Richard M. Burr Congressional Collection
Richard Mauze Burr (1955- ) was a Republican U.S. Representative (1995-2005) and Senator (2005-2023) from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He attended Wake Forest University from 1970-1974. His legislative interests were health policy, defense and biodefense, and intelligence, and some of his key accomplishments were the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, and serving as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. This collection primarily documents Burr's years of Congressional service, with a small amount of personal files and campaign files. File types include legislative files, office notes, memos, press clippings, subject files, photographs, and memorabilia.
Biographical and Historical Note
Richard Mauze Burr (1955- ) is a former Republican U.S. Representative (1995-2005) and Senator (2005-2023) from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, on November 30, 1955, to parents David Burr, a Presbyterian minister, and Martha Gillum Burr, an elementary school teacher. He attended high school at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, where he played football. He attended Wake Forest University (1970-1974), where he majored in Communications, played defensive back on the football team, and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Before running for public office, Burr worked as a marketing manager for Carswell Distributing Company, a lawn equipment company. He first ran for the House of Representatives in North Carolina's 5th district in 1992, but lost to Democratic incumbent Stephen Neal. He continued to be politically active locally after this defeat, serving as N.C. Taxpayers United chairman, a group that advocated for lower taxes and reduced government spending.
Burr ran for Congress again in 1994 when Neal left office and defeated Democrat Sandy Sands to represent North Carolina's 5th district. His election was part of a wider "Republican Revolution" that gave Republicans their first majority in the House of Representatives since 1952. He spent 10 years in the House and 18 years in the Senate. Throughout Burr's time in Congress, he developed a reputation for working quietly, often in a bipartisan manner, to achieve his policy goals. His legislative interests were health policy, defense and biodefense, and intelligence. He formed close personal relationships in Congress, particularly with a group known as the "frat pack:" John Boehner, Saxby Chambliss, and Tom Latham. He was also known for the car he often drove: a 1974 Volkswagen Type 181 also known as The Thing. In the House of Representatives, Burr was a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He became the committee's Vice Chairman in 2002. His most significant legislative achievement in the House was the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, which aimed to reduce waiting times for new drug approvals. In his 2022 farewell address to Congress, Burr called this legislation the "hallmark of [his] career." Other notable accomplishments include: creation of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH, co-sponsorship of the 2004 tobacco quota buyout, and establishing a smallpox vaccine program.
Burr ran for Senate in 2004 after John Edwards vacated his seat, and defeated Democrat Erskine Bowles to win. He won re-election in 2010 and 2016, and in July 2016 announced that he would not seek re-election in 2022. He held many leadership positions in the Senate: Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2015-2020), where he is best known for leading the Senate investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election; Ranking Member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee (2007-2014); Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (2021-2023); Republican Deputy Whip (2009-2013); and GOP Convention Platform Committee Co-Chair for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Additionally, he ran for Senate Republican Conference Chair in 2007 and was defeated by Lamar Alexander. He also unsuccessfully ran for Minority Whip in 2011.
Some of Burr's significant legislative contributions in the Senate were: the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, creation of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, reauthorization of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act which permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Throughout Burr's time in Congress, he developed a reputation for working quietly, often in a bipartisan manner, to advance his policy interests.
In February 2020, Burr sold $1.6 million in stocks in advance of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also reported that in a February 27, 2020 meeting with nonpartisan business group the Tar Heel Circle, Burr warned of the upcoming pandemic and possible economic consequences. He was largely criticized for these actions, and the Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into Burr for insider trading. As a result, he resigned his position as Intelligence Committee Chairman in May 2020, but remained in the Senate until the end of his term in 2023 despite calls to resign. The SEC closed its investigation in 2023; Burr never faced charges.
After leaving the Senate in 2023, Burr began working for law firm DLA Piper in Washington, D.C. as a Principal Policy Advisor and Chair of the Health Policy Strategic Consulting Practice. In August 2024, Burr was named Polis Distinguished Fellow at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. He is married to Brooke Fauth Burr, a Winston-Salem real estate agent. They have two children, Tyler and William.
Collection Overview
The Richard M. Burr Congressional Collection primarily documents Burr's years of Congressional service, with a small amount of personal files and campaign files.
