Biography: John Hurt, 1985-1986
A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at
Indiana University Bloomington
Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment
for the Humanities Division of
Preservation and Access, 2000-2002
Overview of the Collection
Repository
Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory
Indiana University
400 North Sunrise Drive
Weatherly Hall North, Room 122
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
http://www.indiana.edu/~cshm
Creator
Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory
TitleBiography: John Hurt, 1985-1986
Project No.
ohrc018
Interviews
5 interviews.
Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral materials.
Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman
B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study
of History and Memory office.
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
This collection of interviews focuses on the political career of
John E. Hurt. The bulk of the collection consists of Mr. Hurt's interviews
where he speaks about his role as a leading Democratic fundraiser and political
advisor to several gubernatorial candidates and governors in Indiana from the
late nineteen forties through the early nineteen sixties. The other interviews
offer background and specifics about Hurt's political career and actions.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains five interviews conducted over the course of a year. The interviews range from 30 to 450 minutes.
All interviews consist of audiotapes and three have typed transriptions.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the Study of
History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the history of
twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for the Study of History and Memory at Indiana University is open
to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies
are permitted by the deed of gift signed by the interviewee. Scholars must honor any
restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier
(pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript
(deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Tapes may not be copied for
patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that
interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the taped interview.
Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be
used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession
number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project
name], Center for the Study of History and Memory, Indiana University, Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape number and side
if no transcript].
Interview List
Interviewee
Carmony, Donald F.
July 8,
1985
Call Number
86-002
Physical Description
13 pages; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 30 minutes; no index
Interviewer
Domowitz, Susan
Access Status
Open
Donald Carmony, a retired professor of history from Indiana
University, speaks a little about John E. Hurt. He mentions he has not known
Hurt long, and does not know many details about Hurt's political life, but does
offer some background and advice for the interviewer.
-
Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Indiana University
-
-
Personal Names
- McNutt, Paul V.
- Schricker, Henry F.
- Welsh, Matthew E.
-
-
Place Names
- history professor
-
-
Subjects
- 1809 Ten O'clock Treaty Line
- civil rights
- Indiana politics
- political fundraising
- Two Percent Club
Interviewee
Hurt, John E. September 23, 1985; September 24, 1985;
October 8, 1985; November 11, 1985; November 12, 1985; January 23, 1986; January 24, 1986; February 7, 1986; July 16, 1986
Call Number
86-001
Physical Description
380 pages; 25 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 450 minutes; index;
photocopy of photographs; biographical sketch of interviewee
Interviewer
Domowitz, Susan
Access Status
Open
John Hurt, born 1912, grew up in Martinsville, Indiana and
attended Indiana University where he earned a law degree. He was a Democrat and
entered local and state politics during the late nineteen thirties. He speaks
briefly about his early life, education, and interest in politics before
spending considerable time discussing his heaviest involvement in politics from
about 1952 to 1964. He discusses the drive to take over and reorganize the
Democratic Party in Indiana and oust the "old guard". He describes his and the
party's success in raising funds for campaigns, the Democratic conventions, and
the gubernatorial campaigns and administrations he was involved in,
particularly Henry F. Schricker's in 1948 and Matthew Welsh's in 1960.
Throughout he talks about national politics, fundraising, political patronage,
and differences in campaign strategy among many other topics. Finally, Hurt
ends by speaking about his banking and lobbying duties since his prime
political time, and discusses the changes in running campaigns and entering
politics from his early days to the 1980s.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Democratic Party
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
- Ku Klux Klan
- Truman Presidential Museum and Library
- Young Democrats of Indiana
-
Indianapolis
News
-
-
Place Names
- Lake County, Indiana
- Lake Wawasee, Indiana
- Martinsville, Indiana
- Morgan County, Indiana
-
-
Occupation Names
- attorney
- political advisor
-
-
Personal Names
- Bayh, Birch E.
- Branigan, Roger D.
- Bryan, William Jennings
- Buell, Dorothy
- Campbell, Alexander M.
- Capehart, Homer Earl, Jr.
- Cotton, Louella
- Craig, George N.
- Gates, Ralph F.
- Green, Clinton
- Hartke, R. Vance
- Haymaker, Ira
- Hoover, Herbert C.
- Hulman, Anton J., Jr. "Tony"
- Jacobs, Andrew, Sr.
- Johnson, Lyndon Baines
- Kennedy, John Fitzgerald
- McKinney, Frank E.
- McNutt, Paul V.
- New, Jack L.
- Palmer, Arnold
- Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
- Schricker, Henry F.
- Smith, Al
- Steckler, William
- Tucker, Ralph
- Wells, Herman B
- Welsh, Matthew E.
-
-
Subjects
- 1932 Democractic National Convention
- 1932 WWI Veterans' Bonus March
- 1948 Democratic National Convention
- 1948 Presidential Election
- 1956 Democratic National Convention
- banking industry
- Branigan administration
- civil rights
- direct primary
- Dixiecrats
- education
- federal funding
- fraternal organizations
- Great Depression
- Kennedy inauguration
- Indiana Democratic Party reorganization
- Indiana highway scandal
- local politics
- media relations
- party loyalty
- political appointments
- political campaign donations
- political campaign fundraising
- political conventions
- political lobbying
- political patronage
- politics
- religion
- Roosevelt Fireside Chats
- Truman campaign train
- Two Percent Club
- vote buying
- Welsh administration
Interviewee
Madison, James
July 9,
1985
Call Number
86-005
Physical Description
Not transcribed; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 60 minutes
Interviewer
Domowitz, Susan
Access Status
Open
James Madison, history professor at Indiana University, speaks
about John Hurt and his role in Indiana politics.
-
Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Democratic Party
-
-
Occupation Names
- history professor
-
-
Subjects
- Indiana politics
- political fundraising
Interviewee
New, Jack L.
July 9,
1985
Call Number
86-003
Physical Description
25 pages; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 60 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
Domowitz, Susan
Access Status
Closed until both John Hurt and Jack New have been deceased
ten years.
Jack New was a member of Governor Matthew Welsh's administration
and a close friend of John Hurt. He gives some information about Hurt's early
life and then delves into his personality during the time he worked with him.
He speaks about how Hurt was the "hatchet man" and would do things, not
illegal, that many others would not do to get things done.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Democratic Party
- Indiana University
-
-
Personal Names
- Branigan, Roger D.
- Haymaker, Ira
- McNutt, Paul V.
- Schricker, Henry F.
- Watkins, John A.
- Wells, Herman B
- Welsh, Matthew E.
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Place Names
- Martinsville, Indiana
-
-
Subjects
- alcoholism
- interstate highway system
- legislation writing
Interviewee
Wells, Herman B
July 15,
1985
Call Number
86-004
Physical Description
Not transcribed; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 30 minutes; letter
from Claude Rich to Wells
Interviewer
Domowitz, Susan
Access Status
Open
Herman Wells, born 1902, speaks about John Hurt's role in the
legislative funding tension, specifically the parity issue, and how it was
resolved.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Indiana University
- Purdue University
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-
Occupation Names
- university chancellor
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-
Subjects
- funding parity
- Indiana politics
- university funding
