Julius C. Michaelson Rhode Island Senatorial Papers

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2014

Collection Overview

Title:	Julius C. Michaelson Rhode Island Senatorial Papers
Date range:	1962-1984
Creator:	Michaelson, Julius C., 1922-2011
Extent:	9 box(es) (4.5 linear feet)
Abstract:	The files of former Rhode Island State Senator and Attorney General Julius C. Michaelson were donated to Special Collections by Professor Scott Malloy of the Labor Research Center here at the University of Rhode Island. The collection consists of one series of Julius C. Michaelson’s files accumulated during his time as state senator, two terms as Attorney General, and post- elected office. During this time of post-elected office he kept one foot in Democratic state politics, the other in public service in both a local and national level.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 238

Scope & content

This "scrapbook" collection chronicles Michaelson's life in Rhode Island politics from the years 1962 through 1974, beginning as a legislator, and from then on till 1978 as state Attorney General. The materials were removed from deteriorating vinyl binders and re-housed. The original chronological arrangement was maintained as much as possible. Consists of newspaper clippings, black and white photographs, government documents, some correspondence, information on legislation, bar journals, sympathy notes, and election campaign ephemera.

Arrangement

After processing, the files were organized into one series ordered chronologically, the contents of which are listed above under the scope and content of the overall collection. The integrity of Michaelson's original files was maintained.

• 1. Subject Series

Biographical note

Julius Cooley Michaelson was born in Salem, Massachusetts on January 25, 1922. He was educated in Providence public schools, attended Boston University Law School and awarded a degree in law. He later earned a master’s degree in Philosophy at Brown University. Michaelson began his law career as a partner in the firm of Abedon, Michaelson and Stanzler practicing law as public counsel within public utility rate cases. He served as general counsel to the state AFL-CIO and as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention. He was elected state senator in 1962 and served with distinction until 1974. He ran for and was elected State Attorney General serving two consecutive terms from 1974 until 1979. A campaign for US Senate in 1974 was next in his political career in an attempt to unseat Republican Senator John Chafee. The incumbent Chafee, however, prevailed in a very narrow victory. Among Michaelson’s other professional accomplishments, he was past president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, nominated as Deputy Majority Leader for the incumbent Democratic Party in 1969, served as general counsel to the AFL-CIO, and a chief mediator in teacher – committee disputes. After elected office, he sought out service on an international stage as a delegate in Madrid to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in 1980, and again in 1988 as a representative to the US-USSR Bilateral Information Talks in Moscow as a member of the USIA Book & Library Advisory Committee. He was a Carter appointee to the National Institute for Democracy, serving a two-year term under Madeline Albright. Michaelson’s long record of public service and developing interest in world affairs eventually brought him to the attention of the Reagan Administration. He was appointed to the Foreign Service Grievance Board. After a long career of public and community service, he died on November 11, 2011.

Among his accomplishments in the General Assembly and Attorney General were passage of the Fair Housing Act; the so-called Michaelson Act, which allowed for teacher collective bargaining rights; amendments to the Workman’s Compensation Act; an advocate for social justice and stronger consumer protection laws, anti-pollution laws, pesticide bans, conservation of waterways, anti-discrimination in housing, and addressing deception in supermarket price-fixing and unfair utility rate increases and fees. These issues were burdening citizens in the worse of possible times, those of the energy crisis, rising inflation, and ongoing unemployment. Most notable was his persistence in the state house to establish a state Ombudsman and his support of open meetings. As Attorney General, Michaelson expanded the office to provide greater protection for consumer rights.

Michaelson emerged from the Kennedy era when the call to public service was at its zenith. He exemplified public service at its best when collegiality among colleagues and the welfare of the state and its citizens were the prevailing wind of the day. Michaelson made an impact in his career as a public servant and through his community service work. Among his civic activities, he served as past-president of the Jewish Community Center, as a member of the board of directors of the Jewish Home for the Aged, past-president of the American Jewish Committee, member of the board of directors Temple Emanu-el and the Congregation Sons of Zion.

He was awarded the Rhode Island Education Association’s Charles Carroll Award in 1970, the Dressler Family Memorial Award in 1976, named Outstanding Award Recipient for Help for Jewish Education, and inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2002.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Julius C. Michaelson Rhode Island Senatorial Papers, Mss. Gr. 238, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The materials were deposited in the Special Collections Unit by URI Professor Scott Malloy, History Emeritus.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Dennis Richards.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Dennis Richards 2014 May 15, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 March 31
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory