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James R. Toulouse and Charlotte J. Toulouse Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-814-BC

Scope and Content

The James R. Toulouse and Charlotte J. Toulouse Papers contain local, state and national political literature, including information on the Democratic Party in New Mexico. Their personal papers cover James R. Toulouse's legal career and Charlotte J. Toulouse's activism concerning nuclear waste, children and the elderly.

The James R. Toulouse Political Papers (1969-2001) series contains local and state campaign literature, invitations to fund raisers and receptions, correspondence about campaign costs, voting and voting machines, disability and radioactive waste, thank you letters from candidates for donations and support, campaign buttons, bumper stickers, speeches, photographs, clippings, flyers, brochures, scattered issues of the Party Line, reports, pamphlets and material from the New Mexico and Bernalillo County Democratic Party organizations.

In the series, James R. Toulouse Personal Papers (1939-2001), there are correspondence, letters to the Editor, articles and clippings concerning such topics as civil rights, problems in the city and county, city schools, the courthouse, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Police Department, Elena Gallegos Land Grant, handicap facilities, Toulouse's legal career, New Mexico Bar Association, Committee on Uniform Jury Instruction for Civil Cases and the New Mexico State Bar Historical Committee.

The Charlotte J. Toulouse Political Papers (1980-2001) series contains literature, invitations, flyers, brochures, clippings, speeches, newsletters, bumper stickers and buttons for local and state campaigns. There are also folders for the Democratic National Conventions she attended in 1988 (Atlanta), 1992 (New York City) and 1996 (Chicago). This series also has information on the New Mexico Democratic Party, Bernalillo County Democratic Party and Democratic Women of New Mexico Convention.

The Charlotte J. Toulouse Personal Papers (1964-2001) series contains personal correspondence and records from various committees and advisory boards she served on. Some of those committees were the Albuquerque Police Advisory Board, New Mexico Committee on Youth & Children, New Mexicans for Jobs & Energy and Program Review Committee of the Battelle Memorial Institute Project Management Division.

Folders relating to the New Mexico Committee on Youth & Children contain minutes, correspondence, booklets, pamphlets, conference reports and programs, information on the White House Conference on Children and Youth in 1970.

This series also contains records of the organization, New Mexicans for Jobs & Energy, 1979-1982. Included are the by-laws, minutes of meetings, budget, newsletters, legal documents, printed material and clippings. Records of her service as political advisor to the Program Review Committee of the Battelle Memorial Institute Project Management Division are also here. This material covers such topics as nuclear waste transportation, nuclear waste sites, storage and disposal of nuclear waste, and quality assurance. There are meeting agendas, clippings, reports, records of meetings, correspondence and a Community Development Handbook (1981).

Dates

  • 1939-2001
  • Majority of material found within 1969-2001

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.

Biography / History

James R. Toulouse, noted civil rights attorney, was born April 14, 1919 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He graduated from Albuquerque High in 1936 and attended the University of New Mexico on a football scholarship, graduating in 1940. He worked as the sports editor for the Albuquerque Tribune, 1938-1943 and married Charlotte Mae Johnson in 1941.

After serving with the Navy during World War II, Toulouse attended Georgetown Law School. While in Washington, D.C. he worked for Senator Clinton P. Anderson (D-NM). A lifelong Democrat, Toulouse was active in party politics in New Mexico. After graduating in 1949 he joined the New Mexico law practice of W. Peter McAtee. Eventually he formed the firm, McAtee, Toulouse, Marchiando, Ruud and Gallagher. This firm dissolved in the mid 1960s and Toulouse headed his own law firm until his death in 2002.

Toulouse was a lifetime member of the First Presbyterian Church, a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and volunteered legal services for the NAACP. In 1986 he received the Courageous Advocacy Award from the New Mexico Bar Association.

Charlotte J. Toulouse was born in Marysville, Kansas in 1921. She moved to Albuquerque where she met James R. Toulouse, whom she married in 1941. While her children were young she was involved in children's issues serving on the New Mexico Committee on Children & Youth. After a stroke, she became an advocate for the rights of the disabled and the elderly as a member of the Disability and Health Program Advisory Committee and Statewide Independent Living Council. In 2000 "The Charlotte Toulouse Award for Contributions to Communication Between People with Disabilities and Disability Researchers" was established by the Southwest Conference on Disability.

