Guide to the John A. Notte Jr. records, 1935-1974 , 1935-1974
(bulk 1950-1962)
Rhode Island State Archives
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-222-2353
Fax: 401-222-3199
email: statearchives@sos.ri.gov
Published in 2010
Collection Overview
| Title: | John A. Notte Jr. records, 1935-1974 |
| Date range: | 1935-1974, (bulk 1950-1962) |
| Creator: | Notte, John A. 1909-1963. |
| Extent: | 7.2 cubic feet other |
| Abstract: | The John A. Notte Jr. records include correspondence, campaign-related papers, newspaper clippings and other records of John A. Notte Jr. over the course of his political career including his time as Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and Governor. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | Rhode Island State Archives |
| Collection number: | 2010-25 |
Scope & content
The John A. Notte Jr. records include correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr., event programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career, state government reports and publications, campaign-related papers, newspaper clippings, photographs and slides and certificates and awards presented to Notte.Access Points
Subject Names Subject Organizations Subject Topics- Rhode Island. Governor
- Rhode Island. Governor (1961-1963 : Notte)
- Rhode Island. Office of Lieutenant Governor
- Political campaigns.
- Political campaigns--1950-1960.
- Elections.
- Political campaigns--Rhode Island--History--21st century.
- administrative records
- financial records
- government records
- judicial records
- legislative records
- public records
- records (documents)
- state government records
- news photographs
- photographs
- correspondence
- souvenir programs
- programs
- speeches
- clippings (information artifacts)
- ephemera
- annual reports
- official reports
- reports
- publications
- color slides
Arrangement
- Series 1. John A. Notte Jr records, 1935-1974 (Bulk: 1950-1962)
- Subseries 1. Correspondence, 1950-1972
- Subseries 2. Events, 1935-1964
- Subseries 3. Legislation-related documents and reports, 1953-1963
- Subseries 4. Speeches and Campaign-related documents, 1950-1974 (bulk: 1956-1960)
- Subseries 5. Reports and Publications, 1950-1963
- Subseries 6. Governor Notte records and papers, 1959-1963
- Subseries 7. Newspaper clippings, 1957-1962
- Subseries 8. Awards. appointments and certificates, 1936-1962
- Subseries 9. Ephemera, 1960-1962
- Subseries 10. Photographs and slides, circa mid-20th century
Biographical note
John A. Notte Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Providence College in 1931, attended Cornell University from 1931 to 1932, and graduated from Boston University Law School in 1935. He went on to practice law and served as town solicitor in North Providence in 1937. He was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, following which he was elected Chairman of the Rhode Island Veterans' Bonus Board. He served on the staff of U.S. Senator Theodore Francis Green from 1948 to 1956 and at the same time was Chairman of the North Providence Democratic town committee.Notte resigned from Senator Green's staff after winning election as Secretary of State, a position that he held until he was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1958. It was while serving as Lieutenant Governor that he ran for, and won, the post of chief state executive. During his single term as governor, a family court was established and Rhode Island held its first one-day, one-place Democratic and Republican primaries.
In his 1962 bid for reelection, Notte was the first Democrat ever to run for governor without the backing of labor, which was unhappy with Notte's withdrawal of support for a state income tax and his decision to legalize night horse racing. The loss of labor backing was considered a significant factor in Notte's defeat for reelection to a second term as governor, after which he returned to the practice of law. He sought the Democratic nomination in 1967 to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost the primary.
Source: National Governors Association. (2004). Rhode Island Governor John A. Notte Jr. Retrieved from http://www.nga.org/
Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | No special restrictions unless otherwise specified. |
| Use of the materials: | Copyright is in the public domain unless otherwise specified. We reserve the right to restrict reproduction of materials due to preservation concerns. |
| Preferred citation: | John A. Notte Jr. records, 2010-25, Rhode Island State Archives. |
| Contact information: | Rhode Island State Archives Rhode Island State Archives 337 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 Tel: 401-222-2353 Fax: 401-222-3199 email: statearchives@sos.ri.gov |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | Transferred from Barbara Notte (daughter-in-law of John A. Notte Jr.) to the Rhode Island State Archives on September 21, 2010. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Kate Telford. |
| Encoding: | Finding aid encoded by Kate Telford 2010 December 09 |
| Descriptive rules: | Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
Additional Information
| Related material: |
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Inventory
Series 1. John A. Notte Jr records
Box 1-6
The John A. Notte Jr. records include correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr., event programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career, state government reports and publications, campaign-related papers, newspaper clippings, photographs and slides and certificates and awards presented to Notte.
