Benson, Ezra Taft, 1954-1987

This series reflects Senator Goldwater's personal interests and pursuits, life-long relationships, family business, public and private service, achievements, private musings and observations, and his deep knowledge and love of Arizona. Many of these documents were found throughout his papers and for the first time are aggregated here. Most were not found in original folders. These documents were deposited serially over time by Senator Goldwater, his family, friends, and associates. They chronicle events, people, places, and ideas that shaped Goldwater's life and view of the world. They uniquely capture Goldwater's many personas over a long and colorful life.

At times, it is impossible to distinguish the personal from the public (office-holder) materials – a signature feature of many U.S. Senate collections. Many of the documents found here, however, share certain common characteristics: they were generated before Goldwater ran for public office; were created during his hiatus from public office (1965-1968); were generated post-retirement (after 1986); were the result of non-legislative activities and/or activities unrelated to the U.S. Senate.

The Alpha Files, often quoted by biographers and scholars, are a notable exception. Goldwater was a gifted communicator and an inveterate letter-writer. He was also a saver. The Alpha Files appear to have their origins in correspondence with such political icons as Carl Hayden, Robert Taft, Everett Dirksen, and Dwight Eisenhower. Over the years, Goldwater added certain friends, associates, celebrities, adversaries, and personal journals to the list. An estimated 30% of the names found here were added post-retirement.

The Alpha Files are now an aggregation of materials found dispersed throughout the collection. If a folder, a letter, or other document was labeled Alpha, it is filed here. To facilitate research, once an individual folder was created, other records were added as they were discovered. While not every document was captured, Alpha File folders represent the bulk of correspondence with that individual. Some folders contain only one document; others contain dozens of records spanning many years.

This series is arranged in 17 sub-series and alphabetically and chronologically within: Alpha Files as described above; Art – Goldwater was a supporter and collector of western artwork; Aviation – Goldwater was certified to fly everything from gliders to jets; Awards and Certificates – print material related to hundreds of recognized achievements over a lifetime; Boards and Memberships – documents civic, business as well as duties appointed while in serving in the Senate; Correspondence (by sender or topic) – most of the material found here represent folders as they were originally labeled; General Correspondence (by sender A-Z) – found loose or labeled as miscellaneous personal; Family Correspondence – includes Goldwater and allied family correspondence. Note that correspondence with children and grandchildren is restricted until 2023. Family History – documents Goldwater genealogy, pioneering, business, and background material for publications like The Goldwaters of Arizona. Military – records of Goldwater's military assignments, promotions, and retirement; Oral Histories – most of these materials were transcribed from cassettes donated by Professor Robert Alan Goldberg for his book Barry Goldwater. Photography- documents Goldwater's lifelong interest and expertise in photography. See also Series VI: Media, Albums for his photography exhibits; Politics – most of the material here was found in folders labeled personal and/or politics. Public Appearances - largely chronicles Goldwater's post Senate career speeches, invitations, interviews, and television appearances. See Series V: Administrative for accepted invitations and public appearances while serving in the Senate. Radio – reflects Goldwater's lifelong interests in radio and telecommunications generally and is notable for his contributions to the MARS program. Senate Campaigns – significant gaps for the early campaigns; and Writings – includes Goldwater's columns for the Los Angeles Times, letters to the editor, drafts and comments for biographies, and numerous contributions to other publications.