Collection Summary
Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten Papers
1889-2011
1983-2001
1889-2011
1983-2001
MSS85595
Chavez, Linda
Gersten, Christopher, 1947-
2,000 items
11 containers plus 1 classified and 1
oversize
4.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Author, news commentator, and government
official (Linda Chavez). Government official (Christopher Gersten). Photographs,
clippings, scrapbooks, memoranda, notebooks, appointment calendars, correspondence,
speeches and writings, and printed matter relating primarily to Chavez’s career as an
author, news commentator, and government official including her service in the
presidential administration of Ronald Reagan.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC
Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and
by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Chavez, Linda. An unlikely conservative : the transformation of an ex-liberal,
or, how I became the most hated Hispanic in America. 2002.
Chavez, Linda. Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten papers. 1889-2011.
Gersten, Christopher, 1947- Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten papers.
1889-2011.
Reagan, Ronald.
Organizations
United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Subjects
Cabinet officers--Selection and appointment--United States.
Civil rights--United States.
Hispanic American politicians--United States.
Hispanic American women--United States.
Places
Maryland--Politics and government--1951-
United States--Politics and government--1945-1989.
United States--Politics and government--1981-1989.
Titles
Christopher Gersten papers
Linda Chavez papers
Occupations
Authors.
Journalists.
Public officials.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Linda Chavez, author, news commentator, and government official, and
Christopher Gersten, government official, were given to the Library of Congress by
Chavez and Gersten in 2011.
Processing History
The papers of Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten were arranged and described by
Melinda K. Friend in 2015. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part
of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Transfers
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions
of the Library. Cartoons have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division.
Videotapes, audiotapes, film, and CD-Roms have been transferred to the Motion Picture,
Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these
divisions as part of the Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten Papers.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten in these
papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved.
Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten are open to research. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for
research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting.
Security Classified Documents
Government regulations control the use of security classified material in this
collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning access to and
use of classified materials.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Linda Chavez and Christopher Gersten Papers, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Linda Chavez
Date
Event
1947, June 17
Born, Albuquerque, N. Mex.
1967
Married Christopher Gersten
1970
B.A., English literature, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
1970
1972
Attended graduate school and lectured, University of California, Los
Angeles, Calif.
1972
Worked for Office of Spanish Speaking, Democratic National Committee,
Washington, D.C.
1972
1974
Clerk and later legislative staff member, House Judiciary Committee,
Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights
1975
1983
Worked for American Federation of Teachers, Washington, D.C.; assistant
director of legislation, 1975-1977; editor of
American Educator
, 1977-1983; assistant to president Albert Shanker, 1982-1983
1977
Consultant to Civil Rights Division, Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, D.C.
Special assistant to deputy secretary, Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare, Washington, D.C.
1983
1985
Member and later staff director, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
1984
1986
Member, Administrative Conference of the United States
1985
Changed political affiliation from Democratic Party to Republican
Party
1985
1986
Deputy assistant to president and director of the Office of Public Liaison,
White House, Washington, D.C.
1986
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Maryland
1987
1988
President, U.S. English, a private organization devoted to making English
the official national language
1988
1992
Chairman, U.S. Commission on Migrant Education
1989
1994
Senior fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Washington,
D.C.
1991
Published
Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic
Assimilation
. New York: Basic Books
1992
1997
Served as U.S. expert to United Nations Sub-commission on the Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection of Minorities; special rapporteur, project to
study systemic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during wartime,
including internal armed conflict, 1993-1997; withdrew from project,
1997
1995
Founder and president, Center for Equal Opportunity, Washington, D.C., a
conservative think tank devoted to issues of race and ethnicity
2000
Headed task force on immigration, presidential campaign of George W.
Bush
Awarded Library of Congress’ “Living Legend” award
2001
Nominated as secretary of labor by George W. Bush, but withdrew from
consideration
2002
Published
An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal
. New York: Basic Books
2004
Published with Daniel Gray
Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt
American Politics
. New York: Crown Forum
Christopher Gersten
Date
Event
1947, Nov. 22
Born, Rochester, Minn.
1967
Married Linda Chavez
1970
Graduated, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
circa 1980
1983
Special assistant to the general president, International Union of
Operating Engineers
1984
?
Political director, American Israel Public Affairs Committee
1985
1986
Executive director, National Jewish Coalition
1989
1993
Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human
Services, Washington, D.C.
