Don W. Wilson

Last updated

Whenever official notice is received at the National Archives and Records Administration that any amendment proposed to the Constitution of the United States has been adopted, according to the provisions of the Constitution, the Archivist of the United States shall forthwith cause the amendment to be published, with his certificate, specifying the States by which the same may have been adopted, and that the same has become valid, to all intents and purposes, as a part of the Constitution of the United States.

On May 20, 1992, each house of the 102nd Congress passed a version of a concurrent resolution agreeing that the amendment was validly ratified, despite the unorthodox period of more than 202 years for ratification. However, neither resolution was adopted by the entire Congress.

During his time at the National Archives and Records Administration, Wilson was a vocal advocate for the preservation of electronic records. [7] [8] In spite of his "advocacy" for the preservation of electronic records, late on the night of January 19, 1993 (the day before the end of George H. W. Bush's presidency), Wilson signed a controversial deal, giving President Bush exclusive legal control over 5,000 tapes from White House computers. Three weeks later, Wilson announced that he would become executive director of the Bush Presidential Library Center. Wilson was investigated for conflict of interest; the midnight deal was later declared null and void by a federal judge. [9]

In late 1992 there was also a controversy regarding his prior choice of Lawrence Oberg as NARA Inspector General. [10] [9]

Don W. Wilson was honored by having his portrait placed in the grand staircase of the National Archives Building along the National Mall in Washington. [11]

References

  1. Labaton, Stephen (1993-02-17). "Inquiry Sought on Archivist Who Made Deal With Bush (Published 1993)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  2. "Don W. Wilson, Seventh Archivist of the United States (Archivist: 1987-1993)". The National Archives. 15 August 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. "Judge rules against effort by bush to control his records". The New York Times. February 28, 1995. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. National Archives and Records Administration. Swearing in of Don W. Wilson as the seventh Archivist of the United States, December 4, 1987, National Archives Rotunda. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1988.
  5. "Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony of Don W. Wilson as Archivist of the United States". December 4, 1987. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. Michaelis, Laura (May 23, 1992). "Both Chambers Rush to Accept 27th Amendment on Salaries". Congressional Quarterly . p. 1423.
  7. Wilson, Don W. (March 1993). "Letter to the Editor of Chronicle of Higher Education". Cool Cultural Heritage. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  8. Wilson, Don W (1996). "Culture and Conflict: Defining the National Archives". Government Information Quarterly. 13 (2): 187–194. doi:10.1016/S0740-624X(96)90104-5. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Archivist Resigns to Take Bush Job". The New York Times. February 14, 1993. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  10. McAllister, Bill (November 4, 1992). "Senators Lambaste Archies Officials". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  11. "National Archives Unveils Portrait of Former Archivist of the United States". The National Archives. May 20, 2005. Archived from the original on September 3, 2005. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
Don W. Wilson
Don-wilson-l.jpg
7th Archivist of the United States
In office
December 4, 1987 March 24, 1993
Government offices
Preceded by Archivist of the United States
19871993
Succeeded by