John Hubbard Chafee was born October 22, 1922 in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended Providence Country Day school and Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts. In 1940 he enrolled in Yale University but left during his sophomore year to join the United States Marine Corps at the start of World War II. He was among the first wave of American forces that invaded Guadalcanal and later the island of Okinawa. After returning from the war in 1945 he returned to Yale University and completed his bachelor’s degree. In 1950 he earned a law degree from Harvard University.
In 1951 the Marine Corps recalled Chafee to active duty. He spent the next two years serving as a rifle company commander in the Korean conflict. After returning from Korea in 1953 Chafee worked as an attorney in a Providence law firm while serving in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1957 to 1963. He was elected minority leader for the Rhode Island Republican party for three years and nominated as the party’s candidate for governor in the 1962 elections.
In 1962 Chafee ran for Governor of Rhode Island and won by a very narrow margin. He was reelected in 1964 and 1966 by the largest margins in the state’s gubernatorial history. After losing the 1968 gubernatorial race to Frank Licht, Chafee was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Richard Nixon in January 1969. Upon resigning from that position, Chafee entered the 1972 Senatorial race which he lost to incumbent Democrat Claiborne Pell.
Chafee ran again for Senator when John O. Pastore announced he was retiring. He was challenged by Richard P. Lorber, who beat Governor Philip Noel by a hundred votes in the primary. Chafee won the election by a comfortable margin carrying every town in the state and capturing 58 percent of the vote. He was the first Republican from Rhode Island elected to the Senate since 1930.
Chafee’s record was highlighted by his ability to lead bipartisan efforts towards passing far-reaching legislation. In Congress he worked through consensus and cooperation in order to make progress on important bills that greatly affected the budget, tax policy, environmental protection, health care, and civil rights. In 1977, Chafee attained the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He quickly established himself as an advocate of environmental protection, often finding himself at odds with the conservative factions of his party.
Chafee helped pass major environmental protection legislation that included the 1980 Superfund program to clean up hazardous waste, the Clean Water Act of 1986, the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. In 1990 Chafee was ousted from his Senate Republican Chairmanship position (the third ranking position in the party leadership) because of his collaboration with Senate majority leader George Mitchell on the Clean Air Act.
Chafee was a member of several important congressional committees. He sat on the Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Small Business, was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care, and was a member of the Senate Arms Control Observer Group. He also served as Chairman of the Republican Conference for six years. He was an advocate for expanding Medicare coverage to needy families and fought diligently to secure health care coverage for children through employee benefit plans. Chafee played a key role in the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allowed workers to take unpaid leave to care for a new child or deal with a family medical crisis. In addition, he helped write the Children’s Supplemental Security Income grant that safeguarded families threatened by government cutbacks. Chafee also fought hard for persons with disabilities and established landmark legislation providing home and community-based services for the developmentally disabled.
The 1982 senatorial election campaign was more difficult for Chafee than his previous election campaign. He was challenged by former state Attorney General Julius C. Michaelson. Michaelson tried to discredit Chafee by tying him to elements in the Republican party that supported President Ronald Reagan’s conservative agenda and close ties to big business which often clashed with the traditionally moderate ideology of Rhode Island constituents. Chafee defended his record by asserting that he prevented many jobs from leaving Rhode Island by persuading General Dynamics’ Electric Boat division to keep it’s shipyard in the state. Chafee was able to build a large treasury that allowed him to run a stronger campaign in the areas of the state that required his attention. Chafee’s long-standing seat on the Senate Finance Committee also gave him a significant advantage over his opponent. As a result, Chafee won the election, but by a mere 7,965 votes.
In the 1988 elections Chafee was challenged by Lieutenant Governor Richard Licht, nephew of former Governor Frank Licht. With a substantially larger campaign treasury and twelve years of experience in Congress, Chafee won the election with a comfortable 55 percent of the vote making him the first Republican senator in Rhode Island to be popularly elected to three consecutive terms.
