MG-407. JOSEPH RHODES JR. PAPERS, 1973-1980.
Pennsylvania state Representative Joseph Rhodes Jr., an African American, was born on August 14, 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, attended Pittsburgh public schools and California Institute of Technology, where he received his B.S. in history in 1969 and Harvard University as a junior fellow in intellectual history, 1969-1972. After completing work at Harvard, Rhodes held a number of teaching positions at the University of Massachusetts, California State College, and the University of Pittsburgh and was also employed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1967; was involved with the Caltech Student Research Project, 1968; was a staff researcher for the Ford Foundation, 1969-1970; and was consultant for the University of Massachusetts, 1973. Rhodes served in the House of Representatives from the 24th Legislative District for Allegheny County, 1973 to 1980, where he held important positions on the Finance, Judiciary, and Education Committees, including chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Correction and chairman of the House Investigating Subcommittee on Lottery and Statewide Gambling. In addition, he was a member of the governor’s Justice Commission and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. A great deal of the material relating to African Americans is found in the following series:
Subject Files, 1973-1980. The following subject files relate to African Americans: Affirmative Action, 1979; American Civil Liberties Union, 1974-79; American Ethnicity, 1975; Bail Reform, 1977; Black Action Center, Pittsburgh, 1974; Black Aged, Black Bus Drivers, 1973-75; Black Caucus, 1973-80; Black Community Affairs, 1973-76; Black Lawyers, 1979; Black Voice, 1973-75; Child Abuse, 1975-76; Child Care, 1974-75; Civil Rights, 1974; Criminal Justice; Desegregation of Schools, Discriminatory Cases, 1995; Black Higher Education: Cheyney College, 1975-76, Equal Opportunity Plan, 1971-74, Lincoln University, 1973-75, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, 1973-80, Temple University, 1975-76, Equal Rights Amendment; Housing, Urban, Jackson State University; Juvenile Justice, Labor, 1975; Landlord and Tenant Act, Minimum Housing Standards, 1975; Minority Business, Bureau of, 1977; Minority Employment, 1977; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1975-79; and files on State Welfare Programs.
Public Hearing Transcripts, 1971-1978. The bulk of these hearings are of the House Subcommittee on Corrections and Rehabilitation, House Special Committee to Investigate the Administration of Justice in Pennsylvania, and the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Corrections.
Records Relating to the Investigation of the Lottery and Statewide Gambling, 1971-1978. Provide information on African American involvement in these operations.
Records Relating to the Subcommittee on Crime and Corrections of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, 1973-1979. A source of information concerning African American criminal activities.
Governor’s Justice Commission and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Records, 1974-1980. A source of information concerning juvenile delinquency and criminal activity among African Americans.
Calendar Documents, 1975-1979. Includes invitations declined and accepted from a variety of African American organizations.
Records Relating to Investigation of Organized Crime, 1977-1979. A record of organized criminal activities including those conducted by African Americans.
Miscellaneous, 1973-1980. These files contain several items related to African Americans including nomination petitions for C. Delores Tucker, 1980; an article on Philadelphia’s Samuel Evans entitled "The Gray Eminence of Black Politics," by David Gelsanliter (The Philadelphia Magazine, October 19, 1980); and several annual reports of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission.