Preliminary Inventory of the Joseph Duke Papers

Collection

Identifier: 1995-01576

Scope and Content Note

The Joseph C. Duke Papers consist primarily of photographs documenting Duke's career as the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (1949-1953; 1955-1965). Also included are several scrapbooks and manuscripts. This collection has not been processed in full and can be viewed only by appointment. Contact Archives and Special Collections for more information.

Dates

Creation: 1934-1986

Creator

Duke, Joseph (Joseph C.), 1908-1992 (Person)

Language of Materials

Material in English

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Tuesday through Thursday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.

Biographical Note

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Joseph C. Duke was born in Bisbee, Arizona in 1908. He attended public school in Phoenix and went on to study at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He left the University during the Great Depression and worked for a copper mining company in Miami, Arizona as a bank teller and as a supply clerk until 1930, when joined the Miami volunteer fire department. Duke spent considerable time visiting at the nearby police station and became a police officer after another officer was killed in the line of duty. On July 5, 1930 Duke (against the advice of his captain) arrived alone at a murder scene. He was shot in the stomach as he exited his vehicle and managed to draw his revolver and fire at his assailant before crawling back into his car and driving to the hospital. Unfortunately, Duke's bullets hit the ground near his feet and his attacker escaped.

After a six-month hospital stay, Duke decided to seek a more peaceful occupation and wrote to Arizona Senator Henry Ashurst asking about job opportunities on Capitol Hill. Ashurst hired Duke as an assistant secretary on his staff, where he remained until Ashurst lost his reelection race in 1940. Duke transferred to Senator Carl Hayden's staff and then to the Secretary of the Senate's office, where he worked as a bill clerk and later as principal clerk. He was retained when the Republican Party took control in 1947.

When the majority shifted back to the Democratic Party in 1949, Duke began actively lobbying for the position of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. He won the Democratic Caucus nomination and was confirmed by the full Senate on January 3, 1949. In 1951, Duke assisted Estes Kefauver's crime investigating committee in apprehending several Chicago gangsters. In order to obtain the FBI's help, Duke swore J. Edgar Hoover in as Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms. The team apprehended seventeen criminals who had not answered subpoenas, including Jacob Greasy Thumb Guzik.

Forest A. Harness replaced Duke as Sergeant-at-Arms when the Republicans achieved a majority in 1953 but regained his post when the Democrats returned to power in 1955. He retired on December 30, 1965 and returned to Arizona, where he lived quietly until his death on April 11, 1992.