Senator Kent Conrad is donating his official Senate documents to the George Washington University in Washington, DC. As Prairie Public’s Dave Thompson reports, those documents will also be available in electronic form at the state Heritage Center in Bismarck.
“Together, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate the career of a great American statesman, both in the city where he so effectively worked, and in the state he so ably represented," said George Washington University president Steven Knapp at a Bismarck ceremony to honor Conrad’s contribution.
Conrad was first elected in 1986 – and he says the documents will help show the history of his years in public service, from the fight to save the Great Plains synfuels plant, to the discussions over farm bills and balanced budgets, to the impeachment of a president.
“And now the records are going to be available for those who want to know more about our history, and what went on behind the scenes," said Conrad. "And I can tell you – there is a rich treasure-trove of North Dakota history and American history in these documents.”
Also included: Conrad’s famous charts – the charts he used to make his arguments.
“A lot of them tell a very interesting story of the fiscal history of the United States," Conrad said. " So, I think there’ll be a group of people -- maybe a pretty small group – who are interested in these things. Certainly historians.”
Also included are e-mails, letters, memos and recordings.
“I hope there are lessons to be learned in those documents. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to make certain they were available – not only here in North Dakota, but in the nation’s capital as well," said Conrad.
