Pence donates papers to IU

Gov.-elect Mike Pence’s days as a U.S. congressman may have ended, but a piece of his congressional history will live on at the Herman B Wells Library.

As part of IU’s Modern Political Papers collection, documents and other memorabilia from Pence’s congressional office and from his time as chairman of the House Republican Conference will be available for research purposes starting this month.

Texts of major speeches, House floor statements and newsletters are just some of the documents part of the collection.

“It is a great honor and privilege to be able to donate my congressional papers to Indiana University as part of its Modern Political Papers collection,” Pence said in a news release.

“I am thankful to IU for stewarding such an outstanding collection and allowing me to be a part of it. I hope that my contribution, together with the papers already held in the collection, will help foster a greater understanding of Congress for future Hoosier students and researchers.”

Pence, who will be sworn into the governorship Jan. 14, is a native of Columbus, Ind.
He graduated from the IU McKinney School of Law and went on to serve six terms in Congress representing the state’s 6th House District.

Some items will be on display and available on a limited basis for qualified academic researchers, while others will remain sealed for 10 years or until Pence’s death.

Other papers in IU’s post-World War II congressional collection include the works of Lee Hamilton and Birch Bayh.

­— Matthew Glowicki