ABSTRACT: Leonor K. Sullivan’s congressional papers on the Watergate investigation.
SCOPE: This collection contains Leonor K. Sullivan’s personal copies of congressional documents relating to the Watergate scandal. It includes correspondence, memoranda, and reports discussing the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment inquiry against President Richard Nixon. The documents are dated between May and August 1974.
EXTENT: One box.
HISTORY: Leonor Kretzer Sullivan (1902-1988) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She studied at Washington University in St Louis and worked as a teacher before becoming the administrative aide for her husband John B. Sullivan, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1952, she ran for Congress herself and became the first woman from Missouri to join the U.S. House. Over the course of her eleven terms in office, she notably contributed to the federal food stamp program and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. At the time of the Watergate scandal, she was serving as the Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus and the Chair of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Sullivan retired in 1977 and moved back to St. Louis, where she would remain for the rest of her life.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
