CARL T. CURTIS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/03/1971 - HFSID 34350
Price: $90.00
CARL T. CURTIS
Typed Letter signed as US Senator (1971), responding to a constituent school
principal's support for a Cabinet Post of Secretary of Education
Typed Letter signed: "Carl T. Curtis", 1 page, 8x10. Washington,
D.C., 1971 June 3. On his personal Senate letterhead to Jack F. Dodds,
Principal, Riley Elementary School, Lincoln, Nebraska. In full: "Thank
you for your recent letter advising me that you favor creation of a Cabinet post
of Secretary of Education. I believe very strongly that the Office of Education
does not belong in the Department of HEW [Health, Education
and Welfare]. There are too many things joined together in one Department and
education is deserving of a separate entity. There are pending proposals for
cabinet reorganization. I do not know how this proposal will fit in with that,
but I certainly feel that education should not be hampered by being tied to
unrelated activities as it is now. With kindest regards I am sincerely yours".
Nebraskan Carl Thomas Curtis (1905-2000), a Republican, served in the US
House of Representatives (1939-1954) and Senate (1954-1979). Known for his
anti-communism and fiscal conservatism, Curtis was Barry Goldwater's floor
manager at the 1964 Republican National Convention. He loyally supported
President Nixon on the Vietnam War and throughout the Watergate crisis.
After leaving the Senate he was a leader of the American Freedom Coalition, a
conservative advocacy group. At the time Curtis signed this letter, the proposal
for a Cabinet-level Department of Education, strongly backed by teachers'
advocacy groups like the National Education Association, had more support from
Democrats than Republicans, many of the latter fearing federal interference in
local schools. Legislation establishing the Department was finally signed by
President Carter in 1979, shortly after Curtis left office. Ronald Reagan,
who defeated Carter in 1980, called in his campaign for dissolving the new
bureaucracy. However, Republicans soon recognized that the Department could
serve their own policy priorities; its abolition is no longer under discussion.
Lightly toned and creased. Light dents in left edge. Folded twice and unfolded.
Otherwise, in fine condition.
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