RG 005:035, Office of the Governor: Thomas J. Meskill (1971-1975)

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library Staff.

Copyright © 2007 by the Connecticut State Library

Biographical Note

Born: January 30, 1928, New Britain, Connecticut.
College: Trinity College, 1950, University of Connecticut Law School, 1956.
Political Party: Republican.
Offices: Mayor of New Britain, 1962-1964; New Britain Corporation Counsel, 1965-1966; U.S. Congress, 1967-1971; Governor of Connecticut, 1971-1975; Judge, U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Died: October 29, 2007, Boynton Beach, Florida.

After sixteen years of Democratic control the Republicans won the governor's office once more with the candidacy of Thomas Meskill. A native of New Britain, Meskill graduated from Trinity College in 1950 and then spent three years with the US Air Force. He returned to Connecticut, obtained a law degree, and opened his practice in New Britain in 1956. He married Mary Grady and they had five children.

Meskill entered local politics and was elected mayor of New Britain for 1962-1964. He ran for U.S. Congress in 1964, but lost. Two years later he ran again and won, serving from 1967 until 1971 when he became governor. When Governor Dempsey announced his plan to leave office, the Republican Party saw Meskill as its best candidate and he won the nomination with little opposition. A divided Democratic Party helped Meskill win a substantial victory and he began his term as governor in January of 1971.

There were several problems for Meskill during his first year in office. One was that he inherited a budget that was well out of balance. The second was that his public image became that of a tough, uncaring governor. Democratic leaders and the news media portrayed Meskill's conservative policies in a negative manner. The young Republicans that he hired to help run his administration were dubbed "Meskill's Kiddie Corps." and he became known as "Tough Tom". The budget battle during the 1971 session of the General Assembly was a tiring one that saw Meskill veto 44 legislative bills. On the last night of the session the Assembly passed an income tax bill that Meskill refused to sign, although he did not veto it either. By August the public's outcry was such that this bill was rescinded and a special session was called to pass a more conventional tax package that raised the sales tax to seven percent. Some achievements included passage of no fault auto insurance, granting 18 years olds the right to vote, adoption of tougher drunk driving laws, and the creation of the Department of Environmental Protection.

While Meskill's next three years in office went smoother than his first, and he was able to balance the budget and reduce the sales tax to 6 1/2 percent, he had difficulty overcoming the perception that he ran an austere administration. When an ice storm hit the state in December of 1973 Meskill was on vacation with his family in Vermont. Although he issued orders that allowed state agencies to properly handle the crises, his failure to return to Connecticut was used by the press to make him look bad to the voters. Upset at this bias, as well as a failure to receive credit for his accomplishments while in office, Meskill announced in early 1974 that he would not seek reelection. He was the first governor of Connecticut in more than 50 years who voluntarily limited himself to only one term. Shortly after leaving office Meskill was appointed to be a judge on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals and was its chief judge before his retirement in 1993.

Bibliography

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to United States Elections. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1994 [CSL call number GIS Ref JK 1967 .C662 1994.

Glashan, Roy R. American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1975. Stillwater, Minn.: Croixside Press, 1975 [CSL call number JK 2447 .G53 1975].

Janick, Herbert F. A Diverse People: Connecticut, 1914 to the Present. Chester, Conn.: Pequot Press, c1975 [CSL call number HistRef Conn Doc St22eacs v. 5].

Lieberman, Joseph. The Legacy, Connecticut Politics, 1930-1980 Hartford, Conn.: Spoonwood Press, 1981 [CSL call number JK 3395 .L53 1981].

Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Westport, Conn.: Meckler Books, 1978 [CSL call number GIS Ref E 176 .B573].

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Scope and Content

Gov. Meskill's correspondence, subject file, pending file, memoranda, public interest correspondence, yellows, agency files, legislative file, National Governors' Conference file, New England Governors' Conference file, New England Regional Commission file, other intergovernmental relations files, executive orders, speeches, messages, public relations and communications files, press releases, job requests, acknowledgements, and recommendations, federal agency relations file, scrapbook, official statements, papers of task force on refineries.

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Arrangement

Series 1. Correspondence, 1971-1975, 7 feet.
Correspondence considered of minor or negligible interest. Filed alphabetically by correspondent one folder for each letter of the alphabet, a few followed by folders for individual correspondents.

Series 2. Subject File, 1971-1975, 75 feet.
Alphabetical by subject.

Series 3. Pending File, 1974-1975, 1 foot.
Correspondence and memoranda awaiting decision or completion of action. Alphabetical by correspondent, with a few folders by agency at the end.
No separate container listing.

