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Dennis DeConcini Papers 1944-2008

MS 399

Biographical Note

Dennis Webster DeConcini was born one of four children on 8 May 1937 into an Arizona family long active and prominent in local and national politics, law, and business. His father Evo DeConcini served Arizona as Pima County Superior Court Judge, Attorney General, Supreme Court Justice, and later as a businessman in real estate development in Arizona; his mother, Ora Webster DeConcini, had a forty-year career in state and national politics, including eight years as a Democratic National Committeewoman (1972-1980).

DeConcini attended public schools in Tucson and Phoenix and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1959. Following graduation, he married Susan Margaret Hurley-also a 1959 graduate of the University of Arizona-and served one year as Second Lieutenant in the Adjutant General's Corps before entering the university's College of Law. He received his law degree in 1963 and entered private practice with his older brother Dino and his father, Evo. He continued to serve in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army Reserve, from 1964 until receiving an honorable discharge in 1967.

In the 1960s, DeConcini was active in numerous state and federal campaigns, including the campaign of former Arizona Governor Sam Goddard in 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1968. During 1965-1967, DeConcini served as Special Counsel and Administrative Assistant to Arizona Governor Sam Goddard and was on the board of directors of a statewide savings and loan association. In 1968, DeConcini founded the Tucson law firm of DeConcini and MacDonald and remained a partner there until 1973. He rejoined the firm in 1995. He made his first bid for public office in 1972, when he ran a successful campaign for the office of Pima County Attorney. As Pima County's chief prosecutor, he gained recognition for his programs in drug enforcement, consumer affairs, and diversion of first-time non-violent offenders. Under his tenure, the Pima County Attorney's Office prosecuted a number of significant criminal cases, including assisting in the conviction of organized crime bosses. While serving as Pima County Attorney, DeConcini worked as the General Campaign Manager for Raul H. Castro's gubernatorial race. In 1975, DeConcini was awarded the state County Attorney of the Year award and was appointed by Governor Castro in July 1975 as Administrator of the Arizona Drug Control District, a state-wide effort to prosecute drug dealers.

DeConcini resigned his position as Pima County Attorney in 1976 to campaign for the Senate seat of retiring Republican Paul Fannin. He defeated colorful Republican Congressman Sam Steiger by 10 percentage points and took his seat in the 95th Congress in 1977. One of his campaign pledges was to pass legislation for term limitations for the Senate and House of Representatives to two consecutive terms for Senators and three consecutive terms for Representatives. Several of his attempts to pass the legislation were unsuccessful. DeConcini changed his position on this issue and ran for his third term in the U.S. Senate in 1988. He was reelected by close to 60 percent of Arizona voters.

During his three terms in office (1976-1994), DeConcini served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he chaired the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, and served on the Subcommittees on Defense, Energy and Water Development, and Foreign Operations. Senator DeConcini also served on the Senate Judiciary Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks. On the Judiciary Committee he was also a member of the Subcommittees on Antitrust, Monopolies and Business Rights, the Constitution and the Courts. In addition, he served on the Select Intelligence Committee and was Chairman of the Committee in 1993 and 1994, and Co-Chaired the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) for ten years (1984-1994).

As a freshman Senator, DeConcini achieved national recognition eighteen months into his career with his position on the Panama Canal treaties of 1978. The Panama Canal Treaty provided for gradual assumption of control of the canal by Panama in 2000 following 97 years of control by the United States. The Senate added several key amendments (the so-called Neutrality Pact) to the treaty. One provided that United States warships could go to the head of the line to pass through the canal and that United States troops could intervene unilaterally if the U.S. felt the Canal was being threatened. The treaties were the result of 15 years of negotiations between the United States and Panama and months of fierce debate in the United States.

As the ratification of the Treaty approached the Senate, DeConcini remained one of a handful of uncommitted Senators. DeConcini's misgivings in regards to the treaty stemmed from a fact-finding trip to Panama in December 1977, during which he met with Omar Torrijos Herrera, then head of the Panamanian government. It was during this trip that he began to voice his concerns for potential threats to the canal's security, namely that the treaty as proposed was ambiguous regarding the right of the United States to intervene if there were threats to the canal. Following a meeting with President Jimmy Carter in April 1978, DeConcini announced that he would support the Treaty, but only if his amendment was added. DeConcini's amendment (reservation, as it was known) provided that the United States could occupy the Panama canal if the canal was threatened. The DeConcini reservation so offended Panamanians that the agreement was placed in jeopardy. President Carter met with DeConcini and urged him to drop his call for the reservation, but DeConcini insisted on his position. The Carter administration and members of the Senate continued to pressure DeConcini to modify, or at least clarify the original language of the provision to placate Panama. DeConcini remained firm, however, and President Carter, who needed his vote for passage of the first two canal agreements, reluctantly agreed to the reservation. DeConcini's vote for the first treaty allowed it to pass in the Senate with one vote to spare. When passed by the Senate, the reservations adopted by the Senate became part of the treaty and binding on all facets.

