Greetings to the New Chairman

In the summer of 1965, the latest news from the Capitol was the appointment of Congressman Oren Harris (D-AR) to become District Judge of Eastern and Western Arkansas. For the next several months, the press focused on who would replace Congressman Harris as Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Foreign and Interstate Commerce, and the answer was not immediately clear. The two ranking members of the committee, Congressmen John Bell Williams (D-MS) and Kenneth Roberts (D-AL) had been removed from consideration owing to the former being stripped of his seniority for supporting Barry Goldwater’s 1964 Presidential Campaign, and the latter having lost reelection. By mid-summer of 1965, the succession issue was solved and Congressman Harris’ successor was announced.
 

Newly-appointed Chairman Harley O. Staggers, Sr. (left) presents out-going Chairman Oren Harris (right) with a platter from the committee members.

Upon the breaking of the news regarding his new appointment to the chairmanship, West Virginia Congressman Harley O. Staggers, Sr.’s office was flooded with correspondence from his colleagues in Congress, businesses, government bureaus and offices, and constituents, congratulating the Congressman on the momentous occasion. Given the committee’s far-reaching oversight, commercial, transportation, and communications industry leaders soon began writing to the new chairman.
The collection of letters has been preserved as part of Congressman Staggers, Sr’s. papers at the Byrd CLS. We have provided a sampling below of some of the most interesting ones. Click to enlarge.