[BCPM] It Began in Kimble: O.C. Fisher and the Process of Processing his Papers

This blog post was composed by graduate assistant Aaron Ramos, a master’s student in the History Department.

The W. R. Poage Library is thrilled to announce that the O.C. Fisher papers are now research ready with a completed finding aid. This collection is well-suited to those interested in researching 20th century American foreign policy, civil rights issues, agriculture, and commerce. Processing this collection would not have been possible without the combined efforts of many of our graduate student assistants, undergraduate assistants, and full-time archivists.

Here’s a few numbers that break down my experience processing this collection:

• 4 series within the collection (Agencies, Correspondence, Departments, Legislation)
• 331 document boxes total
• 26 hours personally spent processing, boxing folders, and composing the finding aid
• 9 months spent with the collection
• 11 audiobooks listened to while I worked

I have been working with the O.C. Fisher papers since I started my master’s in history at Baylor in August 2023, and I am proud to say that I played a part in processing this collection and contributing to Baylor’s archival resources. Fisher’s papers span the entirety of his three-decade career in Congress.  I am confident this collection will be a gold mine of information to students and researchers interested in mid- to late-20th century American history.

Ovie Clark “O.C.” Fisher was born in Kimble County, Texas, on November 22, 1903. He was married to Marian E. de Walsh with whom he had one daughter, Rhoda. An alumnus of Baylor Law School, Fisher practiced law in San Angelo before his election to the Texas House of Representatives in 1935. After a brief return to his law practice, Fisher was elected to represent the 21st Texas District where he served from 1943 to 1974. A Southern Democrat, Fisher was opposed to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies as well as President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs.[ii] The photographs in the collection highlight Fisher’s efforts to engage with America’s youth, mentoring high school and college students as they considered how to be active citizens in our democracy.

 

Fisher’s papers highlight his commitment to robust national defense, state’s rights, water conservation, and global anti-communist efforts. His time in Congress intersected with many watershed moments in American history, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Watergate Scandal. As such, the correspondence he exchanged with his constituents illustrates how everyday Texans navigated these pivotal moments. After undergoing open-heart surgery in 1973, Fisher decided to retire from politics and returned to Kimble County, where he spent his later years raising sheep and goats.

If you are interested in checking out the O.C. Fisher papers, please view the finding aid and email us at bcpm@baylor.edu for an appointment to come in. We’d love to see you!

[i] The title of this blog post is inspired by a book Fisher authored in 1937: It Occurred in Kimble: The Story of a Texas County.

[ii] Leatherwood, Art, “Fisher, Ovie Clark (1903-1994).” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fisher-ovie-clark

[iii] O.C. Fisher papers, Box 80, Folder 16, Photographs, 1973.

[iv] O.C. Fisher papers, Box 80, Folder 17, Photographs, 1974.