The Hood Papers consist mainly of correspondence and financial reports with smaller quantities of transcripts, minutes, resolutions, press releases, and biographical information. The collection deals entirely with his political life from 1946 through 1968. There is no documentation concerning his employment as a lawyer, his service in World War II, or, most disappointingly, his work at the Trane Company. The collection has been arranged into four series: Republican Party of Wisconsin, Republican National Committee, Goldwater for President Organization, and subject files. Removed from the files were several boxes of publications, newsletters, etc. which concerned the Goldwater campaign but not Hood's involvement in it. These files were donated to the Arizona Historical Foundation in Tempe which holds the Barry Goldwater Papers. In addition, several boxes of records on the Conservation Commission which duplicated commission records held by the society were discarded. Records concerning his service on the Legislative Compensation Council and the Temporary Reorganization Committee were removed and separately catalogued as public records series. Except for the ORAP files, the entire Hood collection is available only on microfilm.
The REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN files briefly concern Hood's service as chairman of the Third Congressional District Republican organization (1946-1950), with the focus of the documentation on his tenure as state chairman from 1950 to 1953. In addition to substantial correspondence with county and district chairmen, the Republican National Committee, and the state executive committee, there is a long run of correspondence and reports of the state finance committee. Prominent correspondents include Thomas Coleman, C.O. Wanvig, Henry E. Ringling, Claude J. Jasper, Jack L. Spore, Warren P. Knowles, and Joseph R. McCarthy. The files also contain correspondence, platform, rosters, press releases, and other material relating to Republican state conventions from 1949 through 1955. The finance committee records are of particular interest, as they thoroughly document the solicitation and distribution of funds during Hood's tenure. Such records are absent from the Republican Party of Wisconsin records held by the Society. Included in the finance committee correspondence are names of donors, amounts contributed, information on methods of fundraising, and minutes of meetings.
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE files concern three periods in which Hood was involved with the national committee and national conventions. The first period substantially coincides with Hood's term as executive director of the Republican National Committee. Included are executive committee minutes, correspondence with committee members, resolutions, and press releases. The second period (1956) documents his personal involvement as a Wisconsin delegate-at-large to the National Convention. The third period (1963-1964) documents, although incompletely, his interaction with the members of the national committee during service as national director of field organization for Goldwater's presidential campaign.
The GOLDWATER FOR PRESIDENT ORGANIZATION files document Hood's service as state chairman in the Draft Goldwater for President committee, his service as director of Region III in the Goldwater for President organization and as national field director for the Goldwater campaign. The material consists mainly of material at the state level, with some documentation divided into files on the ten congressional districts and the finance committee. Also included are financial statistics for the state committee and limited
correspondence with the leaders in the national organization. Documentation as field director for Goldwater is extremely limited and it is presumed that such information is contained in the Goldwater papers at Tempe.
SUBJECT FILES contain documentation on various political campaigns and political figures with whom Hood was associated such as Glenn Davis, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Joseph R. McCarthy. Also included is information on many state committee and organizations with which he was associated including the Land and Water Conservation Council, the Outdoor Recreation Act Program Advisory Committee, the Wisconsin Industrial Growth Organization, and the “Yes” for Forestry Committee.
