John N. Erlenborn Congressional Papers

The collection documents most of John Neal Erlenborn's activities while he was a member of Congress, which runs from 1966 to 1984. Letters from constituents about various topics of debate are included, as well as notes and other information regarding public statements and speeches given by Erlenborn in various U.S. locations. During his time in office, Erlenborn was active on the Committee on Government Operations and Committee on Education and Laro, and to a lesser extent the Committee on Population and the National Commission on Student Financial Assistance. Most of his activity in championing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 can be found in series 3.3, but bills pertaining to specific aspects of ERISA can be found in 3.1 and 3.2, as can information on the ERISA oversight hearings after 1974.

The collection also includes bills introduced or initially sponsored by Erlenborn, including those introduced by committees. Bound hearings regarding these bills have been left accornding to the original order of the collection, in order to serve as a frame of reference. Scrapbooks have been left intact, and include mostly newspaper clippings and some correspondence and other ephemera. Of note are two letters from Gerald Ford as well as a document officially designating Erlenborn as the nominee for Republican candidate for Congress.
Photographs are organized by date and are mostly of visitors to Erlenborn's office, either in Illinois or Washington, D.C., but also included here are photographs of important Presidential and Congressional events. Gerald Ford, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, Richard Nixon, Helmut Schmidt, Orrin Hatch, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and the winners of various "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow" competitions are some of the individuals appearing with Erlenborn in this series.
Erlenborn also recieved numerous trophies, plaques, and other items from various organizations, including labor unions, watchdog groups, and grade school classes, which are included in the collection.