Chafee was extremely active in efforts to preserve fragile coastal regions. His sponsorship of the Coastal Barriers Resources Act of 1982, which was amended in 1990, protected expansive areas of coastal shoreline from human development. Chafee also worked to protect wetlands and sponsored the American Wetlands Conservation Act. He played a leading role in the reformation of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1995 and 1996, and he sponsored the 1984 Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act which saved important fisheries along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico from pollution and over-fishing. In addition, Chafee established the nation’s first indoor air hazard research and response program, and he authored legislation that established Rhode Island’s Pettaquamscutt Cove National Wildlife Refuge which protects over 300 acres of salt marsh and forest land.
In the 1994 senatorial election Chafee retained his seat by defeating Democratic state legislator Linda J. Kushner by a comfortable margin. Chafee captured a surprising 65 percent of the vote in a year when he was thought to be vulnerable because of his highly centrist record which was seen as too moderate for Republicans and too conservative for Democrats. Nevertheless, Kushner failed to develop an effective campaign strategy and often attacked Chafee in areas where he excelled, such as health care and the environment. One of the last major bills Chafee helped create and pass was the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century through which he obtained federal funding for a bicycle trail along the Blackstone River, in addition to 59 million dollars for a new Jamestown Bridge. Chafee died on October 24, 1999 after more than forty years of public service. He left behind his wife Virginia, and their five children.
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John H. Chafee Senatorial Papers, Mss. Gr. 115.2, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
The Senatorial Papers of John H. Chafee (1976-1999) are divided into three sub-groups: Providence Office, Washington Office, and Multi-Media. The records of the Providence Office subgroup were transferred to the University of Rhode Island from Senator Chafee’s offices in Providence, RI. The records from the Washington Office sub-group were sent from his Washington, D.C. office. The first shipments of the Chafee Senatorial Papers were transferred to the University of Rhode Island in the Spring of 1993 and continued to arrive periodically through March of 2001. Chafee’s papers as Governor, Secretary of Navy, and for his campaigns are in Manuscript Group 114, Gubernatorial and Secretary of the Navy Papers, 1962-1975.
The senatorial papers contain 1,929 boxes of records and occupy approximately 1,088 linear feet of shelf space. The Providence Office, sub-group 1, contains 220 boxes of records and occupies 155 linear feet of shelf space. The Washington Office, sub-group 2, contains 1,642 boxes of records and occupies 873 linear feet of shelf space. Multi-Media, sub-group 3, contains 67 boxes of records and occupies 60 linear feet of shelf space.
The Washington Office, sub-group 2, records consist of memoranda, speeches, notes, bills, correspondence, publications, news articles, maps, charts, and photographs. Records also include artifacts such as campaign bumper stickers, buttons, as well as an American flag, and his office flag as Secretary of the Navy.
The records are arranged into the following series:
The first shipments of the Chafee Senatorial Papers were transferred from Chafee's Washington office to the University of Rhode Island in the spring of 1993 and continued to arrive periodically through March of 2001.
The records were originally collected and stored by the Washington office of John H. Chafee.
Due to the large size of the Washington Office sub-group, the series are divided into three sections: Washington Office I, II and III. The collection was processed by Mark Dionne in 2006.
The Gubernatorial Papers of John H. Chafee (MsG. 114.1), The John H. Chafee Secretary of the Navy Papers (MsG. 114.2) The John H. Chafee 1972 Senatorial Campaign Papers (MsG. 114.3).
The series includes records regarding international affairs, domestic policy, government relations, and Rhode Island issues. Many of the records consist of constituent and official correspondence from federal and state departments and agencies, campaign files, including photographs, ads, printed matter, published congressional records, and legislative materials. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Defense/Foreign Policy, 1979-1999, consists of records concerning the activities of the military, Defense Department, State Department, and all materials relating to U.S. foreign policy. Records include reports, memoranda, speeches, press releases, news clippings, hand-written notes, trip files, congressional floor statements, government publications, news articles, bills, resolutions, amendments, confirmation hearings, congressional record statements and record vote analyses. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Health Care/Welfare Reform, 1977-1999, consists of correspondence, memoranda, bills, press releases, news articles, congressional reports, hand-written notes, hearings transcripts, testimonials, two 3.5″ floppy disks, one video tape, floor statements, press releases, news articles, Senate bills, House bills, Senate vote analyses, committee reports, schedules, agendas, acts, amendments, and proposals.
