Al From (1943-) Papers, 1950-2016

The collection encompasses 67 boxes and 1 oversize folder, with contents dating from 1950 through 2016. Included are the records of From’s long and prominent political career, such as correspondence, memoranda, schedules, itineraries, strategic documents and political writings, newspaper and press clippings, and audiovisual materials. The bulk of the collection consists of professional records and memoranda/correspondence, most of which dates from the period 1960-2000.

Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1960-1990, includes newspaper clippings about From as well as employment records relating to From’s career, including resumes, cover letters, job descriptions and background/security clearance records.

Series 2. High School/College Materials, 1958-1966 and undated, include records relating to From’s high school and college career, including class assignments, multiple drafts and related items associated with From’s master’s thesis, and clippings relating to From’s time as editor in chief of The Daily Northwestern.

Series 3. Photographs, 1960-2000 and undated, are organized by date and include images of From in his role at the Democratic Leadership Council, as well as a few images of From during his high school and college years. Many of these photographs are undated. Autographed photos, including some signed by President Clinton, are arranged in a separate folder.

Series 4. Professional Records, 1960-2016 and undated, contain a broad and diverse array of materials including informational reports on political issues, interviews given by From, materials relating to the coordination of Clinton’s campaigns and presidency, From’s speeches and writings, plans for DLC trips inside the U.S. and abroad, and informational files on U.S. politicians. These records are organized alphabetically by topical headings. Especially interesting are materials pertaining to the Clinton administration transition, DLC travel plans, and strategic planning materials relating to the DLC.

Series 5. Memoranda/Correspondence by Date, 1968-2002, includes the large quantity of memoranda and correspondence collected by From during his career. From maintained a record of his outgoing memoranda and also preserved a large amount of incoming memoranda as well; these memoranda were preserved in large binders organized by year and named “chronological files” or “chron files,” which is reflected in the container description which follows. There is significant overlap between the “memoranda” and “correspondence” categories of this collection. The label “memoranda” is most often applied to communications which contain that internal heading. Correspondence refers more often to personal, handwritten, or informal communications. The original labels assigned by From to binders and folders of communications have been preserved, thus “Al From Personal File,” “Memoranda” and “Al From Memos” are used to describe memoranda collected by him. Materials within this broad category are arranged principally by date. So, when cross referenced with meaningful dates of From’s career, memoranda pertaining to a particular issue, activity, or subject can be located readily.

Series 6. Memoranda/Correspondence by Subject, 1968-2009, contains the correspondence and memoranda pertaining to particular subjects or with particular people. In some cases, From labeled the memoranda and correspondence by subject, such as “Sunset Bill” or “War on Poverty.” In other cases, materials associated with notable figures such as Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, or Sargent Shriver have been isolated and given separate folders for ease of use. This category of the collection is organized alphabetically by subject headings and personal names. Of special interest are the memoranda From sent to President Clinton, recording From’s thoughts on political strategy during Clinton’s presidency.

Series 7. Schedules and Calendars, 1970-1999 and undated, contain weekly appointment books, calendars, and other records of scheduling such as itineraries and phone logs. These materials are arranged chronologically.

Series 8. DLC Publications, 1987-2009, include the published booklets, reports, flyers, and pamphlets of the Democratic Leadership Council. Also included are editions of Blueprint Magazine dating from 1998-2007 and published by the DLC, as well as the Mainstream Democrat/New Democrat magazine. The Mainstream Democrat/New Democrat was the DLC’s older quarterly publication, and its name was changed from the Mainstream Democrat to the New Democrat in 1991.

Series 9. Press Clippings, 1950-1998, are clipped, printed and photocopied stories from newspapers and magazines that reveal the political and social position of the Democratic Party at various points in time and in reference to certain political issues. According to From, the press clippings were collected and studied to understand how the Democratic Party was portrayed in popular culture so strategies could be developed accordingly. The press clippings are arranged chronologically.

Series 10. Materials Used in Writing Book, undated, is the category containing folders of materials From used to plan and write his book The New Democrats and the Return to Power. Although these materials are arranged in alignment with that book’s chapters, the numbers of those chapters changed as the book progressed through stages of editing. This category of the collection also contains materials that were labeled as “not used” in The New Democrats and the Return to Power.

Series 11. Congressional Materials, 1970-1989, include bound publications from the U.S. House and Senate and their various committees and subcommittees. Of special interest are two volumes of the House Rules and Manual embossed with From’s name.

Series 12. Books, 1993, 1997, contains only two items: one copy each of Building the Bridge: 10 Big Ideas to Transform America, edited by Will Marshall and Mandate for Change, edited by Will Marshall and Martin Schram, for the Progressive Policy Institute.

Series 13. Audiovisual and Digital Materials, 1988-2016 and undated, contains DVDs and CDs, VHS tapes, a floppy disc, and two thumb drives. The VHS tapes contain recordings of From’s appearances on television as well as several of the DLC’s Third Way meetings. Among the contents of the DVDs and CDs are digitized photos as well as a copy of Crashing the Party, a documentary about Clinton’s election and the DLC.

Series 14. Oversized Materials, 1976-2016 and undated, include clothing, such as event T-shirts, and a hard hat relating to the construction of the Bill Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Other oversize items include a model ship and a model baseball diamond, as well as photographs, memorial artwork and documents pertaining to Clinton’s presidency, and posters for From’s book and Crashing the Party. In box 63, a selection of personal mementos can be found. These include DLC Buttons, Al From’s DLC business cards, DLC mementos, a pair of cufflinks from Vice President Al Gore and other keepsakes.