Biographical Note:

Following his retirement in 1999 from 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 9th district of Indiana, Lee Hamilton was asked to direct the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, where he could apply his considerable experience in international affairs and consensus-building to bringing policy makers and scholars from all over the world together to gain from one another’s perspectives and insights. As he had done during his congressional career, he reviewed daily the most respected periodical publications in English, building a research base for the work which he would be called to do as vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, and as a consultant on national security and international affairs both individually and as a member of various commissions. These clippings and his working notes form the bulk of this collection and provide the backdrop for his 12-year post-congressional career in national and international public service in matters of foreign affairs and national security.

The Collection (19 linear feet):

The Lee H. Hamilton Post-Congressional Papers consist of appointment books, key speeches, documentation of several of the commissions on which he served subsequent to his retirement from Congress, his personal working notes, and extensive files of clippings compiled and organized at Hamilton's direction for his consultation in matters of international affairs and major U.S. policy issues. The collection does not document his work as director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University nor as Director and President of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for

Status of the Collection:

A detailed online finding aid is available.

Researcher Access:

Prior arrangement is required for access to the collection because materials must be retrieved from offsite storage. Contact congpprs@indiana.edu.