During his long career in the Foreign Service, Robert Anderson served in a succession of posts both overseas and in Washington, culminating in his work as Special Assistant for Press Relations to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and as U.S. Ambassador to three different countries.
The collection encompasses the Ford White House files of Social Entertainments Office directors Sanford L. Fox and his March 1975 successor, Russell H. Armentrout. Supervised by Maria Downs, Mrs. Ford’s Social Secretary, Fox and Armentrout oversaw two assistant chiefs (William T. Gemmell for calligraphy, and Janice M. Ingersoll for arrangements), one calligrapher/graphic designer (John J. Scarfone), two illustrators (Kathleen S. McCann and Alexander B. Schiavoni), and one clerical employee (Barbara A.
Major Robert Barrett served in the United States Army before being appointed as Military Aide to President Gerald R. Ford in August 1974. When Ford left office following his loss in the 1976 presidential campaign, Barrett resigned his military commission to serve as a member of Ford's post-presidential transition team and then his Executive Assistant in his California office from 1977-1981. In 1982 Barrett left Ford’s post-presidential office and opened Barrett and Associates, a public relations and consulting firm which assisted Ford during many of his post-presidential activities.
On November 19, 1975, President Gerald Ford learned that Ronald Reagan would challenge him for the Republican nomination for President in the 1976 election. This meant that the approaching primary season would be much more grueling than had been anticipated and the contest for delegates had now commenced.
During the Ford administration, Richard Cheney held the positions of Deputy Assistant and Assistant to the President for White House Operations, titles commonly referred to by the news media and others as "Deputy Chief of Staff" and "Chief of Staff." He initially served as deputy to Donald Rumsfeld and succeeded him in November 1975 when Rumsfeld became Secretary of Defense. This collection contains material concerning Cheney's work in both positions.
Roland L. Elliott became a special assistant to President Nixon and director of the Correspondence Office in 1971. He continued those duties through the end of the Ford Administration. As director of the Correspondence Office, he supervised the flow of mail to and from the White House, including presidential correspondence. One exception was correspondence between President Ford and his friends and family, which was handled by Personal Assistant to the President Mildred Leonard.
Richard L.
Long-time confidant of Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Goldwin served in the White House as Special Consultant to the President. Congressmen Rumsfeld and Gerald Ford attended conferences run by Goldwin when he was director of the Public Affairs Conference Center. In 1973 he went to Brussels to aid Rumsfeld, then Ambassador to NATO. When Rumsfeld took over from Alexander Haig as Ford's chief of staff, Goldwin accompanied him and worked under him until November 1975, when Rumsfeld became Secretary of Defense. He then worked under Richard Cheney, Rumsfeld
Robert Goldwin, a former professor of political science and director of public affairs conferences at the University of Chicago and Kenyon College, served in the White House as Special Consultant to the President. Before assuming that position, Goldwin was an assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, Ambassador to NATO. When Rumsfeld took over from Alexander Haig as Ford's chief of staff, Goldwin assisted him at the White House until November 1975, when Rumsfeld became Secretary of Defense. Goldwin then reported to Richard Cheney, Rumsfeld's former deputy and s
President John F. Kennedy appointed Robert Hampton to the U.S. Civil Service Commission (CSC) in 1961. In 1969, Hampton accepted President Richard M. Nixon's appointment as CSC Chairman, a post he held until he left the Commission in 1977.
Ray Hanzlik joined the Domestic Council staff in August 1975 to help coordinate the six White House forums on domestic policy. He remained on the staff throughout 1976 as an assistant to Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs Stephen McConahey. The materials described consist of working files accumulated by Hanzlik and the forums staff in 1975 and by Hanzlik in 1976, arranged by function and topic.
Discussed below under separate headings are: Robert Hartmann's role in the Ford White House, the scope and content of the Hartmann files, and related collections at the Ford Library.
The Roderick M. Hills Papers, 1975-1990, contain materials from Hills’ positions as Counsel to President Gerald R. Ford and as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and his post-governmental career with various companies and law firms.
On September 16, 1974, President Gerald Ford announced the formation of the Presidential Clemency Board, charged with creating a program of conditional clemency for those accused of draft or military absence offenses during the Vietnam War. The Board, chaired by former New York Senator Charles Goodell immediately began to develop the program and hire a staff. They borrowed Robert Horn from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to serve as Executive Secretary to the Board.
Reynaldo Maduro served as Deputy Special Assistant for Hispanic Affairs in the final months of the Ford Administration, providing a liaison with the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities during the campaign. The Maduro files, which date almost exclusively from September and October 1976, document Maduro's liaison work with the Hispanic Community, particularly his efforts to set up meetings between President Ford and Hispanic organizations.
Robin B. Martin came to work for Vice President Ford in February 1974, from his position as Executive Vice President of Regional Broadcasters Group. He served as a Staff Assistant in the Vice Presidential Advance Office until August 1974, when he was appointed to a similar position in the White House Advance Office, reporting directly to Advance Office Director Byron M. (Red) Cavaney. Mr. Martin held this position until February 1976.
