William E. Eagan Papers (S2655)

1964-1978

Biographical Sketch

Mr. Eagan was born on December 4, 1943 in Rutland, Vermont. He grew up there in a staunchly Democrat and unionist household, although the community was firmly Republican in political outlook. Eagan attended Castleton Public School and Mt. St. Joseph’s Academy in Rutland. He went on to college getting his B.A. in history at St. Michael’s College in Winooski Park, Vermont in 1964, his master’s from the University of Vermont, Burlington in 1965, and his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario in 1971.

Mr. Eagan was a teaching assistant at the University of Western Ontario from 1965 to 1967. Since then he has been an assistant and as associate professor at Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. During this time he married his wife Kathy and they have had three children.

Since 1964, Mr. Eagan has been active in the Democratic Party and other political activities. The first campaign he worked for was President Johnson’s election in 1964. In Minnesota he started attending Democrat Farmer-Labor causes in 1970, although he had done some work in the antiwar movement before this. In 1970, he served as a DFL county executive committee member for Clay County. In 1972 he was precinct and county chairman, and he and Kathy Eagan were coordinators for the Minnesota 7th District McGovern Committee.

Eagan served as a delegate to the state DFL convention in 1974, 1976, and 1978. In 1974 Eagan was on the County Executive Committee again. In 1976, he sat on the State Executive Committee and was coordinator for the 7th District Pro-Life Caucus. In 1978 he held all of his 1976 positions again and in 1979 he was elected to the chairmanship of the Clay County Citizens Committee.

Mr. Eagan and his wife have also been active in running for public office. In 1971 he unsuccessfully ran for alderman in Moorhead. Kathy Eagan made a bid for the State legislature in 1972, but she was not endorsed and did not run in the campaign. 

Collection Description

This collection contains the various campaign literature, correspondence, official reports and plans, and other miscellaneous material that Mr. Eagan had collected during his involvement in local politics. Included are letters and newsletters from Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Bob Bergland, and other area politicians. There are also the DFL budgets for 1976-1978, the DFL party calls, conventions and committee notes, and the minutes from precinct meeting from 1970-1976. Included also is the various material Mr. Eagan collected during his involvement with the Pro-Life movement from 1967-1978. There is one volume included in this collection, the George McGovern Handbook for his presidential campaign in 1976.  

Inventory

Box 1

• AFL-CIO News. 1976-77
• Anderson, Wendell Campaign Literature. 1970
• Bergland, Bob
  • Miscellaneous. 1970-71
  • Press Releases. 1970-71
  • Volunteer Committee. 1971-73
   
• Borgen, Dennis Campaign Literature. 1970
• Campaign
  • Correspondence. 1964, 1967, 1969-74, 1976-78, undated
  • Miscellaneous. 1976-77
   
• Clay County DFL. 1972-74, 1976-77, undated
• Craig, Earl U.S. Senate Race. 1970
• DFL
  • Affirmative Action Plans. 1975-78
  • Budget. 1976-78
  • Caucus Constitutions. 1970, 1976
  • Delegate Correspondence. 1970-78
  • News. 1970, 1972-174, 1976, 1978
  • Party Call. 1976-78
  • State Central Committee. 1970-74, 1976-78, undated
   
• Eagan, Kathy Campaign. 1972
• Humphrey, Hubert. 1971-74
• Maps. 1966, 1972, 1973, undated
• McCarthy, Eugene. 1971-74
• McGovern, George. 1972-73
• Micro Community Analysis. 1970
• Mondale Newsletters. 1971-73
• Moorhead Area Women’s Political Caucus. 1970-73, undated
• MSU Advocate and Fargo Forum Campaign News Articles. 1971-72
• Nixon Impeachment Correspondence. 1973-74
• Photographs
• Precinct Caucuses. 1970-76
• Pro-Life Movement. 1967-75, undated
• Schrader, Ron Campaign Literature. 1976-77
• Wenstrom, Gene Campaign Literature. 1976-77 

Box 2

• Volume 1 - McGovern, George Handbrook. 1976