The series records concerning education legislation, program development, and funding. The records consist of speeches, notes, memoranda, bills, news articles, press releases, reports, and congressional statements. The records also include budget reports from the Education Funding Update newsletter, correspondence from constituents regarding spending levels and appropriations for the Department of Education, and annual reports from the Department of Education.
Subjects include also include the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, Drug-Free Schools program, Rhode Island education studies, technology education, adult literacy programs, and the Neighborhood School Improvement Act. Higher Education Act, amendments concerning Direct Student Loans, school voucher program, tuition tax credits, and student loan defaults.
Neighborhood Schools Improvement Act, also known as the Kennedy-Ford Bill, containing records regarding legislation aimed at providing low-income families with financial assistance for sending their children to private or public school of their choice. The bill also established national achievement standards and assessment models for teachers, students, and administrators.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series consists of records kept by Senator Chafee's staff for research on issues they were handling. The records consist of news articles, memoranda, press statements, government reports, and notes.
Subjects include abortion, arms control, environment, energy policy, housing, Rhode Island politics, and taxes. The series cover the years from 1976 to 1999.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by year.
The series contains photocopied news clippings collected by Chafee's staff regarding issues addressed during the 102nd congress. Subjects include abortion, banking, Rhode Island credit union scandal, Persian Gulf War, Electric Boat Company submarine contracts, and environmental issues.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains records used for research on issues handled by Senator Chafee and his staff. The records consist of press releases, correspondence, memoranda, speeches, photographs, notes, news articles, news clippings, congressional floor statements, and administrative reports. The folders that contain only press releases are organized in chronological order at the end of the series. The folder titles of press releases from 1983 through 1987 can be referenced in the Press Release Master Log file.
The series includes conference notes, speech drafts notes, notes on appropriations for military contracts, housing developments, oceanographic research, environmental management projects, and parks and recreation service grants. The records also include call-in questions from listeners and viewers of radio and television talk shows on which Chafee appeared.
The series also contains transcripts from radio and television talk shows, press conferences, and newspaper columns. The folders titled "Cutline" contain photocopied news articles, photographs, and op-ed pieces authored by Chafee.
The 'Listen-In' public forum floders contain schedules and press releases from town meetings that Chafee attended. The radio conference call folders list the topics discussed during the call, topic summaries, and their corresponding press releases.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
This series contains requests for recommendations from individuals seeking employment to federal and state government positions. Carbon copy responses are attached to each request. The series includes resumes, correspondence from federal officials to whom the recommendations were sent, and letters to individuals notifying them that a recommendation had been sent.
The "Recommendation Rejections" folder contains recommendation requests and their responses that were rejected by Senator Chafee. There is also correspondence from Chafee to White House officials serving under President Reagan, as well as heads of federal departments and agencies requesting consideration of employment for individuals.
Due to the private nature of some of the material, approval for research in this series is by permission of the archivist.
The folders in this series are filed alphabetically by last name of the requestor.
The series contains correspondence from constituents, colleagues, media personalities, business representatives, the White House, and government officials.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by last name of the sender.
The series contains correspondence to constituents, business groups, colleagues, and organizations regarding personal issues, political issues, and events. The records consist of invitations, congratulatory correspondence, and fan mail. Subjects include fundraising, tax reform, inaugural events, judgeship appointments, environmental management, and letters to colleagues in the Senate.
The folders are arranged alphabetically.
The series consists of invitations sent to Chafee by constituents, government officials, non-profit groups, candidates for public office, and representatives from business groups. The records include replies from Senator Chafee's staff indicating an acceptance or rejection of the request.
The records also include invitations from medical associations, industry coalitions, political groups, artist associations, environmental groups, religious groups, and education associations. There are invitations to speak at campaign events, meetings, conferences, seminars, as well as invitations to weddings, anniversaries, and memorial celebrations.
Records from the years 1980 through 1990 were copied to microfilm and can be found in the Microfilm series.