When Rogers Morton was appointed as Counsellor to the President on February 2, 1976, the White House stated that he would serve as Counsellor to the President with Cabinet rank responsible for providing advice on domestic and economic issues; member of the Economic Policy Board, Energy Resources Council, and Domestic Council; and principal White House liaison with the President Ford Committee (PFC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Ron Nessen was appointed White House Press Secretary on September 20, 1974, replacing Jerald F. terHorst who had resigned in protest of President Ford's grant of an unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon eleven days earlier. Nessen remained as Press Secretary and head of the press office through the end of the Ford administration. Discussed below under separate headings are: organization and function of the office of the Press Secretary and the scope and content of the Nessen Files.
The Ron Nessen Papers consist of materials which Nessen took home from the White House at the end of the Ford administration presumably to assist in writing his memoir It Sure Looks Different From the Inside (Chicago: Playboy Press, 1978). Mr. Nessen donated the bulk of his papers to the Ford Library on January 22, 1979. In October 1992 he donated an accretion of papers (boxes 294-300).
Richard D. Parsons was a native of New York City and a 1971 graduate of Union University's Albany Law School. Following law school he served as an assistant counsel to Governor Nelson Rockefeller and, commencing in 1973, as First Assistant Counsel. In 1975, soon after Rockefeller's confirmation as Vice President, Parsons became Deputy Counsel to the Vice President. After the end of the Ford administration, Parsons went back to working for Nelson Rockefeller.
Soon after suffering severe losses in the 1964 elections, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives began discussing organizational and leadership changes. As a political scientist specializing in the study of Congress, Professor Robert Peabody of Johns Hopkins University became interested in studying these potential changes.
While working as a Presidential Clemency Board (PCB) staff member and volunteering for the President Ford Committee (PFC), Fred Slight, Research Director of the PFC, offered Robert Quartel the position of Answer Desk Coordinator in the Research Office. Quartel accepted the position and held it until the end of the campaign. Quartel’s responsibilities involved vetting all policy statements for the campaign. When Fred Slight left his position after the 1976 Republican National Convention and was replaced by Bob Teeter, Quartel took on a larger role within the Research Office.
Special NoteIn an earlier version of the Jane Dannenhauer Files finding aid, this case file was listed as being part of the Dannenhauer Files. It was added to the Dannenhauer Files because the collection includes a copy of a similar document, the FBI's final investigatory report on Rockefeller, see series: Vice Presidential Nominee Nelson Rockefeller Background Investigation File. Because the case file did not originate in the Ford White House, the Ford Library created a separate collection for the case file.
Roger D. Semerad was appointed staff assistant to the Domestic Council by President Nixon in May 1974 and continued in this position during the Ford administration until September 1975. He was appointed by the President as Executive Director of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees in May 1975 and left the administration when he completed his duties in January 1976.
The Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Puerto Rico was established by charter on September 20, 1973, and membership was announced jointly by President Richard Nixon and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Governor Hernandez Colon on September 27, 1973. The Ad Hoc Group was responsible for determining extent of the applicability of federal laws and regulations to Puerto Rico, in light of its commonwealth status. It was co-chaired by former U.S. Senator Marlow M. Cook (R- KY) and former Puerto Rico Governor Luis Muñoz Marín.
The Council of Economic Advisers, established within the Executive Office of the President by the Employment Act of 1946, provided economic analysis and advice to the President and assisted him in developing and evaluating economic policies. The CEA consisted of a chairman and two members appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate and a supporting cast of economists, consultants, and assistants.
In August 1975, the President Ford Committee (PFC) hired attorney Robert Visser as General Counsel. In October, Visser hired Tim Ryan, a Baltimore attorney who had been a volunteer advanceman for the White House and the Assistant Director of the 1972 Inaugural Parade, to work as his assistant. Unlike most PFC offices, there was no staff turnover during the campaign, so Visser and Ryan handled the PFC's legal work through Election Day and into early 1977.
Roy Wetzel grew up in southeastern Michigan and developed an interest in American politics at an early age. He began making audio recordings related to presidential elections in 1952 as a hobby, starting with national party conventions and election night coverage. Between elections he continued recording news conferences, speeches, and significant political news stories, as well as collecting transcripts and related news articles.
The Robert Wolthuis files span the period November 1974 to January 1977. They document Wolthuis' work in the White House Congressional Relations Office.
Robert Orben began his comedy career as a magician and played a prominent role in the magic community through the 1950s. In 1946, he produced his first magic book, The Encyclopedia of Patter. Later he wrote for Magic is Fun and Genii magazine and for the magic TV show Fun with Felix. Following this early success, Orben transitioned away from magic and applied his humor to other fields.
For nearly 40 years Robert M. Teeter was a leader in survey research and involved in campaign strategy for Republican presidential campaigns, and gubernatorial and senatorial candidates in nearly every state. Teeter participated in the senior management of seven Republican presidential campaigns, from Richard M. Nixon in 1968 to the George H. W.
The Ford Library has two Robert Hartmann collections - the Hartmann Files and the Hartmann Papers. The Hartmann Papers consist of historical materials from throughout his career that the Ford Library received in 1992. Described below under separate headings are Hartmann's career, the scope and contents of the collection, and related materials in the Ford Library. Hartmann's Career