Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is owned by Rick Boucher. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction .

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Rick Boucher Papers, Ms2021-048, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Rick Boucher Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in several accruals between 2021 and 2023.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Rick Boucher Papers was completed in August 2022. Additions were integrated in August 2023, November 2023, and May 2024.

Appraisal

Unopened/unused software and hardware were deaccessioned. Constituent mail with confidential and private personal information was deaccessioned at the donor request.

Biographical Note

Frederick C. "Rick" Boucher was born in Washington County, Virginia on August 1, 1946. He grew up in Abingdon, Virginia, where he still lives. He attended Abingdon High School, then received his Bachelor's from Roanoke College in 1968. In 1971, he received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He worked as a lawyer for a number of years before entering politics in the Virginia State Senate representing the 39th District. In November 1975, he simultaneously won a special election to finish out George Warren, Jr.'s term and a full term. He served from November 1975 until December 1982.

From there Boucher won the U.S. Representative seat for Virginia's 9th District as a Democrat, defeating incumbent Republican Bill Wampler and starting in January 1983. While in Congress he served on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on the Judiciary. He was reelected to the House of Representatives until January 2011, when he lost to Republican Morgan Griffith. At that time, he retired from politics and resumed his law practice.

Scope and Content

The Rick Boucher Papers, 1968-2017, document his career in the Virginia State Senate, 1975-1982, and in the United States Congress as the Representative of Virginia's 9th District, 1983-2011. The collection consists of press releases, Boucher's writings, mailers he distributed, information about his campaigns and elections, scripts of speeches he gave, news clippings about him and issues he worked on, correspondence, information about grants that he worked on, and audiovisual materials including photographs, VHS tapes, video reels, audio cassettes, DVDs, awards, and digital files. Materials primarily span from the beginning of his political career in 1975 to his retirement from Congress in 2011.

Series I. State Senate Files, 1968-1983, consist of records of Boucher's service in the Virginia State Senate, which includes newsletters and legislative work around such topics as energy, drugs, criminal law, children, health, infrastructure, and economics.

Series II. Press Releases and Events, 1977, 1983-2010, consists of press releases and materials related to press events from Boucher's office. Press releases are on such topics as the environment, energy, education, crime, the military and veterans, economics, health, technology, seniors, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Series III. Mailers and Newsletters, 1978-2011, consists of mailings Boucher distributed to advise constituents of projects and events relating to infrastructure, energy, seniors, agriculture, economics, energy, and his general work in Virginia.

Series IV. Columns and Writings, 1983-1999, consists of Boucher's published writing on a variety of topics including health, education, economics, infrastructure, agriculture, seniors, veterans and the military, technology, energy, and crime. Most were composed for Boucher's weekly newspaper column.

Series V. Speeches, 1982-2016, consists of scripts and transcripts of speeches given by Boucher on a variety of topics in his role as a Representative of Virginia's 9th District and a member of several Congressional committees. Most are handwritten, while some are typed.

Series VI. Campaigns and Elections, 1982-2010, consists of voter attitude surveys, polls, campaign materials, and election results from Boucher's campaigns spanning from 1982-2010.

Series VII. News Clippings, 1975-2016, consists of phyiscal newsprint and printed articles relating to Boucher and his Congressional work on a variety of topics including education, technology, energy, the environment, agriculture, infrastructure, health, economics, his campaigns, and legislation.

Series VIII. Correspondence, [ca. 1960s-2010s] (bulk 1982-2010), consists of personal and professional letters and emails relating to Boucher's Congressional work.

Series IX. Grants, 1992-1999, consists of records of the grants Boucher was involved in during his time in Congress, mostly for infrastructure projects.

Series X. Audio/Visual Materials, 1982-2010, consist of awards, photographs, VHS tapes, DVDs, video reels, and realia related to Boucher's congressional service.

Series XI. Congressional Work, 1970-2017, contains materials related to Boucher's Congressional service from 1983-2011. It spans a variety of topics including energy, district tours, congressional travel, economics, education, technology, copyright, infrastructure, the environment, town meetings, and agriculture.

Series XII. Artifacts, n. d., contains an engraved letter opener and a Electro-Tec pen.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series:

The original physical order of the materials was maintained when processing. Except for Series I, which is arranged by record number, materials were intellectually arranged by topic and then chronologically by an archivist. Subseries were created in some cases to further separate by topic.

Related Material

Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives also maintains the papers of Rick Boucher's predecessor in the William C. Wampler Congressional Papers, Ms1982-003 .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Boucher, Rick, 1946-
• Energy policy
• Environmental policy
• Internet governance
• Legislation
• Legislators -- United States
• Local government
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Politicians -- United States
• United States. Congress. House
• Virginia, Southwest
• Virginia. General Assembly
• Virginia. General Assembly. Senate

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Rick Boucher Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).