Charlotte was appointed to the New Mexico Committee on Youth & Children in 1964 (also called Governor's Committee on Youth & Children). The purpose of this committee was "to act as a state clearinghouse for all statistical and program information on Children and Youth; to collect facts and statistics on, make special studies of, conduct open hearings about, determine major urgent needs of children and youth and make periodic reports to the Governor and Legislature prior to each legislative session." Additionally they were to establish a statewide youth council and act as official agency to coordinate New Mexico's participation in White House Conference on Children and Youth.

Politically active, she was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, serving as a delegate to three Democratic National Conventions and on the Democratic Caucus for Disabled Americans and the Committee on Rules for the national conventions.

She was on the board of directors of New Mexicans for Jobs & Energy. The mission of that organization was "to help create in New Mexico an educated informed and active public which supports development of domestic energy resources, many of which lie in New Mexico, along with responsible and balanced practices to conserve natural beauty and pleasant living conditions." The organization planned to conduct annual series of energy workshops in all regions of New Mexico stressing the importance of a reliable, economically-priced energy supply and the safety features and advantages of nuclear energy, they also wanted to organize energy action committees statewide for the purpose of involving citizens in the solution of energy problems, to develop long-term and short-term strategies for sound economic development in New Mexico based on energy resources.

She was also a political advisor to the Program Review Committee of the Battelle Memorial Institute Project Management Division. The Program Review Committee was composed of thirteen persons nominated by national organizations as representative of various social, political, industrial, labor, environmental, and technical interests. The purpose of the committee was to provide the public with the opportunity to review the DOE nuclear waste programs.

In 1993 she and her husband, James, were honored with the "Keep the Dream Alive" award given by the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Celebration Committee. Charlotte passed away in 2005.

Sources: UNM Vertifical File-Toulouse, James R. - Attorney; Jojola, Lloyd. "Activist Was 'Grand Dame' of State Politics," Albuquerque Journal, March 21, 2005

Extent

7 boxes (6.66 cu. ft.)

Abstract

The Toulouse Papers contain local, state and national campaign literature from the1970s-2001 includings materials from Democratic National Conventions in 1988, 1992 and 1996. The personal papers cover James R. Toulouse's legal career and Charlotte J. Toulouse's interest in children's rights, rights of the disabled and the elderly as well as environmental issues.

Arrangement

4 Series:

James R. Toulouse Political Papers, 1969-2001

James R. Toulouse Personal Papers, 1939-2000

Charlotte J. Toulouse Political Papers, 1980-2001

Charlotte J. Toulouse Personal Papers, 1964-2000

Related Archival Material

Americans for Rational Energy Alternatives Records Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping Records Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico James Hulsman Albuquerque High School Sports History Collection Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico

Separated Material

Cataloged periodicals: El Independiente and the New Mexico Independent, Albuquerque News, New Mexico Humanities: the Newsletter of the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, The Perspective: Providing a Voice for New Mexico's Black Community, Prime Time, Imagen, Reflections of Today's Latino, Information Brief, State of New Mexico Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Other publications available in the University Libraries:

Jacobsen, Lynn C. New Mexico Uranium Severance Taxes, [Albuquerque, N.M.: Uranium Operators Committee of the New Mexico Mining Association, 1980]

Leaming, George F. The Economic Impact of the New Mexico Uranium Industry: a Study of the Contributions of the New Mexico Uranium Industry to Personal, Business, and Government Income in New Mexico. Marana, Ariz.: Southwest Economic Information Center, [1980]

New Mexico Craft. [Tesuque, N.M. : New Mexico Craft Publishers], v.4, no. 1 , 1981

United States. National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. New York: Bantam Books, [1968]

United States. National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. To Establish Justice, To Insure Domestic Tranquility : Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Office, [1969]

Soviet Life, special supplementary issue, Summit, Washington, D.C., December 7-10, 1987

Campaigns & Elections, v.9, no. 8, July 1988

Proposed Charter for the City-County of Albuquerque, January 8, 1958
Title
Finding Aid of the James R. Toulouse and Charlotte J. Toulouse Papers, 1939-2001
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
T. S. Reinig
Date
© 2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English

Revision Statements

  • Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451