1997
Founded Institute for Religious Values, Washington, D.C.
2001
2005
Principal deputy assistant secretary, Administration for Children and
Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
2005
Founder and chair, Fatherhood and Marriage Leadership Institute,
Washington, D.C.
2007
Published
Lasting Love: Skills to a Better Relationship
. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Linda Lou Chavez (1947- ) and Christopher Carl Gersten (1947- ) span the
years 1889-2011, with the bulk of the material dating from 1983 to 2001. Their papers
are organized separately and arranged by type of material within their respective files.
A majority of the material relates to Chavez and largely consists of photographs,
clippings, and her newspaper columns.
The professional file of Chavez's papers covers four areas of her career. The largest
group of material relates to her service at the White House during the administration of
Ronald Reagan. Chavez’s notebooks include entries for staff meetings, meetings with
individuals and organizations, and lists of things to do. There is a gap from June 18 to
September 23, 1985. Staffing memoranda contain presidential remarks and material
relating to the Economic Policy Council and Domestic Policy Council. Her scrapbook
contains photographs of White House events and meetings, memorabilia, and the later
addition of items from the funeral of Reagan in 2004. Chavez resigned her White House
position to seek the United States Senate seat from Maryland. She won the Republican
nomination, but lost the 1986 election to Democrat Barbara Mikulski. Related items
include her campaign prospectus, correspondence, photographs from a fund raiser attended
by Reagan, and a scrapbook containing clippings, memorabilia, and photographs of other
fund-raising events. Material relating to her earlier work at the United States
Commission on Civil Rights is mostly comprised of clippings with a small amount of
correspondence. In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Chavez for secretary of
labor. She later withdrew after a controversy arose over the supposed employment at her
home of an undocumented immigrant. A confirmation packet, questionnaire, and a large
amount of clippings document her nomination and withdrawal. Items supplementing the
professional file include her appointment calendars, although many are overlapping and
have gaps, a personnel file kept by Chavez, a file compiled on her by Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and a photograph file chronicling her career.
Chavez's speeches consist mostly of background material and printouts of testimony given
by her before congressional committees. A majority of her writings consist of
photocopies and printouts of her newspaper columns. Background material, contracts,
publicity, and the draft of a chapter relate to her book,
An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal
.
The papers of Christopher Gersten are mostly comprised of two photograph albums probably
related to his tenure as director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the
Department of Health and Human Services. The albums document a Tet celebration in Orange
County, California, and a dinner and awards ceremony of the Unified Vietnamese Community
Council.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged according to separate files for Chavez and Gersten and
thereunder alphabetically by type of material or topic.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Linda Chavez papers
1
Appointment calendars, 1984-1997
1984-1997
(8 folders)
2
Biographical material
2
Federal Bureau of Investigation file,
1983-1985
1983-1985
2
Genealogy, 1889, 1943-1945, 1963-1964,
circa 1972-1975, 1987
1889, 1943-1945, 1963-1964, circa 1972-1975,
1987
2
Miscellany, 1963-1965, 1992, undated
1963-1965, 1992, undated
2
Personnel file, 1982-1987, undated
1982-1987, undated
(2 folders)
2
Schoolwork, 1960, undated
1960, undated
2
Correspondence
2
General, 1978-2011, undated
1978-2011, undated
(2 folders)
2
U.S. English, 1987-1988
1987-1988
2
Miscellany
2
American Educator
magazine, 1978-1982
1978-1982
3
Freedom Foundation and Hispanic Coalition for
a Free Central America, circa 1983
circa 1983
3
Youth Coalition for Balanced Arms Reduction,
circa 1983
circa 1983
3
Youth Institute for Peace in the Middle East,
circa 1983
circa 1983
3
Photograph file
3
Family, 1900, 1944-1947, 1989, undated
1900, 1944-1947, 1989, undated
3
General, 1975-2006, undated
[
See also Oversize
](photof)
1975-2006, undated
(2 folders)
3
Press file
3
Chavez, circa 1983-1992, undated
circa 1983-1992, undated
3
Miscellany, 1985-1990, undated
1985-1990, undated
3
Professional file
3
Secretary of labor nomination
3
Clippings, 2001
2001
(2 folders)
4
(1 folder)
4
Confirmation packet, 2001
2001
4
Correspondence and questionnaire,
2000-2001
2000-2001
4
Scheduling and notes, 2001
2001
4
United States Commission on Civil Rights
4
Appointment and correspondence,
1983-1985, undated
1983-1985, undated
4
Clippings, 1983-1985, undated
1983-1985, undated
(3 folders)
4
United States Senate campaign
4
Campaign prospectus, 1986
1986
4
Clippings, 1986
1986
4
General
4
Quiz
4
Correspondence, 1986, undated
1986, undated
5
Fund raiser with Ronald Reagan,
1986, Oct.
