Rudy (Rudolph Eli) Boschwitz was born in 1930 in Berlin, Germany. His family left the country shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power and settled (1935) in New Rochelle, New York. Boschwitz attended New York University, where he earned BS (1950) and LLB (1953) degrees, following which he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps (1953-1954). In 1963 Boschwitz founded Plywood Minnesota, Inc., which eventually grew into a chain of 68 home improvement stores. He served as a Republican National Committeeman from 1971 to 1978.
In 1978 Rudy Boschwitz was elected to the United States Senate, where he served two terms. He was elected at least in part as a backlash against Wendell Anderson, his Democratic predecessor, who as governor of Minnesota had arranged to have himself appointed to the Senate seat vacated (1977) by Walter Mondale when Mondale was elected Vice President in 1976.
In the Senate Boschwitz served on the committees on Agriculture, the Budget, Foreign Relations, Small Business, and Veterans Affairs. Agriculture appears to have been his greatest area of interest. Boschwitz was defeated by challenger Paul Wellstone in the general election of 1990.
Rudy Boschwitz married Ellen Antoinette Loewenstein in 1956; they have four sons.
Records of a two-term Republican senator from Minnesota. The collection is strongest in its documentation of agricultural issues, legislation, and federal policy in the 1980s. Legislative assistants' files, issue mail, and casework constitute the bulk of the collection (much of the casework and issue mail is on microfilm). There is also correspondence with constituents, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, press releases, computer tapes, audio and video cassettes, microfilm, and other material. Form letters, legislative activities reports, voting and attendance records, and grants/projects files are also present. Senator Boschwitz's own office and correspondence files are apparently absent, as are records related to his unsuccessful 1990 reelection bid.
Much of the information reflects Boschwitz's committee assignments: agriculture, budget, foreign relations, small business, and (to a lesser extent) veterans' affairs. There is material related to Jewish issues and concerns and to the Senator's efforts to aid Soviet refuseniks, as well as information about environmental, health, and nutritional issues; immigration and refugees; and Minnesota Indians and issues affecting Indian reservations.
There is information about Republican politicians and Republican Party politics at both the national and state levels; about Boschwitz's election campaigns and his family's involvement in them; and about People for Boschwitz, his Minneapolis-based campaign organization.
Newspaper clippings contain information about the senator's unsuccessful 1990 reelection campaign. Clippings from the late 1980s include stories related to Boschwitz's colleague, Sen. David Durenberger (R-Minn.).
Most of the correspondence is between members of Boschwitz's Washington, D.C. office staff (legislative assistants, legislative correspondents, and others) and constituents writing to the senator about legislative matters (legislative assistants' files, issue mail), or for assistance in dealing with federal agencies (casework). There are copies of "Dear Colleague" letters, which Boschwitz sent to fellow senators, and "Joint Letters," which he co-signed with other senators and representatives. Correspondence with various politicians and officeholders, including Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich is frequent, and there are copies of letters sent to Israeli, Soviet, and other foreign officials. Little of Senator Boschwitz's own correspondence with his colleagues, key supporters, or VIPs is included in the papers.
These records are divided into the following six sections:
The boxes of records in each section are separately numbered.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should
Access: Access to the collection requires written permission.
Use and reproduction: Quotation or publication beyond the fair use provisions of the copyright law requires written permission.
Accession number: 12,512; 14,672
Processed by: David B. Peterson, March 1993
PALS ID number: 09000037364
People for Boschwitz;
SEE: Legislative Records, box 52.
SEE: Grey box 1.
SEE: Grey boxes 1 and 2, below.
Correspondence with senate chaplain regarding guest chaplains from Minnesota.
Governor of Minnesota.
Foreign Relations Authorization Act.
Bills, floor statements.
Tony Winkel.
See Legislative Records, Box 52.
Resort operator.
Israeli soldier missing in action.
Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Former Air Force base.
A Minnesota company.
Minnesota iron range
Boschwitz staffer.
Russell B. Long.
The Packard Group, Minneapolis.
Regarding: F.C. bill.
News clippings.