The folders are series are filed chronologically by month and year from January 1977 through December 1979, and September 1991 through April 1999.
The series contains constituent correspondence filed chronologically by month, day, and year. The first box contains correspondence from the years 1984 to 1987. The remainder of the boxes contain records from the years 1996 to 1999. Correspondence from the years that are not present in this series may be found in the Microfilm series. The records from 1984 to 1987 contain carbon copied, and photocopied responses to constituents.
The records from the years 1996 to 1999 include news letter work orders that indicate the date the correspondence was answered and the subject of the correspondence. The records also include white daily log reports indicating the name of sender and the date the correspondence was received. The reports contain the initials of the administrative aide who processed the correspondence, and the identification number of the correspondence.
The records are housed in one cubic foot records storage boxes.
The folders are arranged chronologically.
The series consists of binders and text items containing records produced by the Correspondence Management System (CMS). The CMS operates under contract from the United States Senate and it allows staff members to track and retrieve correspondence.
The records include topic reports, name reports, group name reports, CMS library materials, and text items. Topic reports contain of lists of correspondence organized alphabetically by the topic of the correspondence. Name reports contain lists of correspondence organized alphabetically by the sender's last name. Group name reports contain lists of correspondence organized by the name of the organization or group that sent the correspondence.
The CMS library records consist of replies from Senator Chafee's staff. The replies include the correspondent's name, organizational affiliation, address, CMS classification number, descriptive summary, keywords, tracking dates, action required, and copies of the correspondence and subsequent responses.
Text items are text of standardized reply letters sent from Senator Chafee's office. They are duplicated in the name, topic, and group reports and organized by item number. Text items indicate topic and subtopic of the letter, as well as the date of creation and update date.
The binders are arranged chronologically and kept in one cubic foot records storage boxes.
The text items are arranged in arranged chronologically and kept in document boxes.
The series contains reels of microfilmed constituent correspondence including name, topic, and date reports. The cartridge labels indicate the date and control number for each correspondence. The control numbers were assigned by the Senate microfilm lab, although it is unclear how the numbering system worked.
The correspondence covers the years 1977 through 1995. Microfilm cartridge boxes stamped "COM" contain name, topic, and date reports. The film cartridges consist of lists of constituent names, addresses, date received, and topic of correspondence. The number in parenthesis besides the cartridge number in the table below indicates the number of existing copies, duplicates and triplicates arranged together.
The cartridges are arranged chronologically by year.
This series contains research materials used by Senator Chafee's staff for legislative purposes. The records include indexes for senate floor statements arranged by bill title, bill number, subject, and date introduced. Similar records can be found in the Record Vote Analyses, Series XVI. The lists were created by the Senate Computer Center who would collect each Senator's floor activities and send them the information they compiled. Members of the Chafee staff who collected these materials referred to them as "Pedia Files."
The folder titles include congressional sessions and subject headings. The records from the first and second sessions of the 96th congress are filed together.
The folders are arranged chronologically by congressional session.
The series contains bills sponsored and co-sponsored by Senator Chafee. The records reside in bound volumes titled "Legislative Activities" and arranged according to congressional session.
The records include lists of legislation arranged by bill title, bill number, author, cosponsors, purpose of bill, date of introduction, status of bill, and dates of action on the bill. The bills are listed numerically by bill number.
The binders and bound volumes are arranged chronologically by congressional session and are housed in one cubic foot record storage boxes.
The series consists of voting statistics for each member of Congress. The records include Senate Record Vote Analyses indicating the subject of the bill, whether the bill was passed or rejected, the final voting tally, a synopsis of the bill, a list of Republicans voting for and against the bill, a list of Democrats voting for and against the bill, and those Senators from each party not voting. The entries are arranged chronologically from the 95th through 106th Congress (1977-1999).
The records are compiled in binders and include subject heading lists for each bill. The analyses are arranged numerically within each binder.
The binders are arranged chronologically by congressional session and housed in one cubic foot record storage boxes.
The series contains lists of Senator Chafee's congressional session attendance record, and summaries of his legislative voting record from the 98th through 104th Congress. The records are arranged chronologically and include the Roll Call Vote Record for the 95th through 103rd Congresses (1977-1994).