1986, Oct.
5
Correspondence, 1987-1988
1987-1988
5
Photographs, 1986
1986
5
Memorabilia, 1986
1986
5
Photographs, 1986
1986
(4 folders)
5
Report of receipts and disbursements,
1988
1988
5
Scrapbook, 1985-1986
1985-1986
6
White House
6
Correspondence, 1985,
undated
1985, undated
6
Meeting material, 1985-1986,
undated
[
See also Classified
](class)
1985-1986, undated
6
Memoranda
6
Buchanan, Patrick J., 1985
1985
6
Regan, Donald T., 1985-1986
1985-1986
6
Thomas, Dennis, 1985
1985
6
Miscellany, 1982, undated
1982, undated
6
Notebooks, 1985-1986, undated
1985-1986, undated
(4 folders)
6
Notes, 1985
1985
6
Scrapbook, 1985-1986, 2004
1985-1986, 2004
(1 folder)
7
(1 folder)
7
Staffing memoranda,
1985-1986
1985-1986
(7 folders)
8
Subject file
8
Education and loyalty,
1928-1948, 1975-1983, undated
1928-1948, 1975-1983,
undated
8
United States draft policy,
1981-1983, undated
1981-1983, undated
8
Telephone directory, 1985-1986
1985-1986
8
Travel authorization, 1985-1986
1985-1986
(2 folders)
8
Speeches and writings
8
Speeches
8
Miscellany, 1986, 2001-2010, undated
1986, 2001-2010, undated
(2 folders)
9
Testimony, 1995-1999
1995-1999
9
Writings
9
Books
9
Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt
American Politics
, contracts and earnings, 2003-2004
2003-2004
9
Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic
Assimilation
, earnings, 2003
2003
9
An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal
9
Chapters
9
No. 2, research material,
1965, undated
1965, undated
9
No. 3, research material,
2001, undated
2001, undated
9
No. 4, research material,
1995-1997, 2002, undated
1995-1997, 2002, undated
9
No. 5, research material,
circa 1972-1974
circa 1972-1974
9
No. 6, research material,
1970-2002
1970-2002
9
No. 7, research material,
1977-1982, 1992, 2001
1977-1982, 1992, 2001
9
No. 8
9
Draft, circa 2001
circa 2001
9
Research material,
1983-2002
1983-2002
(3 folders)
10
Contracts, earnings, and publicity,
2001-2004
2001-2004
10
Journal pages, 1999
1999
10
Newspaper columns
10
Photocopies, 1975, 1990,
1995-2001
1975, 1990, 1995-2001
(3 folders)
10
Printouts, 1985-1994
1985-1994
(4 folders)
10
Christopher Gersten papers
10
Brochures and newsletters
10
International Union of Operating Engineers,
circa 1981-circa 1983
circa 1981-circa 1983
10
National Jewish Coalition, circa
1985-circa 1986
circa 1985-circa 1986
10
United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers
of America, circa 1983
circa 1983
11
Correspondence, 1991, 2000-2004
1991, 2000-2004
11
Drafts, Institute for Religious Values,
circa 1997
circa 1997
11
Miscellany, circa 1978, circa 1989,
undated
circa 1978, circa 1989, undated
11
Photograph albums, circa 1989
circa 1989
11
Tet celebration, Orange County, Calif.
11
Unified Vietnamese Community Council
11
Photographs, 1989, undated
[
See also Oversize
](photos)
1989, undated
11
Schoolwork, 1956-1957, undated
1956-1957, undated
CL 1
Classified
CL 1
Linda Chavez papers
CL 1
Professional file
CL 1
White House
CL 1
Meeting material,
1985-1986, undated (Container 6)
1985-1986, undated
OV 1
Oversize
OV 1
Linda Chavez papers
OV 1
Photograph file
OV 1
Trip to Japan, circa
1993-circa 1997 (Container 3)
circa 1993-circa 1997
OV 1
Christopher Gersten papers
OV 1
Photographs
OV 1
Unidentified man, undated
(Container 11)
undated