Satterfield, Frances G. Papers

Staff Member, Administrative Director, and Director of Research, Women’s Division, Democratic National Committee, 1938-1940, 1943-1945

The papers of Frances G. Satterfield consist of printed materials, speeches, press releases, and other items mostly centering on her work in the Women’s Division of the Democratic National Committee and her active membership in the Democratic Party.

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: Less than one linear foot (about 1600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The Truman Library did not receive a donation of copyright from the donor of this collection. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1974).
Updated by: Austin Trantham (2007) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Frances Gibson (Mrs. M. B.) Satterfield was a staff member in the Women’s Division of the Democratic National Committee from 1938 to 1940 and from 1943 to 1945. At various times, she served as Administrative Director and Director of Research in the Women’s Division.

Mrs. Satterfield was active in Democratic Party politics for much of her life. She was a street corner speaker in New York City during the 1940 campaign and served as a speaker in the “Campaign School” at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 1948. As a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, she was elected Second Vice President of the Women’s Division of the Fulton County Democrats in 1946.

A graduate of the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, Mrs. Satterfield later served as national president of the school’s alumnae association. She was also a member of the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women.

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The papers of Frances G. Satterfield include publications of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), newspaper clippings, other printed materials, speeches, press releases, correspondence, handwritten notes, and memorabilia. The collection focuses on Mrs. Satterfield’s career with the DNC, her active membership in the Democratic Party, and her support of Democratic presidential candidates from Franklin D. Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy.

The papers are composed of various types of materials, including correspondence to Mrs. Satterfield from party officials. Many publicity documents from the national party in the collection illustrate Mrs. Satterfield’s direct involvement with the DNC. The collection also includes various “fact sheets” from the Democratic Party analyzing Republican campaign platforms, noting the differing views of the parties on foreign policy matters, and reviewing the records of Democratic presidents and Congresses.

Handwritten notes apparently made by Mrs. Satterfield on such topics as social security and housing further demonstrate her knowledge of the political issues of the day. Some of the documents in the collection are from the Office of Women’s Activities of the DNC; these materials are directly related to furthering women’s participation in politics. This is a subject that Mrs. Satterfield was interested in throughout her lifetime. Newspaper clippings are also prevalent in this collection. They include stories on world events, such as the end of World War II, as well as accounts of Mrs. Satterfield speaking to different groups and encouraging them to vote for various Democratic candidates. Many press releases from the Democratic Party are also included in the papers.

The collection includes a variety of publications, ranging from informational and campaign pamphlets to official Democratic Party platforms for presidential elections. Copies of the Democratic Digest, the first magazine ever published by a political party, are also included in the collection, along with copies of speeches by Mrs. Satterfield and national political figures such as John F. Kennedy. Overall, this collection is filled with Democratic Party publications and memorabilia in various forms, and speaks to the activities of the national party during the middle decades of the twentieth century.

Further information concerning women in the Democratic Party can be found at the Truman Library in the papers of India Edwards and Lina D. Adams, in the Library’s oral history interview with India Edwards, and in Student Research File No. 40, “President Truman’s Response to Women’s Issues.”

[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

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