The records include National Journal Ratings key lists to Senator Chafee's votes, sponsored and co-sponsored legislation from the Republican Policy Committee of the 102nd Congress, 1992.
The folders are arranged chronologically by congressional session.
The series contains records requesting grant funding from government departments and agencies. The records include correspondence, memoranda, notes, press releases, reports, requests for letters of support, grant proposals, notification of grants awarded, and information about granting organizations.
The grant requests are from organizations involved in the arts, humanities, health care, education, environment, industry, defense, and housing. Grant notifications include defense contracts awarded to General Dynamics and Raytheon, as well as education grants awarded to Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Brown University, University of Rhode Island, and Johnson and Wales University. Also included are housing grants awarded to Rhode Island municipal housing authorities, and Environmental Protection Agency grants awarded to the Narragansett Bay Commission.
The series also includes correspondence from organizations to Senator Chafee asking for information on granting agencies. Chafee staff members would forward the inquiry to the appropriate department or agency which would respond directly to the requestor. Grant reports list organizations applying for grants within a given fiscal year. The reports indicate the type grant applied for, whether it was accepted or denied, and the amount awarded.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains records relating to the activities of the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over legislation concerning taxation, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, family welfare programs, social services, unemployment compensation, fiscal policy, and trade legislation. Senator Chafee served on the Senate Finance Committee for twenty of his twenty-two years in the Senate, and held ranking member positions from 1992 through 1999.
The records consist of bills, notes, briefing books, reports, memoranda, and hearing testimonies. Subjects include Treasury Department nominations, tax reform, global economics, workers rights, and securities issues. In addition, there are records from the 105th and 106th congresses consisting of Senate record vote analyses, bill summaries, and legislative status reports. The series also contains correspondence from congressional representatives, government officials, businesses, economic institutions, and educational institutions.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, regarding legislation aimed at addressing the issue of bribes paid to foreign officials by American companies in order to bypass United States foreign policy initiatives.
Historic Homeownership Improvement Act, a Chafee bill providing tax credits against income tax expenditures for people who rehabilitate historic homes, or first time purchasers of historic homes for use as a principle residence.
Internal Revenue Service, concerning code simplification regarding taxation on private, non-profit, public, and multi-employee retirement plans.
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), legislation regarding Chafee amendments aimed at allowing taxpayers to deduct up to $2,000 of contributions to an IRA account even if they participate in another tax-favored program. This initiative was designed to encourage lower income Americans to save for their retirement.
Mortgage Revenue Bonds, an extension legislation for tax-exempt bonds used to fund low down-payment and cut-rate mortgages.
Open Space Preservation Act of 1992 (Baucus-Chafee Bill), protecting family-owned lands and encouraging conservation efforts by allowing owners to transfer qualified conservation easement property free of federal estate and gift taxes.
Research and Development Tax Incentives, expanding the availability and incentive value of research and development tax credits for U.S. companies.
Retirement, Accessibility, Security, and Portability Act of 1998, aiming to provide adequate retirement security for all Americans.
Senate Finance Committee Hearings, containing Internal Revenue Service restructuring proposals, treasury nominations, social security reform, Secretary Alan Greenspan briefings, and consumer price indexing procedures. Included are hearing transcripts and reports regarding the Expatriation Tax Act of 1995 which closed tax loopholes on individuals who renounced their United States citizenship in order to avoid paying income and estate taxes. Other topics include Medicare, pension reform, trade bills, and the Work Incentives Improvement Act.
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, providing for child tax credits, education tax incentives, student loan interest reduction, employer-provided education, tax deductible Individual Retirement Accounts, and capital gains tax cuts. Other tax-related topics include student scholarships, alternative minimum tax, church estate tax, investment tax, and disaster protection.
Trade Bill Hearings, regarding the pursuit of trade agreement authority with Central American nations, improving export performance, tightening anti-dumping laws, expanding and liberalizing trade agreements.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act (WOTC), providing tax credits to employers who train and hire welfare recipients. Included are amendments to extend the WOTC program beyond the sunset period.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.