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James C. Free Papers

Dates

1978-2000

Creator

Free, James C.

Summary/Abstract

James Free received a bachelor's and a master's degree from Middle Tennessee State University, then later worked as a regional coordinator and a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter. The collection includes three cubic feet of letters, newspaper articles, and other personal papers related to Free's political activities.

Quantity/Physical Description

Approximately 4.5 linear feet.

Language(s)

English

Repository

Albert Gore Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, (615) 898-2632

Restrictions on Access

None

Copyright

It is presumed that corporate and individual copyrights in manuscripts, photographs, and other materials have been retained by the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions apply. Users of materials should seek necessary permissions from the copyright hold

Preferred Citation

(Box Number, Folder Number), Collection Name, Albert Gore Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Acquisition

James C. Free 1998 and 2009.

Processed By

Original processor Matthew Brown; additional processing, Kayla Utendorf, graduate assistant, 2013.

Arrangement

With a few exceptions, the arrangement of this collection reflects the original order of the papers. Occasionally no original order could be detected, in which case they were arranged by subject.

Biographical Note

James C. Free attended Middle Tennessee State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics (1969) and a master’s degree in public administration (1972). After graduation Free worked for Middle Tennessee State University as an assistant to the university’s vice president.

Free has a rich history of activity in the Democratic Party. In 1976 Free worked on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign as southern regional coordinator. After Carter’s election to the presidency, Free served as Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Affairs and supported President Carter’s programs before Congress.

Free raised money for Ned McWherter’s campaign for Governor of Tennessee. He served as Governor McWherter’s administrative assistant and as both chief clerk and executive officer of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Free also worked for the presidential campaigns of Walter Mondale in 1984 and Senator Albert Gore, Jr. in 1988 and 2000.

In 1995 Free co-founded the Smith-Free Group with James E. Smith. Previously he was vice-chair of Walker-Free Associates. As a lobbyist, he has represented American businesses in such areas as energy, entertainment, communications, health care, banking, and insurance.

On May 8, 2010 Free gave a commencement address at Middle Tennessee State University.

Scope and Content

The James C. Free Papers document the political activities of James C. Free, his associates, and members of the Democratic Party. The bulk of the papers include correspondence between Free and various politicians. They include the names of donors, receipts from travel to conventions, and written testimony presented to the Hunt Commission. There is also material from the 1982 Mid-term Democratic Convention and the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Free’s papers also contain materials documenting Democratic Party political strategy and fundraising activities.

The materials were arranged by subject rather than type or function of material. This means, for example, that although there is a series for correspondence, subject related correspondence may be found in a series related to that subject. Researchers are advised to note possible alternative locations of the documents for which they seek.

Series 1. Correspondence. This series contains personal correspondence, letters of appreciation, and letters of congratulation.

Series 2. Democratic National Party. This series contains documents pertaining to the Democratic National Party, including documents from the Democratic National Convention, the Commission for Presidential Nominations, the Hunt Commission, and newspaper articles relating to the Democratic National Party.

Series 3. Elections. This series contains documents relating to the campaigns of Walter Mondale, Ned McWherter, and Al Gore, as well as fundraising information concerning the Democratic Congressional Committee and Senatorial Committee and newspaper articles about presidential candidates.

Series 4. James C. Free Articles. This series contains correspondence, maps, and articles written by James Free.

Series 5. Ephemera. This series contains photographs, campaign buttons, and ephemera.

Associated Materials

None

Related Collections

None

Subject Terms

Persons/Families

James C. Free, Ned McWherter, Charles E. Walker, Walter Mondale, Coleman Young, Bill Clinton, Tony Coelho, Charles Rangel, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore Jr.

Organizations/Corporate Names

Democratic Party (U.S.)

Places

Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia

Subjects (General)

Democratic National Convention, Presidential campaigns, Tennessee gubernatorial campaigns

Occupations

Material Types

Correspondence, Memos, Documents, Receipts, Photographs, Newspaper/Magazine articles, Campaign buttons