Collection Spotlight: The Office Files Series

The Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers Collection is comprised of several sections or “series” of records. The Office Files Series, one of the smaller series within the collection, contains 76 linear feet of records from the four offices Senator Byrd operated during his time in Congress. Ranging in date from 1956 through 2010, the Office Files Series provides a comprehensive record of the administration of Senator Byrd’s offices for all but the first 3 years of his Congressional career. This collection offers several different types of documents which help to further illuminate the life and work of Senator Byrd and to gain a better understanding of how Congress operates outside of the chamber and away from the C-SPAN cameras.

Part of Senator Byrd’s D.C. Office located in the Hart Senate Office Building

Throughout his career, Senator Byrd maintained a Washington D.C. Office. Beginning in 1959, his office was located in the Russell Building for the first 20 years of his tenure and then in the Hart Building for the remainder of his time in the Senate.  Upon entering the leadership, Senator Byrd also maintained an office within the Capitol Building. The D.C. Office subseries contains records from these offices, and covers the longest range of time within the collection, extending back to his three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1953-1959). Among the various records in this subseries is a set of guest books from the office, staff memoranda, and staff training materials. There are also large files of correspondence between the Senator and his colleagues in Congress, other government officials, and constituents. These types of records allow researchers to closely inspect the daily operations of a senator’s office.

A staff training manual found in the D.C. Office subseries.

Guest log books from the 1950s-60s tracking visitors to Senator Byrd’s office in D.C.

Senator Byrd also maintained an office in Charleston, the capital city of West Virginia. This office’s collection comprises another subseries, and includes some of the types of records mentioned in the D.C. Office as well as others based on the specific responsibilities of staffers who worked in the Charleston Office. For example, the day-to-day monitoring and reporting of progress on Senator Byrd’s many appropriations projects throughout West Virginia was handled largely through the staff in the Charleston Office. These records include memos, staff reports, and event schedules for Senator Byrd’s visits to West Virginia.

One of the unique records discovered in the Charleston Office subseries is this page of notes from one of Senator Byrd’s staff members recording a dedication event for Route 9 in Jefferson County, West Virginia on April 7, 2003.

The third subseries of the collection, the Martinsburg Office, contains mostly constituent correspondence regarding a wide array of subjects. The Martinsburg Office was opened in 2007 and focused primarily on the Eastern Panhandle. When all of the offices closed in 2010 with the passing of Senator Byrd, the records were acquired as part of his overall congressional collection. In addition to the paper records, most of the objects which make up Senator Byrd’s Memorabilia Collection, which is currently being processed by our intern Dylan Rosenlieb, were originally housed in Senator Byrd’s D.C., Charleston, and Martinsburg offices.

Check out the finding aid for the Office Files Series and begin exploring these unique and significant records!

The door plaque from Senator Byrd’s Hart Building Office in Washington D.C.