Keen Johnson Papers

Through correspondence, photographs, diaries and appointment books, speeches, newspaper clippings, and other primary source materials, the public career and personal life of Kentucky's forty-second governor and his family is documented. Of particular interest is a portion of the Correspondence Series in which letters exchanged between husband and wife during Johnson's tour of duty overseas in World War I reflect social life and conditions on the homefront and battlefield. Also of interest are the letters to Eunice Johnson during Johnson's tenure as governor illustrating the role of the first lady in influencing political issues. The extensive Photograph Series includes early twentieth century photograph albums of Mrs. Johnson documenting life in Missouri, photographs from the campaign trail, and many from his extensive travels around Kentucky and the United States as Governor of Kentucky. Also, a large number of photographs taken during Johnson's tenure as an executive in the Reynolds Metals Company document various company plants. The Speech Series, consisting of nearly 1,000 speeches from 1925 to the 1960s, reveals Johnson's charming wit and why he achieved national prominence a speaker. The speeches, along with newspaper clippings and research notes gathered by Dr. Frederic D. Ogden, editor of the Public Papers of Governor Keen Johnson, help to document the turbulent and uncertain times Johnson's governorship faced during World War II.