Correspondence
Box 1 (f. 10, 18); Box 2 (f. 8); Box 3 (f. 9); Box 4 (f. 1-7); Box 5 (f. 10-11); Box 6 (f. 7-9)
Includes correspondence to and from John A Notte Jr. including correspondence related to and from John A. Notte Jr. over the course of his political career including his time as Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and Governor.
Events
Box 1 (f. 8); Box 3 (f. 6); Box 5 (f. 2, 20); Box 6 (f. 3, 5)
Includes programs and invitations to various events which John A. Notte attended over the course of his political career.
Legislation-related documents and reports
Box 1 (f. 24-25); Box 2 (f. 9-12, 14); Box 6 (f. 17, 20-21)
Includes Legislative Council reports, state budget and personnel supplement, chart of accounts, a proposal for the Governor’s Disaster Advisory Council, Senate bills, a certified copy of Senate resolution (S 423), Block Island-related papers and a copy of the bill that created the Veterans’ Affairs Commission.
Speeches and Campaign-related documents
Box 1 (f. 1, 3); Box 2 (f. 1, 7, 9); Box 3 (f. 11); Box 4 (f. 8-14); Box 5 (f. 1, 3-4, 7-9, 15-18); Box 6 (f. 10, 13, 18-19, 22-24)
Includes copies of the Democratic State Platform (1958 and 1960), Board of Election certifications (1962), polls and surveys conducted during Notte’s campaign for Governor (1960), election related papers, speeches given by Notte (1950-1960), speeches by DelSesto (1960), Notte campaign-related records press releases (1960-1966), North Providence Platform (undated) and additional general campaign-related files (1950-1974).
Reports and Publications
Box 1 (f. 2, 4-6, 11-17, 19-23); Box 2 (f. 2-7, 13, 15-17, 19-24); Box 3 (f. 1-3, 13-16); Box 6 (f. 4, 16)
Includes reports and publications of Rhode Island state government and municipal government agencies including the Department of Administration, Development Council, Department of Social Welfare, Economic Development Council, Board of Education, Warwick City Plan, Registry of Motor Vehicles, House and Senate Journals (1961-1962) and House Senate Bills (1962). Also includes various publications of the Veterans’ of Foreign Wars related to the United Nations and concerns regarding a World Government and documents and reports from the Governor’s Conference (1962).
Governor Notte records and papers
Box 2 (f. 18); Box 3 (f. 7-8, 10); Box 5 (f. 5-6, 12, 14, 19); Box 6 (f. 6, 11-12)
Includes Notte’s Inauguration Message (1961), the Governor’s proposed fiscal program (1963), elected officials lists (1959-1962), papers from the Governor’s Conferences (1961, 1962), speeches (1961-1962), judicial opinion (1961), papers related to the income tax debate (1961) and general files of the Notte administration (1960-1961).
Newspaper clippings
Box 3 (f. 4-5); Box 5 (f. 13)
Includes preservation photocopies of newspaper clippings related to Notte’s campaign, administration and speeches as well as additional topics related to Notte (1957-1962). This subseries also includes a folder containing preservation photocopies of political and satirical cartoons published in the newspapers related to Notte.
Awards. appointments and certificates
Box 3 (f. 9); Box 6 (f. 14)
Includes certificates and awards presented to John A Notte over the course of his political career including the National Association of Internal Revenue Employees Recognition certificate.
Ephemera
Box 3 (f. 9, 17)
Includes John A. Notte nameplates from the Governor’s Conference (1962) and a stainless steel nameplate (undated). Also included are two green scapulars gifted to Notte during correspondence with Sister Mary Jane Frances (1960).
Photographs and slides
Box 3 (f. 12, 18)
Includes many undated photographs of John A. Notte Jr. including a photograph of Governor-elect John A. Notte Jr., Governor-elect John Volpe (MA), Bishop Joseph M. Pernicone, Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom and Dr. Mario Tagliagambe at the 9th Annual American Committee on Italian Migration in New York. Also includes a photograph of Notte being sworn in as Governor of Rhode Island in 1961.