Congressional District has shifted over time due to redistricting and the state’s massive population growth.
During Poage’s tenure in Congress, his district often encompassed areas surrounding McLennan and Bell Counties and beyond, with small towns and cities like Waco, Temple, Killeen, Marlin, and Belton prominently featured. Poage’s collection boasts a significant amount of local Central Texas history – James Connally Air Force Base and its transition to Texas State Technical Institute/College, the expansion of Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), the Brazos River and efforts to curb its flooding, and Poage’s alma mater of Baylor University. (Interestingly enough, there is also some material about the creation of the Poage Library which opened in September 1979.)
The W. R. Poage papers are comprised of 1,088 boxes and six major record groups: State Legislative, Congressional, U.S. Government, Texas Development, Campaign, and Personal. These finding aids will be available through Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO), in the Baylor Archival Repositories Database (BARD), and on the Baylor Collections of Political Materials website.
Photo of Bob Poage in front of the U.S. Capitol Building (Poage Personal papers, Box 47, Folder 2)
Photo of Bob Poage with Baylor President Abner McCall at the groundbreaking ceremony of the W. R. Poage Library (Poage Personal papers, Box 54, Folder 20)