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Robert C. O'Brien collection on Mitt Romney campaign

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8827

Scope and Contents

Contains primarily materials related to Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. The main categories flagged within the chronological body of the collection (although there are no series separations) by O'Brien's legal secretary are general professional correspondence, photographs, articles, political chronology, and miscellanea. The collection also contains speech transcripts, presentations, court and other legal documents, press releases and other news highlights, patents and trademarks, biographical sketches and resumes, donor lists, meeting agendas, compact discs, and assorted campaign memorabilia such as tote bags and hats. Important topics and featured groups include political organizations such as Romney For President, Believe in America, the International Organizations Working Group, the Republican National Convention, the National Finance Committee, the Romney Readiness Project, the Human Rights Council, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees; as well as campaign financing, political delegates, Super Tuesday and other primary elections, foreign relations, Medicare and health care reform, climate change, national budgeting, the Tea Party movement, political action committees, the Keystone Pipeline, political humor, local and national elections; and individuals including Barack Obama, Paul Ryan, Ambassador John Bolton, John McCain, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Mahmoud Abbas, and others. The materials are dated 2006-2015.

Dates

  • 2006-2015

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Donor restricted until 2040. Permission to use materials must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Robert C. O'Brien collection on Mitt Romney campaign must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

Robert C. O'Brien is a prominent US lawyer who has worked privately and with the US government.

Born in Los Angeles, California, O'Brien attended Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a Rotary Scholar at the University of the Free State in South Africa and speaks fluent Afrikaans. Currently, Robert is a trial lawyer with an international practice at Larson O’Brien LLP in Los Angeles. He was a senior foreign policy advisor to Governor Scott Walker and Senator Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential campaign. Robert was a senior advisor to Governor Mitt Romney during both of his presidential campaigns. Robert was Co-Chairman of the US Department of State Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan, serving in the role under both Secretary of State Rice and Secretary Clinton. He was a presidentially appointed member of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee, which advises the US Government on the trafficking of protected antiquities and cultural items. Robert was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the US Senate to serve as a US Representative to the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he worked with Ambassador John Bolton. Earlier in his career, Robert was a senior legal officer with the United Nations Security Council in Geneva, Switzerland where he handled claims against Iraq arising out of the first Gulf War. He served as a major in the JAG Corps of the US Army Reserve. Robert’s book, While America Slept: Restoring American Leadership to a World in Crisis, with a forward by Hugh Hewitt, was published by Encounter Books in September 2016. Robert is a frequent guest on Fox News, the Hugh Hewitt Show, CNN, and other radio and cable TV networks. He lives in Southern California with his wife and children.

Biographical / Historical

Mitt Romney is a prominent businessman and politician.

Mitt Romney was born March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan. In 1984, he founded the investment firm Bain Capital. He ran for United States Senate in Massachusetts in 1994, but lost the election to Edward Kennedy. Romney was responsible for the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City. He then ran for Massachusetts governor, and was elected in 2003. He later ran for President of the United States. He and his wife Ann have five sons.

Extent

19 cartons (19 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically (original order).

Custodial History

The materials were accumulated by Robert O'Brien as Mitt Romney's chief campaign advisor. O'Brien donated them to Special Collections on December 2, 2015.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Robert C. O'Brien; 2015.

Appraisal

Utah political history (20th Western & Mormon Manuscripts Collecting Policy, II.B.5.I, 2016).

Related Materials

See also the Ronna Romney McDaniel collection of George W. Romney papers (MSS 8578), G. Scott Romney collection of Romney family papers (MSS 8485), Lynn Romney Keenan collection of George W. and Lenore Romney family papers (MSS 8486), and George W. Romney personal papers, (MSS 7610), George W. Romney Institute of Public Management collection on George W. Romney (MSS 7639), and John A. Conde collection on George W. Romney, MSS 8719).

Processing Information

Processed; Amanda Crandall, manuscripts specialist; 2016.

Title
Register of the Robert C. O'Brien collection on Mitt Romney campaign
Status
Completed
Author
Amanda Crandall, manuscripts specialist
Date
2016 September 14
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.
Sponsor
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States