Francis Xavier McCloskey

 

1983-1994 - 8th district of Indiana

Biographical note:

Francis Xavier McCloskey (June 12, 1939 - November 2, 2003) was elected mayor of Bloomington, Indiana, immediately upon receiving his law degree in 1970 from Indiana University and is credited with modernizing that city’s government, developing Bloomington Transit and bringing in federal funds to improve city services.Upon his election to Congress from Indiana’s 8th district in 1982, he served on the House Armed Services Committee, then in 1984 was appointed to the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, chairing its Subcommittees on Postal Personnel and Modernization, on Civil Service, and on Postal Operations and Services. In 1989 he was appointed to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He opposed the use of force in Iraq in 1991 but favored military intervention in the Balkans and remained committed to protection of the Balkan Muslims until his death in 2003 following a year-long battle with cancer.

Committee Service:

View a full listing of McCloskey's committee and subcommittee service by Congress.

The Collection (160 linear feet):

The collection consists mainly of the papers relating to McCloskey's representation of Indiana's 8th district in the United States House of Representatives (1983-94), with a few earlier papers relating to his service as mayor of Bloomington, Indiana, from 1971 to 1982.  A substantial portion (ca. 32 linear feet) relates to elections and the recount in his 1984 re-election bid.  Another 22 linear feet relate to his efforts in the early 1990s and beyond to bring peace in Bosnia.  Also included are approximately 17 linear feet relating to Indiana projects and his work on the Armed Services Committee, as well as a full run of press releases, complete press files for 1994, 12 linear feet of clippings, photographs, videos, and memorabilia. 

Status of the Collection:

Received in challenging preservation conditions, the collection has received a preliminary sorting and been repacked into archival cartons.  Processing of select portions of the collection is in progress.

Researcher Access:

Research use is possible with adequate advance notice. Contact congpprs@indiana.edu.

Additional resources on McCloskey:

More biographical information at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McCloskey