Prior to the Panama Canal Treaty controversy, DeConcini was very active legislatively. The Wall Street Journal reported that DeConcini passed more legislation than any other member of the Senate with the exception of Henry (Scoop) Jackson, from the State of Washington. Despite this, his eventual vote for the treaty was not well regarded in Arizona, which was unequivocally anti-Treaty. Two recall movements against DeConcini were launched in Arizona within days of his vote for the first two treaties. (Arizona Senators are required to sign an agreement prior to taking office that stipulates they will resign if 25% of registered voters supported his or her recall). Billboards urging voters to protest DeConcini's vote on the treaties sprung up in Phoenix and Tucson, although his critics were unsure how to proceed following the entry of his condition to the treaties. In July 1978, Panama formally rejected DeConcini's reservation attached to the treaty and President Carter delivered the papers of ratification to Panama. The acceptance of the treaty without DeConcini's reservation, approved by Panama, again raised the hackles of anti-treaty Arizonans, who claimed his vote for the treaties were sold for nothing. The treaty today stands with the U.S. right to unilaterally use military force even though some might dispute this. When President George H. Bush sent U. S. military units to Panama to capture General Manuel Noriega, the President invoked the DeConcini reservation as his authority.

The Senator was again the target of notoriety ten years later, as one of the Keating Five involved in the Lincoln Savings and Loan failure. This time the controversy centered on DeConcini's intervention (with four Senate colleagues: Alan Cranston, John Glenn, Donald Reigle, and John McCain) with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board on the behalf of Charles Keating, then head of Lincoln Savings and Loan. At a meeting in DeConcini's office in April 1987, the five Senators questioned Edwin Gray, head of the Bank Board, as to why the investigation of Lincoln and Keating was taking so long. All five Senators had received campaign contributions from Keating, and their intercession on his behalf was perceived to be in return for the contributions. In February 1991, the Ethics Committee criticized DeConcini, Glenn, Reigle, and McCain for their involvement in the Keating matter. The Ethics Committee found that DeConcini, Reigle, Glenn, nor McCain broke any Senate rules or laws but that they had engaged in conduct that gave the appearance of being improper.

During his eighteen-year term, Senator DeConcini was the sponsor of several bills relating to government regulation and budget, tax reform, and was active in foreign affairs. He guided into public law the Equal Access to Justice Act, which requires federal agencies to pay their opponent's attorney's fees and court costs when they lose cases and cannot justify their action. Throughout his tenure in the Senate, DeConcini advocated a constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget, and was an unflagging proponent of the flat income tax. He was a strong advocate for drug control measures and anti-crime legislation. As the Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE/Helsinki Commission), DeConcini played an active role in working for the release of Soviet refuseniks, and spearheaded a number of human rights initiatives in relation to his work for the Commission and the Helsinki Accords.

On a state level, DeConcini's priorities were the funding of the Central Arizona Project, completed in the 1980s, to deliver Colorado River water to the Phoenix and Tucson areas. He was active in securing funding for flood control measures in Arizona, and worked to secure continuing funding for several federal projects in the state, including: the Welton-Mohawk Irrigation District, the Yuma Desalination Plant, Scottsdale's Indian Bend Wash flood control and reclamation project, repairs to Bartlett and Stuart Mountain Dams, and the Army Corps of Engineers' urban study in Tucson. DeConcini also sponsored legislation to provide federal funding for a hydroelectric plant at Headgate Rock Dam on the Colorado River, a cost sharing arrangement for a solar energy facility at a utility's power plant near Red Rock, the solar electric facility under construction at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, and other renewable source energy programs.

DeConcini served over 14 years on the Senate Veterans Committee. He took the lead on keeping Veterans Hospitals and benefits from being reduced in funding and numbers of facilities. He led the successful effort to open store front VA offices in major cities. He received awards bestowing on him special recognition for his advocacy activities from all of the National veterans organizations.

DeConcini was also a major champion in the Congress for strong law and drug enforcement activities. He led an initiative in the Congress to secure increased benefits for Federal law enforcement including legislation to reform pay scales for Federal officers. He sponsored legislation which was enacted to overhaul cumbersome overtime rules by eliminating administratively uncontrollable overtime and replacing it with law enforcement availability pay. DeConcini and fellow colleague, Pete Domenici (R-NM) sponsored an initiative with funding attached to upgrade southern border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico from Texas to California.

President George H. Bush in 1989 asked DeConcini to serve as the first Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, otherwise known as the Drug Czar. He declined and remained in the Senate.

In 1994, in the midst of setting up his re-election campaign organization and raising funds, Senator DeConcini shocked his staff by announcing his intention to retire from the Senate. DeConcini retired on January 3, 1995, completing his third term in office. That year, he joined the political consulting firm of Parry, Romani, & DeConcini, Inc., and returned to private practice in Tucson with his law firm DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin and Lacy. In 1995, DeConcini was appointed by President Clinton to the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Center for Missing Exploited Children from 2004-2005 and still serves on that Board.

