Alexander Knox Christie (#49)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1937-1983
At the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Series Description

Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1937-1983
Alexander Knox Christie, labor figure and legislative consultant. Papers include correspondence, memorandums, news clippings, and publications on labor, World War II, President Kennedy’s assassination, and the Middle East.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed July 1991, copyright of these materials has been assigned to the United States.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Alexander Knox Christie of Bethesda, MD, in May, July and December 1991 (Acc. 1991-044); and in February, March, April, September and December 1992 (Acc. 1992-037).

Extent
About 3,000 items (1 linear feet, 4 linear inches ; 1.5 cubic feet)

Date Opened
June 1998.

Encoded by
James M. Roth

Revisions
Finding aid updated in October 2001 by James M. Roth.

Related Collections
See also Oral History Interviews, Christie, Alexander K(nox) Labor figure, 1966.

The Personal Papers of Alexander Knox Christie

Biographical Note

Alexander Knox Christie received a B.S. in Economics specializing in Labor Management Relations. He later received an M.A. in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Political Science. Christie worked for seven years in the New York City Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, Docks and Commerce under Mayor F. H. LaGuardia. He also worked with the New York State Power Authority researching Riparian rights along the Niagra, Hudson, and Genesee Rivers. In 1939, Christie worked with Senators George Norris and David I. Walsh. He returned to the Senate in August 1945, serving on the staff of the Senate Labor Committee for 15 years. Under Senators Robert A. Taft and James E. Murray, Christie became staff director of the Subcommittee on Labor. Christie spent twelve years as a Legislative Representative for the United Steelworkers of America. Among other things, he was responsible for drafting bills, assisting in the passage of legislation, mine safety on-the-spot investigations, and handling jurisdictional disputes. He also taught at summer institutes of several universities across the U.S. Christie had periodic assignments with the administrations of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. He also spent five years as a labor relations consultant for the American Can Company in Washington.

Collection Overview

The personal papers of Alexander Knox Christie document his assignments in the Kennedy administration concerning labor issues and other subjects such as civil rights, re-staffing the Executive Branch, and the 1961 State of the Union Address. Papers include correspondence, memorandums, and news clippings. A number of published reports and books dealing with labor issues were transferred to the Library’s catalogued book collection. A list of those books is filed in the last folder of this collection. Researchers will also want to consult the Library’s Oral History interview with Christie in 1966.



Series Description

Subject Files, 1937-1983.
About 3,000 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical.

Subject files containing correspondence, memorandums, news clippings, and publications on labor, World War II, President Kennedy’s assassination, and the Middle East. The collection’s subject files are arranged as it was received. In most cases, original folder titles have been maintained. In a few instances, when either there was an incorrect title or none at all, a new title was created. The contents of the folders were kept in their original order. Some items may not correspond to the folder title.