Manuscripts Collection
Martin Olav Sabo was born in Crosby, North Dakota in 1938, the son of Norwegian immigrants. He came to Minnesota in 1955 to attend Augsburg College, Minneapolis, where he first became active in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Club. Sabo, of Minneapolis, was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1960, only a year after graduating from Augsburg, and represented the 31st Legislative District and later (after redistricting) Districts 42 and (still later) 57B. During his early years in the Legislature (1965-1973) he apparently also worked as a salesman for the Aetna Life Insurance Company.
Sabo served as Democratic-Farmer-Labor Minority Leader in the House for the 1969 and 1971 sessions, and was Speaker of the House from 1973 to 1978. He also served on the following committees: Taxation, Education, Metropolitan and Urban Affairs, Elections and Reapportionment, and Health and Welfare.
Sabo was elected Fifth District Representative to the United States Congress in 1978. In Congress he served on the House Appropriations, Democratic Steering and Policy, and Budget committees, and he was chair of the House Budget Committee for the 103rd Congress (1993-1994).
Sabo's subcommittee assignments while serving on the House Appropriations Committee included Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Independent Agencies, Transportation, the District of Columbia, Homeland Security, Defense, and others.
Sabo was instrumental in getting funds to Minnesota for many projects, including the Hiawatha light rail line.
Sabo and his wife Sylvia have two daughters, Karin and Julie.
This collection includes papers from Sabo's career in the Minnesota House of Representatives and his career as Minnesota's 5th District Representative to the United States Congress.
Minnesota legislative papers document Sabo's work during two state legislative sessions (1971-1972 and 1977-1978); there is also a small amount of material from 1969 and 1973. A considerable amount of information about abortion legislation, reapportionment, and taxation, particularly relating to schools and education, is included
Congressional legislative records (1978-2007) make up the bulk of the collection. The majority of these are legislative assistant files which cover a number of topics including housing, transportation and Minnesota light rail, taxes, the budget, defense and trade, the environment, homeland secruity, and health care. Many other issues are also covered, from Native Americans to immigration.
Also included in the congressional legislative records are delegation letters, cosponsored legislation, House Budget Committee records, voting records, legislative reports and profiles, and appropriations bills from various committees such as the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee.
Congressional constituent service records (1979-2006) include form letters that were used to answer constituent mail, grants and projects for Minnesota, and Washington D.C. constituent mail reports.
Personal and political records (1972, 1978-2006) include biographical information, campaign files , personal and VIP correspondence, awards and citations received by Sabo, financial disclosures, party leadership files, organization memberships, recommendation letters, schedules, and trip/travel files .
Congressional press and media relations records (1979-2007) include newspaper clippings about Sabo's activities, opinion editorials, speeches, photographs, columns and statements written by Sabo, and Sabo's newsletter. Television and radio files include audio and video tapes of political forums, town meetings, events, and campaign spots.
These documents are organized into the following sections:
A series of interviews (1969-1975) with state representative Sabo is located in the Minnesota Historical Society oral history collections.
Access to the collection requires written permission. Please consult the reference staff for more information.
Quotation or publication beyond the fair use provisions of the copyright law requires written permission. Please consult the reference staff for more information.
Accession numbers: 12,440; 12,464; 14,120; 14,619; 15,537; 16,257
Processed by: Lara D. Friedman, October 1996; David B. Peterson, February 2000; Alex Kent, March-August 2009.
Catalog ID number: 09-00042060
Carbon copies of replies only; no incoming letters.
Contains clippings relating to the 1967 legislative session. The scrapbook was probably kept by Fred Cina, Sabo's predecessor as Minority Leader, 1966-1967. Also includes a folder of loose clippings which were found in the back of the volume, and a letter to Cina from Hubert H. Humphrey, January 28, 1967.
These consist of petitions signed by Sabo and other members of Congress and addressed to various organizations and heads of government in the United States and abroad on behalf of individuals or groups suffering because of government-sponsored actions or policies.
These consist of petitions signed by Sabo and other members of Congress and addressed to various organizations and heads of government in the United States and abroad on behalf of individuals or groups suffering because of government-sponsored actions or policies.
Arranged by Congress and alphabetical by committee and/or topic within each Congress. Cosponsored legislation includes cosign letters, bills, some correspondence, and legislative reports. The delegation letters written to the administration include letters to various federal and state agencies (including Minnesota) and departments (such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Justice), the White House, and foreign leaders.
Majority related to Department of Transportation.
These provide a useful outline of Sabo's legislative activities, including a chronology of all measures and amendments he sponsored or co-sponsored during a Congressional session. The profile for the 99th Congress missing.
These reports expand on the information given in the legislative profiles and include cosponsored House bills, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions. Most also include lists of the sponsors for bills. They are organized chronologically by Congress.
Voting and attendance records of Martin Sabo for the years 1979-2006. The Legislative activity guides provide Sabo's voting record, a list of the actions of the legislature during the congressional session, a statistical breakdown of the votes, an index of votes by subject and author, an index of votes by bill number, and an appendix which is a compilation of roll call votes from the congressional record.
This material consists of disassembled loose leaf notebooks that were kept by Sabo's staff in support of his service as chairman and (later) as ranking minority member of the House Budget Committee. Includes staff memos, "Dear Colleague" letters, newsletters and fact sheets prepared by Sabo and/or his staff, and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and other reports and analyses of budget proposals.
Memos, letters, statements, etc.
Sabo was ranking minority member in 1996.
Includes newspaper clippings about Sabo, sound clips, statements, and editorials written by Sabo during the years he was Chairman of the House Budget Committee and then the Ranking Democrat on the committee.
Legislative assistants monitor legislation and advise their representative about all legislation pending before the House or Senate. They also sometimes suggest possible legislative initiatives. Each office will have many legislative assistants.
These files are the result of their work, and include correspondence, memoranda, reports, and documentation and related items that reflect the interests of the representative and their involvement with and impact on various bills and acts.
Some typical documents include statements, staff papers, briefing memoranda, and memoranda of telephone conversations.
In alphabetical order by topic, department, agency, bill, act, project, or company and chronological within each topic as needed.
Kavouras, Inc., helped produce VISTA FliteNet, a weather tracking system for airlines.
Alphabetical by topic (i.e. balanced budget, flat tax, line item veto, etc.). Al Davis, Eileen Baumgartner, Marjorie Davis, and David Reich worked on these files.
Alphabetical by topic (i.e. arms control, Bosnia, China trade, body armor, zinc cadmium sulfide, etc.) Eileen Baumgartner, John Brimsek, Charles Monfort, Marjorie Duske, Mary Chester, Allan Dillingham, and Lisa Tomlinson all worked on these files.
Includes enviornmental appropriations files followed by topical files in alphabetical order by subject, agency, department, or company. Legislative Assistants were Eileen Baumgartner and Marjorie Duske.
Published by Natural Resources Defense Council and Friends of the Earth: Taxpayers for Common Sense (U.S. Public Interest Research Group).
Sponsored by Nuclear Energy Institute.
The City is a multi-service agency serving troubled youth near south and north sides of Minneapolis.
Petition against Onan Corporation claiming pension plan violations.
In chronological order.
In chronological order. These files include statements by Sabo and others, questions submitted by Sabo related to the topic of the hearing or briefing, and background information related to the hearing or briefing.
In alphabetical order by topic. The Legislative assistant files were originally compiled by Beverly Pheto, Marjorie Duske, and possibly Travis Talvitie. They include memoranda with brief summaries on the relevant topic, background information, and press releases, appropriation bills and full committee markup, hearings, and briefings.
Topical files related to housing in Minnesota, divided into two series: General Housing Issues and Housing and Urban Development Projects and Programs. The files were created by Eileen Baumgartner and others.
Company formed to plan and manage comprehensive programs for revitalizing existing urban areas and creating cities.
In alphabetical order by topic. Legislative Assistants were Charles Sipkin, Eileen Baumgartner, and Kristen [H].
In alphabetical order. Legislative Assistants were Chris J. Mazingo, Martin Chester, and Travis Talvitie.
In chronological order. Included are background materials for/about the events, statements by Sabo, and event agendas.
Legislative Assistant unidentified, but possibly Ellen Samulson.
Alphabetical by topic, organization, company, bill, or act. Legislative Assistants were Al Davis, Eileen Baumgartner, and others.
Includes records from the Appropriations Subcommittee, and include appropriation bills and requests. Files include records on Minnesota construction projects (including I-35), public transit, and Minnesota light rail focusing in particular on Hiawatha. Also included are files regarding national transportation construction projects and issues. Legislative Assistants who probably worked on the transportation files were Marjorie Duske, Sharon Wagoner, John Haynes, John Brimsek, and Michael Erlandson.
In alphabetical order by project name; numbered streets in numerical order.
Includes Central Corridor and Hiawatha.
Includes Hiawatha and Northstar.
Alphabetical by project and/or issue topic.
Alphabetical by topic. Legislative Assistants who worked on the these files were Allan Dillingham and Olin Moore.
In alphabetical order by topic. Legislative Assistants were Marjorie Duske, Sharon Wagoner, Travis Talvitae, Andrea Moskalik, Lisa Tomlinson, Olin Moore, and Al Davis.
There are two sets of records, appropriations books and appropriations files. Each set is filed in chronological order and then by committee. Committees include Education, Health and Human Services, Criminal Justice, Foreign Operations, VA HUD and Independent Agencies, Treasury, Postal, and various others. Researchers should use both sets.
Appropriations books (101st-109th Congress) were originally kept in three-ring binders by Congressional Session, and were possibly a master reference copy used by Sabo's staff. These books include appropriation request letters, appropriation summaries, appropriation request forms, printed email correspondence, congressional record inserts regarding appropriations, and cosponsor letters.
The appropriations files (Fiscal Year 1995-FY 1997, FY 2001-FY 2007) were files likely kept by legislative assistants Margaret Prinzing, Travis Talvitie, and Olin Moore. These include request letters, congressional record inserts, correspondence from constituents and/or individuals representing organizations requesting funds, printed emails, and summaries. Cosponsorship and delegation letters are included in files for the 104th and 105th Congresses.
Information about appropriations can also be found within the legislative assistant files under the corresponding topics. For example, transportation appropriations can be found in the legislative assistant files regarding transportation, environmental appropriations with the environment files.
Form letters used to answer correspondence from Sabo's constituents regarding multiple issues. Organized chronologically by congressional session and then alphabetical by topic within each session.
Grants and projects for Minnesota. In chronological order (96th-100th, 102nd-109th) by congressional session, and then alphabetical. Includes project proposals, letters of support, and award notifications. Missing 101st Congressional Session.
Includes monthly constituent mail reports.
Includes Sabo office personnel policy (1996), mail coding procedures, office mail procedures (2002), procedures for answering constituent correspondence (1996), and form letter mail process (1996).
Awards, citations, and certificates Sabo received from various organizations and Universities. Includes related correspondence. In alphabetical order by sponsor.
In alphabetical order by last name of correspondent.
Includes polling data, endorsements, and press issue briefs.
In alphabetical order by event sponsor. Includes invitations, event programs, related correspondence, statements by Sabo, and background information.
Includes letter from Sabo expressing interest in joining Appropriation Committee.
Includes correspondence regarding WHIP nominations and races, and information about the WHIP process.
For Sabo's official capitol portrait. Includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and guestbook to portrait unveiling ceremony.
In alphabetical order by last name. Includes Judges.
An alphabetical listing of persons/organizations that met with Sabo at his Minnesota district office. Also recorded is the number of days that Sabo spent in the district during each year.
Missing daily schedules for 1984, but have weekly schedules for 1984.
Includes schedules, related correspondence, briefing material, trip costs.
U.S. and foreign locations. In alphabetical order by trip location or sponsor.
Foreign locations. In alphabetical order by last name of [trip] committee chairman (i.e. Berman) or by committee name (i.e. Homeland Security).
In chronological order.
Alphabetical by speech title and/or topic.
Labeled G1-G52, with some missing.
In chronological order.
9 items in 1 folder.