Series 4. Memoranda, 1972-1975, 1 foot.
Originals and copies of memoranda written by, for or to Gov. Meskill on many subjects. Roughly chronological.
No separate container listing.

Series 5. Public Interest Correspondence, 1971-1975, 6 feet.
These are retained examples of a much larger volume (see Disposal Inventory 29) of letters from the public expressing opinions about various issues.

Series 6. Yellows, 1970-1975, 17 feet.
Yellow carbon copies of outgoing letters written by the Governor and his staff. Alphabetical by addressee in the following groups:
October 1970
November - December, 1970
1971 (letters A - C missing)
1971 - 1975

Series 7. Agency Files, 1971-75, 180 feet.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, publications and reference materials pertaining to state departments and agencies and their work. Alphabetical by name of agency. Some smaller agencies are in the subject file and some are still unarranged.

Agencies Included: Agriculture Department, Annual Reports, Attorney General's Office, Bond Commission, Commerce Department, Community Affairs Department, Comptroller's Office, Correction Department, Courts, Planning Committee on Criminal Administration, Development Commission, Education Department, Environmental Protection Department, Health Department, Higher Education Commission, Housing, Insurance Department, Labor Department, Mental Health Department, Mental Retardation Office, Motor Vehicles Department, Personnel Department, Public Utilities Commission, Public Works Department, Safety Commission, Special Revenue Commission, State Planning Office, State Police, Tax Department, Transportation Department, Welfare Department including Human Rights and Opportunities Commission.

Series 8. Legislative File, 1973-1974, 1 foot, 6 inches.
Correspondence, memoranda, drafts, etc. pertaining to bills before the General Assembly in the 1973 and 1974 sessions. Partly arranged by subject, partly by correspondent.
Unarranged. No separate container listing.

Series 9. National Governors' Conference File
Correspondence and reference materials, some unfiled, some by date, some by subject.
No separate container listing.

Series 10. New England Governors' Conference File, 1971-1974, 1 foot, 4 inches.
Correspondence and reference materials.
Unarranged. No separate container listing.

Series 11. New England Regional Commission File, 1971-1974, 5 feet.
Correspondence and reference materials. General materials followed by subject file.
No separate container listing.

Series 12. Other Intergovernmental Relations Files, 1971-1974, 1 foot.
Includes materials on National governors' Council on Science and Technology, Republican Governors' Conference (1971-72), Republican National Convention (1972), Tri-State Regional Planning Commission, Tri-State Transportation Commission.
No separate container listing.

Series 13. Executive Orders, 1971-1974, 1 foot.
Texts of orders, 1 - 28, with some related material. Numerical.
No separate container listing.

Series 14. Speeches, 1971-1974, 7 feet.
Texts of speeches, with some drafts and related correspondence.
Alphabetical by subject, place, or organization addressed.

Series 15. Messages, 1971-1974, 8 inches.
Messages of greetings, congratulations, commemoration, etc.
Alphabetical by subject.
No separate container listing.

Series 16. Public Relations and Communications Files, 1971-1974, 2 feet, 6 inches.
Correspondence, schedules, "shield law" material, etc.
Unarranged. No separate container listing.

Series 17. Press Releases, 1971-1975, 9 feet.
Releases on Governor's appointments (1 foot), followed by releases on other subjects.
Alphabetical.

Series 18. Job Requests, Acknowledgements, and Recommendations, 1971-1975, 2 feet.
No separate container listing.

Series 19. Federal Agency Relations File, 1968-1974, 1 foot.
Correspondence with United States Government agencies.
Alphabetical by subject or name of agency, preceded by unfiled material.

Series 20. Scrapbook, 1967 January-March, 1 inch.
Mounted newspaper clippings pertaining to Mr. Meskill's first weeks in the United States House of Representatives.
Chronological.
No separate container listing.

Series 21. Official Statements, 1971-1975, 6 feet.
Texts of Official Statements by the Governor recognizing or supporting various movements, causes, etc. with related drafts, photographs and correspondence.
Alphabetical by subject. Folder of denied requests at beginning.

Series 22. Papers of Task Force on Refineries, 1974-1975, 5 feet.
Correspondence, reports, questionnaires, working papers.
No separate container listing.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

These records are stored at an off-site facility and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.

See the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections policy.

Restrictions on Use

See the Reproduction and Publications of State Library Collections policy.

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Related Material

None.

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Index Terms

Persons:

Subjects:

Document Types:

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Container List