The Bill Ratliff Collection includes the official and personal papers of former Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff's distinguished career as a state senator from the First Senatorial District in Northeast Texas (1988 – 2004) as well as his service as the 40th lieutenant governor of Texas (2000 – 2002).  Also included in this collection are a number of artifacts, memorabilia, and photographs acquired by the former lieutenant governor during this period.

The initial accession of the collection consumed approx 400 cubic feet of archival storage space, including the oversize materials (scrapbooks, maps) and non-archival materials (framed prints, miscellaneous three-dimensional memorabilia).  Archival materials make up approximately two-thirds of the total materials.  A portion of the non-archival materials is currently on display in the Bill Ratliff Suite of the Bill Ratliff Engineering Complex at the University of Texas at Tyler.

This collection has 3 subgroups. Topics covered in this material reflect Ratliff’s career as both a senator and lieutenant governor.  Official papers representing his term as lieutenant governor are comprised mostly from individual and organizational correspondence as well as files from the General Counsel’s office.  The materials from the lieutenant governor’s office are governed by the agreement with TSLAC and are to be completed first.  The remaining materials cover his career as a senator and include working papers on education and budget issues, correspondence, campaign materials, and memorabilia. 

Finding aid description will take place at the series level.

A complete finding aid for the collection will be available for researchers in the spring of 2009.

Acquisition/Provenance Note

In a custody agreement with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, all official records deemed to have permanent value will be processed and made available for public use by the University Archives at the University of Texas at Tyler.  Materials were transferred by the office of the Lieutenant Governor and stored at an offsite storage facility until November 2006 when they were transferred to the University Archives and Department of Special Collections at the University of Texas at Tyler.  Additional materials not covered by the agreement with the state are the property of the University of Texas at Tyler, through a deed of gift agreement.