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Lynn Westmoreland papers

 Collection
Identifier: POL-0030

Scope and Contents note

The collection consists of the papers of Lynn Westmoreland from 2005 to 2017 related to his service in the U.S. House of Representatives. It includes seven series: (I) Legislative files, (II) Agency letters, (III) Constituent and staff materials, (IV) Clippings, (V) Restricted files, (VI) Born digital materials, (VII) Artifacts, (VIII) Additions, (IX) Redistricting, and (X) Select Committee on Benghazi.

The legislative files include records related to Westmoreland’s work within the lawmaking process of the U.S. House of Representatives. It includes records of committee hearings, bills sponsored, bills voted on, speeches, and travel materials. The Legislative Activity Guide is a comprehensive listing of Westmoreland’s voting record by year. There is also material on Westmoreland’s service with the National Republican Congressional Committee as well as redistricting issues in the state of Georgia and nationally.

The agency letters include correspondence from Westmoreland to heads of agencies in the federal executive branch asking for information or giving Westmoreland’s opinion on matters handled by the agency. Major topics of these letters are listed by year.

The constituent and staff materials contain material related to constituent relations, public relations, and staff operations within Westmoreland’s congressional offices. Included are Westmoreland’s daily schedule, newsletters, press releases, and guidance on office operations, including employment position descriptions. Of note in these materials is information on Westmoreland’s public accusation that Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin was secretly an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. There is also some information on constituent letters; this material does not contain actual correspondence to or from constituents, but instead includes metadata on the number of times that major political topics such as health care or foreign policy appeared in constituent letters written to Westmoreland.

The clippings contain newspaper articles about Westmoreland in state and national periodicals. They were collected to track Westmoreland’s public image as portrayed in news media.

The restricted files include a file on West Point Lake in western Georgia near LaGrange.

The born digital materials include CDs and DVDs containing photographs, audio and visual recordings of committee hearings, and audio and visual recordings of campaign events.

The artifacts contain copies of the Thomas Jefferson Award presented to Westmoreland by the International Foodservice Distributors Association. The recent additions to the papers in July 2020 include new member orientation to the 109th Congress; campaign topics and press for the 2008 and 2012 elections; correspondence; legislative information on the National Defense Authorization Act and others acts; district maps; information and election results from counties in his district; and a collection of information about West Point Lake. Guiding documents from the Georgia House Republican Caucus, the Conservative Policy Caucus, and the National Republican Congressional Committee are also present. The Westmoreland papers include committee draft reports and copies of interviews with select individuals. All of these materials are public documents and portions of them were redacted when they were issued. The United States House Select Committee on Benghazi was formed on May 8, 2014. The focus of the committee’s investigation was the terrorist attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, including security decisions prior to the attack and the response to the attack made by the Executive Branch.

The Committee Chair was Trey Gowdy, and members were Lynn Westmoreland (Georgia), Susan Brooks (Indiana), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Mike Pompeo (Kansas), Martha Roby (Alabama), Peter Roskam (Illinois), Elijah Cummings (Maryland), Adam Smith (Washington), Adam Schiff (California), Linda Sánchez (California), and Tammy Duckworth (Illinois).

The final report was issued December 7, 2016, and the committee was concluded on December 12, 2016.

Dates

  • Majority of material found within Bulk, 2005-2017
  • 1962-2017; bulk 2005-2017

Creator

Conditions Governing Access note

Series V is closed to public access until January 1, 2027.

Conditions Governing Use note

Rights transferred to the University of West Georgia.

Biographical/Historical note

Leon Acton “Lynn” Westmoreland was born on April 2, 1950, in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating from Atlanta’s Therrell High School in 1968, he attended Georgia State University, but left before completing a degree in order to work for a family-owned construction firm.

Elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1993, he became House Republican Leader in 2001, a position he occupied until 2003.

In 2005, Westmoreland won election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia’s eighth district. After redistricting in 2007, he represented the third district. During his House tenure, he served on the House Financial Services Committee, as Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Insurance and Housing, on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, and on the Steering Committee for the Republican Party. He also held the position of Deputy Chairman at the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 113th Congress.

Westmoreland retired from the U.S. Congress in 2017, and explored the possibility of entering the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia, but ultimately declined to run. In 2018, he was elected to represent Georgia’s third district on the State Transportation Board.

Major issues and priorities for Westmoreland during his U.S. House tenure included opposing gun control, opposing Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), opposing union card check legislation, promoting the Keystone XL pipeline, and scaling back the scope of the impact of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in the South. He consistently ranked as one of the House’s most conservative members while in office.

Extent

15.76 Linear feet (37 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

The Lynn Westmoreland papers document Westmoreland’s service as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s eighth district from 2005 to 2007 and the third district from 2007 to 2017. They include legislative files, agency letters, constituent and staff materials, clippings, born digital material, maps, and artifacts.

Arrangement note

Arranged as received.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

Deeded by Lynn Westmoreland to the University of West Georgia on November 29, 2016.

Title
Guide to the Lynn Westmoreland Papers POL-0030
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by W. Michael Camp
Date
2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English

Repository Details

Part of the University of West Georgia Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, Ingram Library
University of West Georgia
1601 Maple Street
Carrollton GA 30118-2000 United States