1 Reply Latest reply on Apr 26, 2019 10:01 AM by Dorothy Alexander

    19th century congressional stenographer William Blair Lord

    Andrew Hyman Newbie
    Andrew Hyman Apr 18, 2019 11:17 AM

      Hi, William Blair Lord was among the official reporters of debates in the U.S. Congress from 1864 to his death in 1884.  I would like to know if his papers still exist anywhere, especially his notes on committee debates.  He was a stenographer, so reading his notes may require stenographic knowledge.  Thanks for any pointers.

        • Re: 19th century congressional stenographer William Blair Lord
          Dorothy Alexander Wayfarer
          Dorothy Alexander Expert Apr 26, 2019 10:01 AM (in response to Andrew Hyman)

          Hi Andrew,

           

          I suggest searching for his papers in local repositories. My office, the Center for Legislative Archives, holds the committee papers of the U.S. House and Senate. Personal papers of members of Congress, in addition to papers of congressional staff, are not considered committee papers and therefore are not transferred to the National Archives. We do have the original House and Senate Journals and the Congressional Record (CR).

           

          The CR contains the official debates of the House and Senate beginning in 1873. Fortunately, the CR is digitized and accessible through the Government Publishing Office or go to a law/academic library and use a subscription database called HEIN Online. A Century of Lawmaking contains a digital version of the Congressional Globe, the predecessor of the CR, which will contain debates from 1833 to 1873.

           

          I hope this information is helpful!

           

          -Dot

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