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Bruce Babbitt

Bruce Babbitt against the Phoenix Skyline.


Although Special Collections tends to aim for political neutrality, sometimes it becomes the center of political intrigue. When President Bill Clinton considered then Department of the Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt for the Supreme Court in 1993 and 1994, government consultants stormed the archives and combed through the Bruce Babbitt Collection.

"Babbitt One of Three Court Favorites," Arizona Daily Sun, May 11, 1994.


Most of the material they found was mundane: old speeches, scrawled notes, correspondence, and stacks of optimistic material related to Babbitt's short-lived presidential run in 1988. Babbitt campaigned as the "alternative candidate," biking across Iowa, skiing in New Hampshire, promoting environmental awareness, and painting himself as an average American.

"Babbitt's Visibility Grew in Iowa," The Arizona Republic, July 28, 1986, A1, Bruce E. Babbitt Collection, MS 246, Box 11, Folder 688, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


Ultimately, the researchers turned up something mildly scandalous, determining that he, unlike Clinton, inhaled. Just as Babbitt's inexperience and relative lack of refined debate skills did in his presidential pursuit, ratings concerns forced Clinton to reconsider Babbitt's Supreme Court nomination and instead choose Stephen Bryer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Babbitt Out, Vows to Keep Views Alive," The Phoenix Gazette, February 18, 1988, A-5, Bruce E. Babbitt Collection, MS 246, Box 12, Folder 700, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Babbitt Cartoon, Des Moines Sunday Register, May 31, 1987, Bruce E. Babbitt Collection, MS 246, Box 12, Folder 696, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


Whether the Babbitt Collection contributed to Clinton's decisions is debatable. Undeniable, however, is the importance of the archives, important enough to bring black suits across the country from Washington, D.C., to the mountain town of Flagstaff.

Alan Stamaty, "Washingtoon," The Washington Post, April 25, 1988, Bruce E. Babbitt Collection, MS 246, Box 12, Folder 700, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


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