The Jack Metcalf Papers document two decades of Metcalf’s political career as a Washington State Senator and United States Congressman. Collection materials span the period 1973-2001, with the bulk of materials dated 1981-2000.

Pre-congressional records comprise approximately one linear foot of material generated during Metcalf’s final years as a Senator in the Washington State Legislature (1981-1993). Alphabetically-arranged Legislative Issue files document Metcalf’s long-standing opposition to the U.S. Federal Reserve, and his role as head of the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee between 1988-1992. These files include correspondence, reports, surveys and articles reflecting communication and conflict between the Washington State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Washington Wildlife Commission, Tribes and other interest groups over hunting rights and restrictions. Pre-congressional materials also contain a small number of awards and certificates of appreciation Metcalf received for his legislative work. With the exception of one “Outstanding Senator” award from 1973, the collection does not document Metcalf’s activities in the Washington State Legislature prior to 1981.

Congressional Records document Jack Metcalf’s role and interests as representative for Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District between 1994 and 2000. The majority of Congressional records were generated at Metcalf’s offices in Washington D.C., with a smaller amount of material (approximately three linear feet) from his District Office in Everett, Washington.

D.C. Office materials include a significant number of “Legislative Issue” files, grouped together according to subject (A-Z). These files include variously correspondence, memos, notes, statements, articles, and draft legislation pertaining to twenty-four broad areas of legislative concern. Many of Metcalf’s political activities focused on issues of immediate significance to the Pacific Northwest and his constituents in Washington State. Legislative Issue files document his roles in securing appropriations for transportation projects in the Puget Sound region, and seeking relief for fishers affected adversely by the downturn in the fishing industry at the end of the twentieth century. The collection documents many of the ongoing conflicts between environmental and commercial interests over protection, use and development of local resources, including National Park and National Forest Land, fisheries, waterways, and industrial clean-up sites. Whale and Marine Mammal files detail Metcalf’s active opposition to whaling by the Makah Indian Tribe in Neah Bay, Washington, while Water and Shipping files record his bipartisan efforts to enact the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative (1998). The collection contains press clippings, correspondence, statements, hearings transcripts and reports documenting the aftermath of the June 10, 1999 gas pipeline explosion at Whatcom Creek in Bellingham, Washington, and subsequent attempts by legislators and community organizations to enact pipeline safety legislation.

Legislative issue files pertaining to Aviation, Defense and US Military, Education, and Housing reflect Metcalf’s active support for local military contract bids, concern with the interests of local military families, his investigations into Gulf War Syndrome, and his active support for homeless veterans programs. Materials related to Defense and the Executive Branch record Metcalf’s opposition to Clinton’s alleged expansion and misuse of executive authority, notably through his troop deployments in Kosovo. Legislative Issue files also document Metcalf’s legislative involvement in areas of Banking and Investment, Agricultural, Health and Immigration policy, Energy Provision, Science and Telecommunications, Tribal Issues and International Trade and Foreign Affairs.

Metcalf’s D.C. Office Files include correspondence files dated 1995-2000. The majority of letters are outgoing from Metcalf (often in coalition with other legislators) to correspondents including the President, White House officials, the Speaker of the House, leaders of House Committees, and key figures in the private and non-government sector. Press Files comprise photographs, press statements and releases pertaining to Metcalf’s legislative concerns, and partial documentation of Metcalf’s congressional voting record. D.C. Office files also include a small number of awards and certificates Metcalf earned for his legislative work.

Metcalf’s congressional papers also contain a smaller amount of material (approximately three linear feet) generated at Metcalf’s District Office in Everett, Washington. The bulk of District Office records are subject-based Legislative Issue files. Articles, hearing transcripts and reports document Metcalf’s investigation into links between military vaccines and Gulf War Illnesses among Persian Gulf veterans, and include a copy of his 2000 report entitled Potential Role of Squalene in Gulf War Illnesses, submitted to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations. The subseries also contains materials regarding military issues and local military bases, Lummi Indian Nation requests for federal assistance, Swinomish leaseholds and water rights, the local fishing industry and regional transportation and environmental projects. District office files include a further number of awards and certificates presented to Metcalf.