Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Privacy protected and confidential information is restricted from public access for 75 years per Code of Virginia 42.1-78 , 2.2-3800 and 2.2-3705.1-8

Before serving the materials, Library reference archivists must check the files for privacy protected and confidential information.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia. Governor (2010-2014: McDonnell),Constituent Correspondence, Governor Robert F. McDonnell, 2009-2013 (bulk 2010-2013), Accession 51119, State government records collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Governor January 7 2014.

Biographical/Historical Information

Robert F. McDonnell was elected 71st governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in November 2009 and inaugurated on 16 January 2010. He served until 11 January 2014.

The office of Constituent Affairs was first established in 1984. The office serves as liaison between the Governor and citizen of the Commonwealth. This office receives and addresses correspondence directed to the Governor. The secretary of the Commonwealth's office performed these services prior to the creation of this office.

Scope and Content

The office of Constituent Affairs, which operates as an extension of the Governor, receives and replies to correspondence sent to the Governor and from citizens of the Commonwealth, political officials, and other organizations. The records are correspondence written to and from the Governor's office covering a broad range of topics such as: discrimination, abortion, crime, economic development, budget cuts, education, capital punishment and other issues that have an impact on the citizens of the Commonwealth. A substantial amount of the collection consists of appeals for assistance in personal legal matters outside the purview of the governor. Of note are also concerns about the U.S. President Barack Obama.

The majority of this series consists of general correspondence from constituents to the Governor and do not include formal responses from the office. In addition to mail from the general public (which includes invitations, requests for assistance on a variety of issues, and stances on policy issues), this correspondence also includes letters from federal and state agencies, local government officials, Virginia General Assembly members, members of the U.S. Congress, and others, including the U.S. President, governors of other states and ambassadors.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series, respecting original order as much as possible:

Series I: General Constituent Correspondence ; Series II: Proclamations/Internship Files ; Series III: Requests for Photos/Autographs ; Series IV: VIP Correspondence ; Series V: Uncategorized Correspondence

Series I contains the bulk of the collection, and is arranged numerically. The number systems loosely reflects a chronological order. Series II is also arranged in numerical order. The bulk of series III is arranged in reverse chronological order beginning with 2013. Series IV is arranged in chronological order beginning with 2010. Series V is general correspondence that was not given a number and filed separately, loosely chronologically.

Related Material

The Governor Robert F. McDonnell Administration Web Archive Collection, 2010-2014 contains archived versions of websites for the Governor's Office, his initiative sites, and the sites of his cabinet secretaries. Also included are the related sites for the First Lady (Maureen McDonnell), as well as the Lt. Governor (Bill Bolling), and Attorney General (Ken Cuccinelli).

The Records of Robert F. McDonnell's Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Conrad Collection

The Correspondence and Supporting Documentation of the Executive Office of Governor Robert F. McDonnell Collection

The Records of the Executive Mansion of Governor Robert F. McDonnell

The Records of Governor Robert F. McDonnell's Secretary of Transportation Collection

The Records of Governor Robert F. McDonnell's Secretary of Administration Collection