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Senator W. E. Borah correspondence

 Collection
Identifier: MG 5125

Scope and Contents

Letters between United States Senator W.E. Borah and other congressmen, Republican party members, constituents, and others; and other records.

Dates

  • Creation: 1922-1939

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Consult Head of Special Collections and Archives on permissions for use.

Biographical / Historical

William Edgar Borah, Republican Senator from Idaho, was born in Fairfield, Illinois, June 29, 1865, the seventh of ten children born to William Nathan and Elizabeth (West) Borah. He was educated in the public schools near Fairfield and at Enfield College. He spent two years, 1885-1887, at the University of Kansas, but had to withdraw because of illness. He then studied law in the office of his brother-in-law and was admitted to the Kansas bar in 1890.

In 1891 he moved west and settled in Boise, Idaho, where he opened a law office. On April 21, 1895, he married Mary McConnell the daughter of Governor William J. McConnell.

He first became a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1903, but was defeated by Weldon Heyburn. He was elected in 1907 and served in that body until his death in 1940. In 1924 he became chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee; he also served on the Judiciary Committee. He was often mentioned as a presidential candidate, but not until 1936 did he actually enter any primaries; his defeat at the convention by Alf Landon was not unexpected.

William E. Borah died January 19, 1940, following a stroke.

Extent

21 items

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Correspondence between Senator W. E. Borah and other congressmen, party members, and consitutents. Also, contains other records.

Related Materials

Related materials can be found in MG 010 William Edgar Borah Scrapbook and UG 031 William Edgar Borah Outlawry of War Foundation records, 1931-1987.

Title
Guide to Senator W. E. Borah correspondence
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Kelley Moulton.
Date
2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository