Archives West Finding Aid

The Ivy Baker Priest papers (1889-1975) are concerned with national or California issues because Priest spent most of her public career outside her native Utah. Some of the personal materials, her Utah campaigns, and a few newsclippings are all that can be directly related to Utah.

Divided into five major parts, the overall collection is arranged chronologically. The first part contains the personal materials including an autobiography and family related items. Second and largest, is the section from her years as U. S. Treasurer (1953-1961). The third portion is a compilation of her speeches, both complete and fragments. Political materials, including a few items from her Utah campaigns, the campaigns for California State Treasurer and items dealing with the Republican party, comprise the fourth major division. The final portion of the collection consists of newspaper clippings, certificates and scrapbooks.

Ivy Baker Priest's autobiography, Green Grows Ivy, is filed with the personal materials. Included are drafts, notes, correspondence and a finished, autographed volume. The correspondence contains letters about publication and promotion of the book, as well as congratulatory messages and requests for autographed copies. The anecdotes, notes and drafts are the work of either Ivy, or Alfred Toombs, the ghostwriter.

Biographical sketches, birth certificates, passports, religious materials, correspondence about a 1956 trip to Greece, items related to Mrs. Priest's illness and death, and engraved invitations are a few examples of the type of miscellanea which make up the personal section. Financial records include information about the leasing of the Indiana farm left to Ivy at the death of her husband, Roy; stocks; bonds; and a wide variety of bills. Medical insurance claims are also filed here.

The family portion of the personal section includes correspondence to and from Ivy, especially a large number of letters to her son Roy, filed alphabetically. Other items such as daughter Patricia's college finances and Roy's involvement with the Riverside Symphony Orchestra are also arranged alphabetically. Missionary journals dated 1901 to 1903 kept by Ivy's father Orange Decatur Baker, are filed with letters from his family dated between 1889 and 1902.

One-third of the collection concerns the years 1953 to 1961 when Ivy Baker Priest was U. S. Treasurer. Correspondence from this period is divided into two parts. The first, filed alphabetically, is semipersonal correspondence not directly related to her position as Treasurer. Included are letters from individuals prominent in business or politics, like Conrad Hilton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and personal friends. The second part of the correspondence is related to general Treasury Department business. The alphabetical section includes letters from clubs and individuals concerned with a variety of topics. Letters such as requests, recommendations or thank-you letters are organized chronologically within each category.

While she was Treasurer, Priest was involved with organizations like the National Council and a number of groups dealing with crippled children. Correspondence, news releases, business bulletins, lists and other items concerning these groups are filed alphabetically by subject.

Speeches by the Secretary of the Treasury, the Under Secretary, Assistant Secretaries and other department members have been filed alphabetically in the section dealing with the Department of the Treasury. Ivy Baker Priest's nomination and confirmation, official correspondence, information about routine business and the savings bond program are also included in this section.

Articles written by and about Ivy Priest while Treasurer are filed alphabetically by name of publication. A partial list of those articles is included. Correspondence about her radio and television appearances has been organized chronologically.

As Treasurer one of Priest's duties was promotion of Savings Bonds. She was also often asked to be a guest speaker for many types of functions. Correspondence arranging these programs has been filed chronologically. Included in the file are schedules from 1953 to 1960, a record of honorariums from 1954 to 1960, and chronological and alphabetical indexes. A note has been made of those engagements where a speech is included in the collection.

Speeches with known dates have been filed chronologically, all others are arranged alphabetically by subject. Speeches too incomplete to determine a subject have been filed together. An alphabetical and chronological index is included with the dated speeches. Indication has been made as to which speeches have related correspondence in the Speaking Engagements files.

Handwritten drafts by speech writer Edmund Gesiak have been filed together alphabetically by speech title. The last portion of the speech file contains background material like speeches by others, pamphlets, quips, and quotes. These are arranged in folders according to type of item.

Ivy Baker Priest's election campaigns and materials about the Republican party comprise the political division of the collection. The Utah years are represented by a calling-card from the 1934 campaign for Utah House of Representatives, her 1939 attempt to get a minimum wage law for women and children as a member of the Women's Legislative Council, and campaign materials from the 1950 race against Reva Beck Bosone for United States House of Representatives.

Under the heading of California State Treasurer, there are two parts, the campaign and the non-campaign materials. The 1966 and 1970 campaigns are filed separately but with the same general order. All correspondence has been arranged alphabetically. Brochures, literature, press releases, endorsements, name lists, general correspondence, and similar material has been filed first. The section on campaign financing includes reports from the public relations firm and the certified public accountant as well as contribution letters. Following the messages of congratulations are materials such as polls and tabulated election results. Invitations, programs and guest lists for the inauguration following each successful campaign are filed last. Due to Mrs. Priest's decision to retire the 1974 campaign consists of correspondence and invitations to fund-raising testimonial dinners held in 1973. There is also correspondence in which the refunded monies are re-donated to Ivy personally.

The one box of non-campaign materials includes chronological correspondence, recommendations, treasury office business, information about dinners given for Ronald Reagan, speaking invitations, reports from the treasurer, correspondence with California Republican groups and information about Ivy Baker Priest's retirement. There are also other miscellaneous items from the period 1966 to 1975 filed here.

The final portion of the political division concerns Republican groups and individuals. These are filed with groups first in roughly chronological order. They include two Utah groups, a number of national organizations and information on the national conventions. Arranged alphabetically, the individual folders contain speeches and some correspondence. A final section has miscellaneous material related to the Republican party, such as information on the Lincoln celebrations through the years 1953 to 1959.

Three boxes and fourteen scrapbooks are filled with newspaper clippings about Ivy Baker Priest, dated from 1940 to 1975. They are arranged chronologically by year. Undated clippings and those about family members are in a separate box filed alphabetically.

The seventy-one certificates date from 1920 to 1974. Included are her diplomas from school, honorary memberships, certificates of appreciation, and California certificates of election. These are filed chronologically with the most recent on top. Included with the certificates is a chronological listing.