Scope and Content Note

The Dennis DeConcini Papers, 1944-2008 (Bulk 1977-1994), document his career in public service beginning with his election as Pima County Attorney through his tenure as a United States Senator. The collection contains biographical material pertaining to Dennis DeConcini and his family. Materials from Dennis DeConcini include awards, certificates, early political speeches, and correspondence. Documents from his father and mother, Evo and Ora DeConcini, brother, Dino DeConcini, and his first wife, Susan DeConcini, are also represented in the collection. As Pima County’s chief prosecutor, DeConcini gained recognition for his programs in drug enforcement and consumer affairs. Materials from his time as Pima County Attorney include correspondence and memoranda on various topics, but mainly focusing on the Arizona Drug Control District and Consumer Protection Division. During his three terms in office (1976-1994), DeConcini served on various Congressional Committees. The bulk of the collection relates to his legislative committee work all of the work that Senator DeConcini did on these committees. Some of the committees represented in the collection include the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Select Intelligence Committee, among others. These files largely consist of reports, correspondence, budget information, pamphlets, subcommittee transcripts, executive summaries, and other materials. DeConcini achieved national recognition for his political position on the Panama Canal treaties and being one of the “Keating Five”, involved in the Lincoln Savings and Loan failure. Extensive subject files and materials relating to these important topics in the career of DeConcini are in the collection as well. Other materials of relevance include voting records, constituent and VIP correspondence, materials related to various Arizona issues, and publicity materials. Photographs documenting DeConcini’s career, audio visual materials such as videotapes with interviews and guest appearances from DeConcini, memorabilia,and restricted material containing nomination files that are closed until January, 2044 are also represented in the collection.

Subgroup 1: Personal

Series 1, Biographical files contain awards, certificates, correspondence, and early political speeches. Also includes documents from and about Evo and Ora DeConcini.

Series 2, Financial Disclosure Reports files contain financial disclosure reports from 1977- 1993.

Subgroup 2: Pre-Congressional Activities

Series 1, Pima County Attorney General files contain primarily correspondence and memoranda. Bulk of material spans 1972-1976, main subjects include Arizona Drug Control District and Consumer Protection Division.

Subgroup 3: Congressional Activities

Series 1, Campaign files contain correspondence, Congressional voting records, Battlebooks, and voter poll results. Material is arranged chronologically by campaign year, and then alphabetically within each campaign year.

Series 2, Legislative Committee Files contain material relating to Senator DeConcini's work on various Congressional Committees. This series includes material pertaining to his service on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Select Intelligence Committee and others. The files largely consist of correspondence, reports, clippings, memoranda, background material, budget information, senate hearing booklets, executive summaries, subcommittee transcripts, maps, pamphlets, annual reports, and funding requests.

Series 3, Bill files contain correspondence, bills, newspaper clippings, memoranda from staff, and congressional record notebooks. The bulk of the material is legislative activities reports.

Series 4, Voting Records primarily contain the voting records of Senator DeConcini. Topics include veteran affairs, appropriations, rules, and information from various interest groups.

Series 5, Speech Files contain speeches given by Senator DeConcini. Topics include Armed Forces, children, defense, economy, healthcare, international relations, law enforcement, and veteran affairs. Also includes speeches by Susan DeConcini.

Series 6, Staff Files contain Administrative Staff files, Legislative Aide files, Office Management files, Schedules, and Travel files. Material includes memoranda, correspondence, appointment books, schedules, background research, guest books, and briefing materials.

Series 7, Correspondence Files contain official correspondence primarily related to Senator DeConcini's Congressional career. Bulk of the material is constituent correspondence. Also includes acknowledgments and invitations, media related correspondence, and subject, general, and VIP correspondence.

Series 8, Subject Files are a series of files with various topics arranged by subject alphabetically. Includes extensive material on the Keating Five and the Panama Canal Treaty.

Series 9, Issue Files have been divided into two subseries. Arizona Issues and Media Issues. Arizona Issues include correspondence, photographs, pamphlets, and news clippings. Media Issues include press releases, news clippings, maps, and photographs.

Series 10, Press Files contain news clippings, newsletters, and press releases related to Senator DeConcini.

Subgroup 4: Supplemental Files

Series 1, Photographs, Negatives, and Slides consist primarily of official photographs with some personal photographs documenting Senator DeConcini's career in public service.

Series 2, Audio Visual Material includes video cassettes, audio tape, film reels, and audio cassettes documenting Senator DeConcini's career in public service.

Series 3, Memorabilia includes albums, memorabilia, plaques, prints, paintings, and objects from Senator DeConcini's career in public service.

Series 4, Oversize items includes photographs and oversize material from Biographical Files.

Series 5, Restricted Material contains nomination files. Material is closed until January, 2044.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Restrictions

Subgroup 4: Supplemental Files, 1971-2002, Series 5: Restricted Material. Restricted until January, 2044.

Copyright

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Dennis DeConcini Papers (MS 399). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.

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