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UDALL, Morris King (1922-1998)
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UDALL, MORRIS KING, (brother of Stewart Lee Udall, father of Mark Udall, uncle of Thomas Udall, cousin of Gordon Harold Smith), A Representative from Arizona; born in St. Johns, Apache County, Ariz., June 15, 1922; attended the public schools; graduated from high school, 1940; attended the University of Arizona; J.D., University of Arizona, 1949; United States Army, 1942-1946; professional basketball player; lawyer, private practice; county attorney, Pima County, Ariz., 1953-1954; lecturer, University of Arizona College of Law, 1956-1957; bank executive; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-seventh Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of his brother, United States Representative Stewart Lee Udall, and reelected to the fifteen succeeding Congresses; served until his resignation on May 4, 1991 (May 2, 1961-May 4, 1991); unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1976; chair, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (Ninety-fifth through One Hundred Second Congresses); Presidential Medal of Freedom by President William J. Clinton, 1996; died on December 12, 1998, in Washington, D.C.; interment at St. Johns Cemetery, St. Johns, Ariz.

University of Arizona Library
Special Collections
Tucson, AZ
Papers: 1920-1995, 1200 feet.
The papers of Morris K. Udall document his thirty year career as a Representative and his campaign for the 1976 Democrat Party presidential nomination. The collection includes appointment books, daily schedules, guest books, personal correspondence, campaign files, legislative files, committee files, staff project files, administrative files, media files, memorabilia, and pre-congressional materials. A finding aid is available in the repository and online.

Oral History: 1996-ongoing, 4 linear feet.
The Morris K. Udall Oral History Project is generously funded by the Morris K. Udall Foundation and administered by the University of Arizona Library Special Collections. Its goal is to collect, preserve, and make available an archive of spoken recollections that illuminate the lives and careers of Congressman Udall and the Udall family. The interviews are not intended to be memorials to Congressman Udall or to the Udall family, but rather to advance an understanding of the major issues, events, and personalities of their times. Those interviewed include former Presidents, former and current Congressmen and Senators, journalists and intellectuals, key staff members and campaign aides, family members and friends. Topics covered include early Arizona history, Congressional history, Alaska wilderness preservation, the Central Arizona Project, bipartisanship in a less polarized time, life on the presidential campaign trail, the beginning of the end of the Vietnam War, the beginnings of the Democratic Study Group, and the role of poker-playing in congressional politics. Although several themes emerge from these interviews, a few stand out for their consistency. Among them was Mo Udall's leadership style, a style that emphasized respect for one's opponent and an understanding that "one can disagree without being disagreeable." Another was his use of self-deprecating humor to break the ice, defuse tension or frustration, to encourage consensus, or simply to make someone feel more comfortable. New interviews are added periodically.

Arizona Historical Society
Tucson, AZ
Oral History: 1989, 45 pages.
Denver Public Library
Western History and Genealogy
Denver, CO
Papers: 1977-1978, 0.5 linear feet.
The Morris K. Udall Papers contain a portion of the files generated by Morris Udall from 1977-1978, while he chaired the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The files contain statements given to the Committee and correspondence regarding HR 39, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Howard University
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
Washington, DC
Oral History: In the Ralph Bunche Oral History Collection (formerly the Civil Rights Documentation Project), 1973, 17 pages.
The interview with Morris K. Udall was conducted by Edward Thompson III on February 22, 1973. In the interview, Morris Udall recalls childhood influences that geared him towards career in government. He also discusses Mormon Church dogma as it relates to Blacks, civil rights legislation during the Johnson Administration and its outlook under Nixon, and he examines areas of job discrimination in the federal government. Morris Udall also comments on the effectiveness of the Congressional Black Caucus.

University of Oklahoma
The Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive, Department of Communication
Norman, OK
Videocassettes: 1976-1982, 13 commercials on 1 sound tape reel, 26 commercials on 3 videocassettes, and 19 commercials on 10 videoreels.
Commercials used during Morris Udall’s campaigns for the 1976 presidential election and the 1980 and 1982 U.S. congressional elections in District 2 of the Arizona Democratic Party.

  • Bailey, James Michael. "The politics of dunes, redwoods, and dams: Arizona's 'Brothers Udall' and America's national parklands, 1961-1969 (Indiana, California)." Ph.D. diss., Arizona State University, 1999.
  • Carson, Donald W. and James W. Johnson. Mo: The Life & Times of Morris K. Udall. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001.
  • Ralph Nader Congress Project. Citizens Look at Congress: Morris K. Udall, Democratic Representative from Arizona. Washington, D. C.: Grossman Publishers, 1972.
  • Sinclair, Ward. Morris Udall: The One-eyed Mormon Arizona Democrat. Washington, D.C.: Capitol Hill News Service, 1976.
  • Sirgo, Henry. Establishment of Environmentalism on the U.S. Political Agenda in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century: The Brothers Udall. Lewiston, N.Y.: E. Mellen Press, 2004.
  • Tacheron, Donald G. and Morris K. Udall. The Job of the Congressman; An Introduction to Service in the U.S. House of Representatives. 1966. Reprint, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1970.
  • Udall, Morris K. Arizona Law of Evidence. St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1960.
  • ------. Education of a Congressman: The Newsletters of Morris K. Udall. Edited by Robet L. Peabody, with the assistance of Tim Wyngaard and Michael Alonge. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1972.
  • Udall, Morris K., Joseph M. Livermore, Patricia G. Escher, and Grace McIlvain. Law of Evidence. Vol. 1 of Arizona Practice. 3rd ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1991.
  • Udall, Morris K., Bob Neuman, and Randy Udall. Too Funny to be President. New York: Henry Holt, 1988. Reprint, Tucson, Ariz.: University of Arizona Press, 2001.
  • Udall, Morris K., and Donald G. Tacheron. The Job of the Congressman: An Introduction to Service in the U.S. House of Representatives. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1970.