33 linear feet, 8 linear inches; 77 Containers

The material in this collection consists of memorandums, correspondence, schedules, invitations, reports, press clippings, published articles and materials, speeches, handwritten notes, telephone messages, and background working materials. These materials relate to Midge Costanza’s role as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison, and document her outreach activities concerning minority communities including women, LGBT, African Americans as well as religious and ethnic groups. Also included are materials from her role as Co-Chairman of the 1976 Carter/Mondale Campaign in New York; material relating to International Women’s Year meetings; and reorganization of the Executive Office of the President, specifically the restructuring of the Public Liaison Office.

Midge Costanza was born on November 28, 1932 in LeRoy, New York and was raised in Rochester, New York. She began her political career as a volunteer for W. Averell Harriman’s gubernatorial campaign in 1954; she later served as executive director of Robert F. Kennedy’s 1964 Senate campaign. She served as a Democratic National Committee member from 1972 until 1977. Costanza became an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights and, in 1973, became the first woman elected to the Rochester (N.Y.) City Council. She then served as vice mayor of the city from 1974 to 1977.

She lost a race for the United States House of Representatives in 1974 to the popular Republican incumbent. In 1976, when Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter ran for President of the United States, Costanza served as co-chair of his New York campaign operation and gave a seconding speech for him at the Democratic National Convention.

Upon Jimmy Carter's election, Costanza was named Assistant to the President for Public Liaison, moving into the office next door to the Oval Office. Costanza was nicknamed "the President's window to the nation", consulting with a wide array of groups.

She invited members of the National Gay Task Force to the White House during Anita Bryant’s controversial Save Our Children campaign. She also hosted a group of 30 women in protest of the president’s opposition to federal abortion funding. She was featured on the cover of Newsweek with the headline “Woman in the White House.”

After resigning from her White House post, she coached political candidates in public speaking and worked to get Barbara Boxer elected to the Senate in 1992. California Governor Gray Davis appointed Costanza as a special liaison to women’s groups, a position she held until 2003.

She was a professor at San Diego State University, where she worked with the political science and women’s studies departments. She created the Midge Costanza Institute at the University of California at San Diego to help young people engage in political and social activism.

Costanza was also active with an AIDS research organization and fought for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She worked tirelessly to elect more women to public office. In 2005, she joined the San Diego district attorney’s office as public affairs officer focused on the prevention of elder abuse.

In 2011, she was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame at the Women’s Museum of California. 

Midge Costanza died on March 23, 2010 at the age of 77.

Textual

The records of the Midge Costanza Papers are divided into eight series.

Midge Costanza’s Subject Files

Scope and Content: Containers 1-28. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of memorandums, correspondence, reports, schedules, resumes, meeting minutes, press clippings, speeches, handwritten notes, detailed telephone messages, and background working materials. The material relates to Midge Costanza’s outreach efforts towards minority groups, mainly women, and other groups concerning controversial issues such as abortion, passage of the equal rights amendment, battered women, child care, gay rights, and ethnic neighborhoods. Also included are documents and letters detailing her resignation, White House reorganization efforts, and minutes of Cabinet and White House staff meetings. Arranged alphabetically by subject. 


Midge Costanza’s Correspondence Files

Scope and Content: Containers 29-39. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of correspondence concerning a wide variety of topics such as the equal rights amendment, gay rights, abortion, women and employment, health care, the environment, nuclear energy, and amnesty for draft dodgers. Also included is general correspondence such as support and thank you letters, “angry” letters, random mail, and personal requests. Arranged chronologically or by subject.


Midge Costanza’s Scheduling Files

Scope and Content: Containers 40-51. This series was opened in June 2019. The series contains a voluminous amount of Midge Costanza’s scheduling requests including staff meetings, travel events, White House tours, White House meetings with special groups, and other miscellaneous events. The schedules often include to and from correspondence, background briefings and information on specific groups, and travel information. Arranged chronologically.


Midge Costanza’s Office of Public Liaison Files

Scope and Content: Containers 52-54. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of specific information relating to the functions of the Public Liaison Office such as daily activity calendars, staff meeting summaries and accomplishments, weekly reports, and memorandums. The series also contains documents relating to the White House reorganization of this office that subsequently resulted in Midge Costanza’s resignation. Arranged alphabetically by subject.


Midge Costanza’s Invitation Files

Scope and Content: Containers 55-61. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of invitations for speaking engagements, local community events both inside and outside of the D.C. area, political fundraising events, and personal invitations such as dinners, birthday celebrations, and weddings. The series also contains regretted invitations. Arranged chronologically.


Midge Costanza’s International Women’s Year Files

Scope and Content: Containers 62-66. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of correspondence, memorandums, notes, reports, press releases, members list, and printed publications. The material relates to the Carter Administration records on women appointments to the White House, schedule of events, various state reports, and the future implementation of stated resolutions on women’s issues. Arranged alphabetically by subject.


Midge Costanza’s Women’s Issues Files

Scope and Content: Containers 67-74. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of correspondence, memos, reports, notes, and background information. The material relates to specific women’s issues such as affirmative action, discrimination in employment, federal women employment, female presidential appointments, housewives rights, women owned businesses, and women in the arts. Also included is material from women’s groups such as the National Advisory Committee on Women (NACW) and the Interdepartmental Task Force on Women. Arranged alphabetically by subject.


Midge Costanza’s 1976 Campaign Files

Scope and Content: Containers 75-77. This series was opened in June 2019. The series consists of campaign schedules, speeches, press articles correspondence, and memorandums. The material relates to Midge Costanza’s role as co-chairman of the Carter/Mondale presidential campaign for the state of New York. Materials include lists of members committees and delegates, state issues, budgets, plans, organizational files, and fundraising. Arranged alphabetically by subject.

These papers contain documents restricted in accordance with applicable executive order(s), which governs National Security policies, applicable statutes/agency restrictions, and material which has been closed in accordance with the donor’s deed of gift.

Copyright interest in these papers has been donated to the United States Government. Some of the records may be subject to copyright restrictions (i.e. newspapers, publications, etc.). Researchers should contact the publisher for further information.

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

441 Freedom Parkway NE Atlanta, GA 30307

Women, Gay rights, Equal Rights Amendment;

Domestic violence

Abortion

Employment neighborhoods

Urban policy

Christians

Costanza, Margaret "Midge" (1932-2010)

Wales, Jane (1948- )

National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL)

National Advisory Committee on Women (NACW)

National Gay Task Force (NGTF)

Democratic National Committee (DNC)

National Organization for Women (NOW)

National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC)

New York

Monroe County (N.Y.)

The collection was opened in June, 2019.

1975-1981

Related materials in this repository: White House Office of Public Liaison Files

Related materials in other repository: Midge Costanza Institute files at the University of California at San Diego

Separated material: Photographs transferred to the Audiovisual collection

Midge Costanza’s Subject Files

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Midge Costanza’s Correspondence Files

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Midge Costanza’s Scheduling Files

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Midge Costanza’s Office of Public Liaison Files

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Midge Costanza’s Invitation Files

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Midge Costanza’s International Women’s Year Files

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Midge Costanza’s Women’s Issues Files

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Midge Costanza’s 1976 Campaign Files

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