Philip H. DesMarais (#336)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers
1959-1960
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Description


Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1959-1960
President, Kennedy for President Committee of Louisiana.  Photocopies of personal correspondence and related materials dealing with his work on John F. Kennedy's campaign for President in Louisiana and Missouri.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

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 The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form.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 Philip H. DesMarais in February 2005 (Acc. 2005-097).

Extent
About 30 items (3 linear inches ; 0.25 cubic feet)

Date Opened
April 2005

Processed by  
Erica C. Haakensen

Encoded by  
James M. Roth

Related Collections  
Philip H. DesMarais Oral History Interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
  

The Personal Papers of Philip H. DesMarais (1920-  )

Biographical Note
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 29, 1920, Philip H. DesMarais was awarded his B.A. at the College of Saint Thomas in 1942 and his M.A. at Georgetown University in 1951. He married Louise Mercier on August 12, 1950, was employed as a political science instructor at St. Thomas’s from 1950 to 1955, and was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee of Minnesota from 1954 to 1955. DesMarais relocated to Louisiana and became executive vice president of St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans from 1955 to 1960. By 1959, DesMarais was serving as president of the Kennedy for President Committee of Louisiana. The next year, he became campaign coordinator in Missouri for the Democratic National Committee. After the election, DesMarais was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, a position he held from 1961 to 1969. He became director of research services at Fordham University in 1969. DesMarais then took the position of vice-president of the Pax Romans International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs in 1971, and was a member of the Holy See delegation at the 28 ^th -33 ^rd  general assembly of the U.N.

(Source: The American Catholic Who’s Who .  Volume 23, 1980-1981.)

Collection Overview
The personal papers of Philip H. DesMarais contain photocopies of correspondence and related materials pertaining to DesMarais’s work in support of John F. Kennedy’s campaign for the Presidency.  The majority of the collection relates to DesMarais’s work as president of the Kennedy for President Committee of Louisiana.    Also included are letters written to the Kennedy staff by James P. Aylward, Jr., organizational records, and clippings.  All materials are arranged in one series entitled Kennedy for President Committee.

List of Series
Series 1. Kennedy for President Committee

Collection Description

Series 1. Kennedy for President Committee, 1959-1960.  
About 30 items.
Arrangement: by type, then chronological.

This series consists chiefly of photocopies of correspondence between Philip H. DesMarais and various colleagues involved in supporting John F. Kennedy’s campaign for the presidency in Louisiana and Missouri.   Most of DesMarais’s letters were composed within his capacity as president of the Kennedy for President Committee of Louisiana.  Key topics include campaign activity in Louisiana, the religious controversy surrounding the campaign, and Kennedy’s visits to and popular standing in Louisiana (and, to a lesser degree, in West Virginia and Missouri).  Among those DesMarais corresponded with most frequently are the Honorable Camille F. Gravel, Jr., Reverend Thurston Davis, Judge Edmund M. Reggie, Ralph A. Dungan, and Dick Donahue.   Also of note are a telegram from Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator Mike Monroney urging support for Adlai Stevenson and letters written by James P. Aylward, Jr. expressing his desire to aid Kennedy’s campaign efforts.  Other materials include meeting minutes, a committee roster, a schedule, and a clipping pertaining to Philip H. DesMarais’s campaign activity in Louisiana and Missouri.