Conservative Party Archive: Conservative Central Office - Party Vice-Chairmen's Offices

Collection

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The Vice Chairmen's papers consist of: CCO 60/1, US Presidential Elections, 1956; CCO 60/2, Youth, 1964-9; CCO 60/3, Party Conference, 1963-9; CCO 60/4, Women, 1948-74.

Dates

Creation: 1948-1975

Extent

43 shelfmarks

Language of Materials

English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries, Conservative Party Archive [followed by shelfmark, e.g. CCO 60/1/1].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Full range of shelfmarks:

CCO 60/1/A-F, 60/1/1-4, 60/2/1-5, 60/3/1-2, 60/4/31, 60/4/B-C, 60/4/1-2, 5-7, 9, 17, 23-26, 28-30, 60/4/32, 60/4/14-15, 20, 60/4/3-4, 8, 18, 60/4/10-13, 16, 19, 21-2, 27

Collection ID (for staff)

CPA CCO 60

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of the Vice Chairmen, 1948-75

Biographical / Historical

The Vice-Chairmen are not simply titular posts but carry executive responsibility. There are generally three or four vice chairmen, although the number has occasionally been increased to five. Each has responsibility for a particular aspect of the party organisation as listed below, although often a Vice-chairman will assume responsibility for two or more areas at the same time. For instance, Sir Anthony Royle was responsible for both Prospective Parliamentary Candidates' selection and the International Office (1979-1983) and Geoffrey Johnson Smith was responsible for both Candidates and the Young Conservatives (1965-1967):

Candidates
Women's Organisations
Young Conservatives
Local Government
International Organisations
Central Office Organisation

Papers have not yet been received into the archive from all of the above categories.

Custodial History

The archive of the Conservative Party was established as a source for academic study at the Bodleian Library in 1978 by an agreement made between the University of Oxford and the Conservative Party, and brought together surviving historic papers of the Party previously held in various locations including Newcastle University Library and the former Conservative Central Office in Smith Square, London. Since 1996, ownership of the archive has been vested in the Conservative Party Archive Trust. The archive includes records from all three areas of Party organisation: parliamentary, voluntary and professional.