Former U.S. Congressman Bachus donating papers to Auburn University at Aug. 20 ceremony

Article body

Former U.S. Representative for Alabama's 6th District, Spencer Thomas Bachus III, will officially donate his congressional papers to Auburn University at a public ceremony Aug. 20 at 1:30 p.m. in the Caroline Marshall Draughon Auditorium in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library. Bachus will give a talk about his time in Washington, "Over two decades in Congress, a journey of a lifetime: The papers of Congressman Spencer Bachus."

Bachus was a long-time member and former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and his papers are expected to provide a wealth of information about high-level negotiations and political drama connected to the 2008 housing and financial crisis.

The documents will be housed in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Auburn University Libraries, and by a process of curating and preservation, will be made available to future historians studying this period of history.

Bachus left the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for Alabama's 6th Congressional District in January 2015 after choosing not to run for a 13th term in 2014. He was first elected to the seat in 1992.

Bachus was born in Birmingham on Dec. 28, 1947. He is a 1969 graduate of Auburn where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau social fraternity. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he went on to receive his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1972. He began his political career in 1982 with his election to the 17th District seat in the Alabama State Senate. Since that time, he has almost continuously held offices serving Alabama.

"We are very proud to be entrusted with the official papers of Congressman Bachus," said Dwayne Cox, head of Auburn University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Department. "In the coming months we will be arranging and preserving these historically significant documents so that anyone interested in the career of Congressman Bachus will be able to easily research his papers and obtain a clear picture of his service to the people of Alabama."

The Bachus collection will be closed for a period of five years from the date the congressman left office while the staff of the Special Collections and Archives Department arrange and describe the material for public use.

Related Media

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.