Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society

The Mechanics of Legislation: Congress, the SEC and Financial Regulation

Legislating for Reform

Carl Albert

1971 Speaker of the House Carl Albert (lower right) with constituents on the steps of the U.S. Capitol; courtesy of the Carl Albert Center, University of Oklahoma

Carl Albert, affectionately known as the “little giant” (he stood 5 feet 4 inches), served as U.S. Representative (D-OK) from 1947 to 1977 and as Speaker of the House during some of our nation’s most difficult times during the Seventies.  His archive demonstrates the serious and substantial nature of the economic issues of the nation during his Speakership. 

The connection of the public to their representatives is not new; from the inception of our republic, citizens have petitioned Congress. Yet there is something distinctive that appears in the papers of Speaker Albert -- courtesy, a respect for difference of opinion, and clarity of purpose on issues.  The correspondence between Speaker Albert and his constituents seems less contentious and more open to compromise than current times.

One letter from Cecil Martin, who calls himself  “an average person,” begins by invoking “Gods (sic) blessings upon you, your family, and by the time you get this your new job as Speaker of the House” before it questions whether “all the people who must vote on these complicated issues really understand them completely.” Complaining about “riders” in bills, Mr. Martin wonders why that process occurs, suggesting that “a major bill should stand or fall on its own merits.” 6

A telegram sent to President Nixon and copied to Speaker Albert complained about the 1969-1970 stock market crash as “tragic and disastrous to most investors.”  At the copied line on the letter, Speaker Albert underlined his name, and in his handwriting wrote “Please Assist. C.A.A. Jr.” 7 

Speaker Albert gave his personal attention to letters from citizens across the country on all manner of issues, including Citicorp bonds, federal monetary policy, individual investment concerns, the Investment Advisers Act and consumer protection.  His constituent letters were courteous and clear replies that detailed his positions, regardless of his agreement or disagreement with his fellow citizens’ concerns.


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Related Museum Resources

Papers

December 30, 1970
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
November 12, 1971
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
January 7, 1972
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
February 1972
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
February 16, 1972
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
February 25, 1972
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
May 7, 1973
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
September 25, 1973
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 21, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 24, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 1974
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 3, 1974
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 3, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 11, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
August 30, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
September 24, 1974
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
January 2, 1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
March 14, 1975
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
March 21, 1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 8, 1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 18, 1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
April 23, 1975
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
October 20,1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
1975
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
January 2, 1976
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
January 7, 1976
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
March 31, 1976
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 19, 1976
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
July 26, 1976
transcript pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)
November 30, 1976
image pdf (Carl Albert Papers, courtesy of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma)

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