Eva Bertrand Adams Papers

Collection

Identifier: 82-11

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Eva Bertrand Adams Papers have been divided into four series reflecting the three segments of Eva Adams' life represented in these papers.

Included in the first group are papers generated from the Senatorial offices of Pat McCarran, 1936-1954; Ernest Brown, 1954; and Alan Bible, 1954-1960. Material from the McCarran era dominates the group and includes Senator McCarran's papers as well as those of Eva Adams, his Administrative Assistant. Office files, financial records, political material, subject and personal name files, Las Vegas Sun court case material, news clippings, scrapbooks, and memorabilia are contained in twelve boxes.

Materials generated during Eva Adams' time as Administrative Assistant to Senator Ernest Brown and to Senator Alan Bible are contained in one box. Senator Brown's term, October 1954-January 1955, is represented in two folders. Papers from the Bible office, 1954-1960, are in twenty-six folders, a large portion of which concern his 1956 senatorial campaign.

The second group contains Eva Adams' papers from her term as Director of the U. S. Mint, 1961-1969. These include correspondence, reports, studies, press releases, speeches, statements, new clippings, and several scrapbooks. U. S. Mint material is contained in three boxes, two of which hold scrapbooks compiled by Miss Adams recording special events and newspaper articles relating to the U. S. Mint. Many photograph albums depicting U. S. Mint activities and ceremonies are in the collection and are stored separately.

The third group contains Eva Adams' personal papers and collections, 1920-1983. These include personal correspondence and financial materials, as well as material relating to business involvements, special interests, activities and organizations. Also in this group are papers from Eva Adams' youth, including school, university and law school material; family and personal memorabilia; scrapbooks; printed material; books; photographs; and three dimensional items. Personal papers are stored in nine boxes.

The fourth group of materials are similar to, and follow the arrangement of, Groups 1-3 but could not be interfiled because of the volume of material. It consists of McCarran office files, Miss Adams' personal papers, and her professional papers. They date from 1924-1982 and are contained in four boxes.

Original folder headings, created by Miss Adams, have been maintained and appear throughout the collection, except in Group 4, Series 3, where some headings were supplied by the manuscript processor.

The collection contains many awards and three-dimensional mementos presented to Miss Adams. They are stored in six boxes and several oversize packages.

Dates

1920-1983

Creator

Adams, Eva Bertrand, 1908-1991 (Creator, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Biographical Note

Eva Bertrand Adams was born in Wonder, Nevada in 1908. She attended schools in Reno and graduated from the University of Nevada in 1928. After teaching for several years in southern Nevada, Miss Adams attended Columbia University in New York City and received a Master's degree in English in 1936.

She was on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1940, when Nevada Senator Pat McCarran invited her to join his staff in Washington, D.C. She subsequently became his Administrative Assistant and remained in that position until Senator McCarran's death in 1954. During this period, Eva Adams received an LL.B. degree at the Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, D.C. and a Master's degree in law from George Washington University. She became a member of the Nevada and District of Columbia bars and was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court in 1954.

Following Senator McCarran's death, Miss Adams remained as Administrative Assistant to Senator Ernest Brown who was appointed to succeed McCarran. She continued as Administrative Assistant to Senator Alan Bible who was elected U.S. Senator from Nevada in 1954.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Eva Adams Director of the U.S. Mint. She was re-appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and remained in that position until 1969. In addition to her professional and official posts in Washington, Miss Adams served on the boards of directors of several corporations and foundations and for a time was a consultant to the Chairman of the Board of Mutual of Omaha. She continued these activities after retirement from the Mint in 1969.

In 1963, Eva Adams received a Distinguished Nevadan Award at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 1982, she completed an oral history entitled "Windows of Washington, Nevada Education, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Mint." She returned to live in Reno, Nevada, in the early 1970s where she died on August 23, 1991.

Extent

30 Cubic Feet (31 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Arrangement

Arranged in the following series and subseries:

Series 1: Senate Office Files Series 1, Subseries 1: McCarran Office Files Series 1, Subseries 2: Brown, Bible Office Files

Series 2: U. S. Mint Series 2, Subseries 1: U. S. Mint Material Series 2, Subseries 2: Scrapbooks

Series 3: Personal Papers Series 3, Subseries 1: Personal Correspondence Series 3, Subseries 2: Finances and Business Series 3, Subseries 3: Special Interests and Organizations Series 3, Subseries 4: Personal and Family Items Series 3, Subseries 5: Photographs Series 3, Subseries 6: Three Dimensional Items

Series 4: Materials Received after Miss Adams' Death Series 4, Subseries 1: McCarran Office Series 4, Subseries 2: Personal Papers Series 4, Subseries 3: Professional Papers

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Eva B. Adams in December 1981. The fourth group was donated to the Department by Miss Adams' estate in 1992.

Related Materials

Related archival materials held by the UNR Special Collections Department:

Eva B. Adams: Windows of Washington Nevada Education, the U. S. Senate, the U. S. Mint Oral History

Pat McCarran Papers a the Nevada Historical Society.

Separated Materials

All photographs except for those in mixed media scrapbooks, have been removed from the collection and transferred to the Department's photographic archives. All of the photographs have been transferred to the Special Collections photo archives UNRS-P1993-03 collection number UNRS-P1993-03