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Herbert H. Bateman State Senate Records

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 83 B31

  • Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Office files, 1968-1982, of Herbert H. Bateman, Virginia Republican State Senator from Newport News. Includes correspondence with constituents and state officials; bills and legislative materials; memorandum; reports; pamphlets; and publications arranged according to subject. The collection contains background information and committee working papers showing Virginia's responses to the energy crisis of the late 1970's and to Ronald Reagan's "New Federalism" programs as well as the state's policies on education, transportation, and welfare funding, and the activities of state regulatory agencies.

There are materials concerning Bateman's sponsorship of coastal zone land management bills, bills for execution by lethal injection, bills for mandatory sentencing by judges in criminal cases and his activities on behalf of the port of Newport News, the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and the Virginia seafood industry. The largest body of material concerns Bateman's 1975-1977 efforts as paid counsel and as senator to minimize the economic impact of the poisoning of the James River by kepone on the Virginia seafood industry.

Prominent correspondents include Linwood Holton, Mills Godwin, John Dalton, Charles Robb, Harry F. Byrd, Jr., William Spong, Thomas Downing, William Scott and Paul Trible, other General Assembly members and state agency commissioners.

Dates

  • Creation: 1968-1982

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Biographical Information:

Herbert Harvell Bateman was born in 1928 at Perquimans County, North Carolina. He graduated from the College of William and Mary and received his law degree from Georgetown University. He served in the Virginia Senate from 1968 until 1983 when he was elected to Congress. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki:

Extent

19.00 Linear Feet (22 boxes.)

Arrangement of Materials:

The Herbert H. Bateman Records consist of Bateman's state senatorial office files, 1968-1982, which are arranged alphabetically by subject matter into 249 series.

Each subject file contains all types of materials: correspondence, memorandum, reports, publications, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, bills, and other legislative documents. The collection includes voluminous background materials on the various issues, as well as correspondence and papers revealing Bateman's positions on the issues. The collection contains little information on Bateman's political activities (the original file inventory indicates that such material was retained) such as campaigns or party activity. The only file dealing with a political campaign is one entitled "Trible," which contains Bateman's correspondence with members of the Virginia Senate pertaining to the campaign of Representative Paul Trible for the U.S. Senate.

The Bateman Records have been arranged almost completely according to the original office file organization. Unfortunately, maintaining original office integrity has also meant retaining serious inconsistencies and redundancies. During Bateman's 14-year tenure in the Senate, he had several legislative aides who often duplicated files under different names or placed similar material in different files. With a few exceptions, these inconsistencies have been kept in the arrangement of this collection. Several files have been altered because the original office files had no apparent order. These files include Kepone, Ports of Virginia/Virginia Port Authority, and State Water Control Board/Water Resources. In addition, the files of Constituent Correspondence and Legislative Correspondence (originally filed alphabetically as "correspondence”) have been moved to the end of the collection, and the files of Consumer Credit, Consumer Protection, and School Distribution Formula have been moved into the alphabetical file order.

Hints for users: when researching Bateman's position or assembly action on a particular issue, follow the steps listed below to find all relevant materials.

Hints for users

  1. There are several series that include materials related to many different issues. Users are advised to at least skim the following series at the beginning of the collection: Attorney General Opinions, JLARC, Legislative Proposals, Post-Session, Pre-Session, and Senate Bills. And skim these series at the end of collection: Research Materials, Constituent Correspondence, Legislative Correspondence, and 1982 Session.
  2. If users are interested in particular types of materials, such as Attorney General's opinions, bills, or constituent correspondence, be aware that, although there are separate series for them, such materials can also be found throughout the collection.
  3. Materials are occasionally filed under very non-descriptive and misleading titles. The most notable of these are large amounts of material pertaining to the income tax structure of Virginia filed under Joint Subcommittee To Study Virginia's Individual Income Tax Structure, and materials pertaining to Bateman's campaign against "open" visitation in state college dormitories, filed (among other series) as Senate Joint Resolution 24 (S.J.Res. 24).
  4. In some cases, similar, even duplicate, material is stored in different series. Series descriptions usually indicate other series containing similar material, but, for the user's convenience, below is a list of the most severe redundancies: Abortion, see also: Medicaid Issues Adult Homes, see also: Elderly, Homes for Adults, Homes for the Aged, Pine Haven Adult Home, Welfare and Institutions Coal & Energy Commission, see also: Uranium Mining Coastal Zone Land Management Act/Bill, see also: Wetlands Gas Tax, see also: Highway Funds, Trucks Higher Education, see also: Senate Joint Resolution 24 (S.J.Res. 24), William and Mary, the College of (W&M) Industrial Revenue Bonds, see also: Newport News Shipbuilding, Ports Of Virginia Kepone, see also: Seafood Industry Limitations on Spending, see also: Proposition 13 Metro, see also: Transportation - Northern Virginia Newport News Downtown, see also: Peninsula Economic Development Council Newport News Public Education, see also: Sex Education Ports of Virginia, see also: Virginia Port Authority Sales Tax on Vending Machines, see also: Vending Machine Taxes Sea Grant Consortium, see also: Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) State Water Control Board, see also: Water Resources.
  5. For the user's convenience, see the partial cross-referencing of series below (listed by first key words) that contain material relevant to a number of more inclusive and overarching issues and subjects.

Partial Cross-referencing of Series

  1. Banking/Business Banking Legislation Bankruptcy Insurance Interest Rate Legislation No-Fault Insurance Savings And Loan Legislation
  2. (State) Budget/Finance (also see Taxation) Budget Federal Block Grant Finance Committee Limitations on Spending Local Revenue Sources Procurement Bill Proposition 133.
  3. Consumers Consumer Credit Consumer Protect Ion Product Liability
  4. Crime And Punishment (also see Justice/Courts)Capital Punishment Corrections Execution Bill Juvenile Law Enforcement Training Parole Sentencing Sexual Assault Spouse Abuse
  5. Education/Schools Busing Education, Public Education Association of Newport News Educational Issues, 1982 Kindergarten School Distribution Formula Sex Education Special Education Virginia State School
  6. Elderly Adult Homes Elderly Homes for Adults Homes for The Aged Pine Haven Adult Home Tax Relief for the Elderly Welfare for the Elderly
  7. Energy Biomass Coal Tax Coal & Energy Commission Fuel Conversion Authority Uranium Mining Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) Virginia Oil & Gas
  8. Environment: Air Pollution Auto Inspection Coastal Zone Land Management Act/Bill Environment Environmental Protection Agency Kepone Litter Laws Nature Conservancy State Water Control Board Toxic Substances (Act) Water Resources Wetlands
  9. Family: Abortion Artificial Insemination Divorce Laws Domestic Relations Law Habitual Offenders Law In Vitro Parental Support Spouse Abuse Wage Assignment in Support Cases
  10. Health/Medical: Abortion Artificial Insemination Asbestos In Vitro Laetrile Medical Lien Medical Malpractice Medicaid & Health Issues Medicaid Cost Containment Occupational Therapist Optometrist Legislation Patrick Henry Hospital Prenatal Care Rehabilitation & Social Services Virginia Evaluation Act
  11. Higher Education: Christopher Newport College Higher Education Old Dominion University Senate Joint Resolution 24 (S.J.Res. 24) Tuition Assistance Virginia Educational Loan Authority (VELA) Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) William & Mary
  12. Housing: Homebuilders Housing Manufactured Housing Association Virginia Housing and Development Authority (VHDA)
  13. ustice Courts: Attorney General's Opinions Court System Courts of Justice Intermediate Court of Appeals Judicial Nominations Juvenile Justice Sentencing [By Judges] Tort Claims
  14. Labor: Labor Laws Public Employees Retirement Right to Work Unemployment Compensation
  15. "Moral" Issues: Abortion Busing Gun Control In Vitro Lottery Obscenity Pari-Mutuel Betting Senate Joint Resolution 24 (S.J.Res. 24)
  16. Newport News/Peninsula Educational Association of Newport News: Industrial Revenue Bonds Newport News [Several Subjects] Peninsula [Several Subjects] Reapportionment Yorktown, Town of Zoning
  17. Ports: Industrial Revenue Bonds Ports of Virginia Richmond Waterfront Terminals Tobacco Conference Trucks Virginia Port Authority
  18. Seafood Industry: Fishing Licenses Kepone Marine Resources Management Seafood Industry Seafood Products Commission Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
  19. Taxation: Joint Subcommittee Sales Tax Regulation Taxation Taxation Procedures Vending Machines Watercraft Sales and Users Tax
  20. Transportation/Highway Gas Tax Highway Appropriations Highway Department Study Highway Funds Interstate 664 Metro Pentran Transportation Trucks
  21. Welfare: Medicaid Rehabilitation & Social Services Virginia Evaluation Act Welfare & Institutions Western State Hospital.

Acquisition Information:

Gift: Acc. no. 83-1; 12,731 items, 1/20/1983.

Related Materials:

Mss. Acc. 2000.74 Herbert H. Bateman Congressional Records (Congressional records of Herbert H. Bateman, House of Representatives, 1982-2000, First Virginia District).

Physical Description

12,734.00 items

General

Other Information:

Additional information may be found at http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/wm/viw00055.frame

Processing Information:

Processed by John M. Coski in 1987.

Title
Guide to the Herbert H. Bateman State Senate Records
Status
Completed
Author
John M. Cosk
Date
2007-06-09
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

Contact: