Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Rumford, William Byron
- Abstract:
- The William Byron Rumford papers including correspondence, subject files, legislative files and campaign materials.
- Extent:
- 10 cartons, 1 box, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder (13.50 linear feet)
- Language:
- Collection materials are in English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Documenting the life and political career of the first African American elected to public office in Northern California, the William Byron Rumford papers are a great resource not only for local Berkeley and California political history, but moreover for the information they provide on the tenor and shift of attitudes towards race at the tail end of the 1950s and early 1960s. The collection also ably documents Rumford’s controversial and contested Senate campaign and the numerous bills he worked on while in office. Additional highlights include materials on the Negro Political Action Association of California (NPAAC) and a small collection of broadsides, pamphlets and newsletters from white supremacists groups in California. In tandem with other documents on civil rights, these materials provide a multi-faceted snapshot of the racial climate in the U.S. mid-century.
- Biographical / historical:
-
A California State Assemblyman for the 17th District from 1949-1967, William Byron Rumford was a steely pioneer who struggled against the obstacles that would bar him and other people of color from succeeding and attaining parity. A proponent of fair housing and employment legislation, Rumford equally concentrated his efforts on curbing youth unemployment and working towards a higher minimum wage. A pharmacist by training and profession (he owned and ran Rumford’s Pharmacy in Berkeley), he also focused on a number of health issues including the effects of air pollution and tuberculosis.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated by William Byron Rumford in 1973 and 1984.
- Physical location:
- Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481