José Angel Gutiérrez Papers
Scope and Contents Note
This is a preliminary inventory of the collection; the papers are open for research but processing of the archive is not yet complete.
The José Angel Gutiérrez Papers include correspondence, manuscripts, publications, and artifacts documenting Gutiérrez's life and career from 1954 to 1990. The papers also include bumper stickers, campaign buttons and literature, cloth banners, newsclippings, periodicals, photographs, posters, and sound and video recordings in a variety of formats. The collection reflects the interests and activities of José Angel Gutiérrez as a political activist, public official, teacher, writer, and businessman, mostly from the late 1960s through the 1970s. It contains records and correspondence of organizations in which Gutiérrez was involved, including Committee for Rural Democracy, Crystal City Independent School District, Middle Rio Grande Development Council, the Raza Unida Party, Southwestern Texas Health Dept., Zavala County Commissioners' Court, Zavala County Economic Development Corporation, and Zavala County Health Association. Also included are materials relating to lawsuits involving Crystal City I.S.D., Zavala County, or Gutiérrez as an individual, and materials relating to Gutiérrez' 1975 trip to Cuba with a delegation of Chicanos.
The papers are currently organized into five series: 1. Correspondence, organizations, and subject files; 2. Personal and biographical; 3. Written works; 4. Audiovisual; 5. Artifacts; and 6. Collected clippings and publications. Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Dates
- Creation: 1954-1990
Language of Materials
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
Access to some personnel and court files is restricted.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Biographical Sketch
Political activist, elected official, and writer. Born Oct. 25, 1944, in Crystal City, Texas. Graduated from Crystal City High School (1962), Texas A&I. (B.A., 1966), St. Mary's Univ. in San Antonio (M.A., 1968), and the Univ. of Texas at Austin (PhD., 1976). Founder or co-founder of several Chicano organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, including M.A.Y.O. and the Raza Unida Party. Involved in the political takeover of Crystal City's government by its Mexican American majority; elected president of the Crystal City school board in 1970 and Zavala County Judge in 1974. Resigned his post as judge in 1981 to take up college teaching. Later received a law degree from the University of Houston and practiced law in Dallas. Has worked as a labor organizer, a businessman, and as an administrator of public and private agencies.
Full Extent
45 linear feet
Abstract
The personal papers of Texas Chicano civil rights activist, politician, lawyer, university professor, and author José Angel Gutiérrez.
Acquisition Information
Purchase.
Accession numbers: 1984-15, 1991-43
Processing Information
Collection is unprocessed.
- Title
- José Angel Gutiérrez Papers
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Subtitle
- Preliminary Inventory
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2006
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2021 May: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
- 2026: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu