Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

The Julius Volker Papers document Assemblyman Volker's work related to New York State Assembly sessions and legislation from 1958-1966, including undated material. Also included are papers relating to Mr. Volker's professional development as a lawyer.

This is a repository of the minutes and records of the local chapter 157 of the Laborers' International Union of North America.

The records of the League of Women Voters of Albany County (LWVAC), include material produced by the LWVAC as well as material that was produced by the League of Women Voters of New York State and the League of Women Voters of the United States. The most comprehensive series in the collection is the Administrative Files. There are meeting minutes, annual reports, and Board of Directors lists from 1940-2001. A large portion of the LWVAC collection relates to the two main purposes of the organization: voter service and "study and action." Records relating to voter service include pamphlets with information about candidates and citizen voting rights published by the LWVAC and material used to increase voter participation. Records related to "study and action" include material used by the LWVAC to inform citizens about public policy issues locally, statewide, and nationally. A strength of the LWVAC collection is the amount of material related to various public policy issues and how they affected the local community.

Leonard Farbstein was a U.S. Representative from New York. Farbstein was born in New York City on October 12, 1902. He graduated from High School of Commerce, attended City College of New York, attended Hebrew Union Teachers College, and graduated from New York University Law School in 1924. During the World War I, Farbstein served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve and later as vice chairman of the East River Day Camp, a philanthropic organization. Farbstein was a lawyer in private practice. Farbstein served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1932 through 1956. He was elected as a Democrat to the 85th and the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1957-January 3, 1971) before being an unsuccessful candidate for renomination to the 92nd Congress in 1970. Farbstein died on November 9, 1993, in New York, NY and his interment is in Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, NJ.

The Leo W. O' Brien Papers document O'Brien's service in the House of Representative where he served from 1952-1966 on behalf of Albany, NY. The collection includes subject files, correspondence and various communications materials from his Congressional tenure.

This collection details the social activism of Malcolm Willison in New York State's Capital Region. As an active board member of several local groups, his papers contain minutes, financial statements and budgets, programming ideas, brochures, planning notes, articles and reports, and clippings that detail the evolution of the various organizations contained in the collection. Organizational newsletters and event flyers, course and conference information planned by Willison in his capacity on executive boards, and vast amounts of correspondence about any number of events and issues are also part of the scope of the collection.

The M.C. Lawton Civic and Cultural Club Records showcase the operations of the first black organization in Albany that was actively involved in community service and educational advancement, which was founded in 1919.

The Michelle Crone Papers document her experience as a feminist and lesbian activist from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s. The collection includes material from here position as National Civil Disobedience Coordinator for the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and as a member of the Executive Committee for the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Also present are records from Michelle Crone's management of a number of women's festivals from 1982 to 1996—most notably Rhythm Fest and the Cultural Festival at Gay Games IV—and records from her Capital District production company, Elword Productions. The collection also includes the records from her experience with the Seneca Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the National Lesbian Conference. Also included are her personal correspondence, records of her undergraduate studies with the theater and women's studies programs at the University at Albany, SUNY, and political literature from a number of progressive causes at the national and local levels.

The collection documents the Jewish community in New York's Capital Region and the creation of the Albany Jewish Community Center.

The papers of Nancy Papish document her involvement with Clearwater, North River Friends of Clearwater (NRFC), and the campaign to stop Hydro-Quebec's development plan for James Bay. These papers document the environmental activism of Nancy Papish from the 1970s through the 1990s. Included are meeting minutes, notes, mailings, press releases, news clippings, magazine articles, programs, and publications. The Clearwater files contain near-complete runs of newsletters produced by both NRFC and the parent Clearwater organization. Evidence of NRFC's outreach activities is found in a slide show titled "This Is Clearwater" and numerous poster displays. Documentation of Clearwater's organization and administration, such as meeting minutes, internal reports, and committee files, are almost entirely absent. There is little information about the membership of Clearwater. The James Bay files contain materials from several organizations.