Political Papers
Among the Clarke's treasures are several important bodies of political papers. Among the most prominent are the papers of former United States Senator Robert Griffin.
First as a member of the House and subsequently as a Senator, Griffin played an important role in shaping the nation's legislative agenda. Griffin was described as "one of the Senate's hard working members and one of its best parliamentarians" by CBS news correspondent Jed Duvall
Of equal interest are Griffin's relations with other political leaders. Griffin played an important role in Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency and was very close to Nixon's successor, former Grand Rapids' Congressman Gerald Ford.
In addition to the papers of prominent political leaders such as Robert Griffin the library holds an extensive collection of biographies of the men who were, or would be, president. Traditionally presidential candidates have published a campaign biography to help the public better understand them. The collection of presidential campaign biographies speaks to the values, views, and spin generations of presidential candidates have set before the public in their quest to sit in the Oval Office.