Research

Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection

Representative Spark Matsunaga campaign event, 1968-10-02

The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection (HCPC) comprises the papers of Hawaiʻiʻs members of Congress from statehood in 1959 to the present. These include the papers of U.S. Senator Hiram L. Fong, U.S. Representative Thomas P. Gill, U.S. Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, U.S. Representative Ed Case, and U.S. Representative Patricia F. Saiki, U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, and U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye. The papers of Representative Case and Senator Akaka are currently closed to the public.

Small collections of papers and memorabilia from Territorial Delegate John A. Burns, U.S. Senator Oren E. Long, U.S. Representative Patsy Mink, and U.S. Representative K. Mark Takai are also housed in the collection, as well as a small collection of born-digital material from U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard.

Congressional papers document the complicated deliberations and strategy–and often the long legislative slog–that happen behind the headlines of the day. The subjects best documented by our Hawaiʻi congressional collections include agriculture, maritime issues, natural resources, labor, civil rights issues, the military, U.S. policy in Asia and the Pacific, healthcare and education, land, and federal recognition.

The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection can be accessed in the John Troup Moir Jr. & Gertrude M.F. Moir Archives Reading Room on the fifth floor of the Hamilton Library addition.

Additional Resources

Wondering where to start? We’ve compiled subject guides, a digital image collection, and a list of resources that will help you begin your congressional papers research. More…

Research Funding

The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection offers an annual $5,000 fellowship to support continuing UH Mānoa graduate students conducting research in the congressional collections, and a $5,000 travel award for non-Oʻahu-based individuals wishing to do research in the congressional collections. Applications for the 2024-2025 awards are now closed. The application period will re-open in January 2025. More…

Contact Us

We’re here to help! If you have questions about doing research in the Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection, please do not hesitate to reach out to Congressional Papers Archivist Dawn Sueoka (sueokad@hawaii.edu, 808-956-6995).

Back To Top