Call Number:

F0209

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

.1 linear foot (1 folder)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0098, F0209, Bill Frank - John J. Williams research files, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1949-1971 (inclusive)

Creator:

Frank, Bill, 1905-1989

Form:

Clippings files and Photographs

Abstract:

Clippings, articles, press releases, photographs, and other ephemera concerning the career of U.S. Senator John J. Williams, apparently gathered by Delaware journalist Bill Frank.

Delaware journalist William P. Frank, widely known as Bill Frank, was a newspaper columnist and radio commentator for over 65 years. Bill Frank was also a Delaware historian, a Judaic scholar, a Shakespearean actor, and social activist. Though born in New York City in 1905, Frank grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He died in Wilmington on August 21, 1989.

"William P. Frank Scholarship." http://www.degridiron.org/scholarship.html (accessed March 2, 2011).

John J. Williams (1904-1988) was a native of Sussex County, Delaware. After a 20-year career in the grain and agriculture industry, Williams ran as a Republican and won a seat in the United States Senate in 1946. Senator Williams served from 1947-1971, and was known for his independent investigations.

Information derived from MSS 0127, Senator John J. Williams papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Four folders of clippings, articles, press releases, photographs, and other ephemera concerning the career of U.S. Senator John J. Williams, apparently gathered by Delaware journalist Bill Frank. While provenance was not recorded, the evidence of this material being collected by Frank includes his initials (WPF) on a 1949 letter from John J. Williams to Frank Gallagher, of the radio station WILM, where Frank was working that same year; a photograph of Williams and Frank together; and a memo addressed to "Bill".

A number of specific topics can be found in these research files, including Senator Williams' investigation into War Food Order 119, a wartime provision affecting Delaware's poultry industry; Senator Williams' stance on civil rights, including his views on segregation in public schools; campaign material; press coverage surrounding the Bobby Baker investigation and Senator Williams' role therein; and taxes and federal spending. The files also include more general press coverage of Senator Williams, including several tributes celebrating the senator when he retired in 1970.

This material was originally in four folders. Now in a single folder, acid-free paper with original folder titles is interleaved with the collection to maintain original order.