The bulk of this collection is found in the Legislative files series. This series includes all files relating to congressional work, service on committees, votes on bills, positions on specific bills or general issues, appropriations requests from North Carolina organizations and municipalities, official correspondence, and other files relating to legislative work. Memorabilia includes photographs and artifacts, including gifts, office decorations, some campaign items, and programs or tickets from special events. Press files include audio and video recordings of interviews with Richard Burr, press clippings, press releases, and notes compiled by the Press Secretary. Constituent files include constituent correspondence and form letters, or form replies by the Burr office. By agreement with the donor, constituent files are restricted until January 2028. Administrative and personal files include files relating to office administration including invitations, schedules, speeches, staff lists, and correspondence of a non-legislative nature. A small amount of campaign files can also be found in this series. The personal files subseries includes files relating to Burr's K-12 education and collegiate career at Wake Forest University and other files of a personal nature.
Every series in this collection includes electronic records. The majority of the electronic records date from Burr's Senate terms, 2005-2023, but some are from his time in the House of Representatives. Some of these records are available online in the digital collection; what is available includes video interviews. However, the majority of the electronic records cannot be accessed online. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
There are some types of files that were not included in the transfer, according to inventories completed in January-February 2023. These files include constituent casework, military academy files, and campaign files. Some of these records may be present, but they are limited. Constituent casework and academy files are out of scope for this collection.
Administrative and Personal Files Series
Series 1. Administrative and personal files consists of two subseries: Subseries 1. Administrative files, and Subseries 2. Personal files.
Subseries 1. Administrative files span the years 1992-2022 and document various administrative functions of Burr's congressional office. Material types include schedules, accepted invitations, thank you letters written by constituents and organizations for performing office functions, correspondence with high-ranking officials (identified in the inventory as VIP correspondence), congratulations letters after elections, and documentation of the office's record retention and storage. There are two types of schedules in this series: daily schedules, most dating 1995-1996; and car mileage trackers, which show locations where Burr traveled throughout the state. Also included is documentation of Burr's unsuccessful 1992 campaign for the House of Representatives, his service as 2008 GOP convention platform committee co-chair, and two swearing-in ceremonies in 2005 and 2011. There are also summaries of flag requests from constituents and requests for tickets to Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. Lastly, there is documentation of decorations and renovations of Burr's office in Washington, D.C.
Some general correspondence files in this subseries are duplicated in microfilm and digitally. Other digital files in this subseries include office handbooks, White House correspondence, summaries of tour requests, documentation of political events, and staff lists. These digital files are not available online and must be accessed in the reading room. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Subseries 2. Personal files consist of materials from Burr's childhood and congressional years of a personal nature. The majority relates to Richard Burr's education, including K-12 schoolwork and report cards. Some files document Burr's football career, both in high school and at Wake Forest University. The subseries also includes personal correspondence, including birthday notes, condolence letters after his father's passing, and informal thank you notes from various officials. Also included is a 1955 letter written after Richard Burr's birth by his grandfather Harvey Burr regarding his hopes for his grandson; and a family tree showing Richard Burr's relation to Founding Father Aaron Burr.
Constituent Files Series
Series 2. Constituent files is arranged into two subseries: Subseries 1. Constituent correspondence, and Subseries 2. Form letters. This series is restricted until January 2028.
The majority of this series is Subseries 1. Constituent correspondence, also known as issue mail. Burr's constituents wrote to his office regarding social issues, tobacco policy, war and foreign affairs, immigration, and taxes, among other issues. Many letters relate to specific legislation under consideration. The letters span 1994-2021, but very few letters date from after 2011. One box of letters from 2021 concerns Burr's vote to convict President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. The subseries is arranged in rough chronological order, and very rarely may be arranged by topic. The materials represent a non-statistical sample of all the constituent correspondence that was transferred to the repository. Repetitive duplicate letters and approximately every third letter have been removed due to storage space concerns and minimal research value. Some digital files exist in this subseries, dated 2005-2010. These files have not been published online and are only available in the reading room. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Subseries 2. Form letters consists of letter drafts, including final drafts, written by Burr office staff in response to constituent issue mail. Form letter files typically include the initials of the staff member responsible for writing the letter. Files occasionally include background research, news articles, Congressional Research Service reports, or summaries of relevant bills related to the issue. Most form letters are arranged by topic, although some digital files are arranged chronologically. Digital files also include some indexes and lists of topical codes used by the office to arrange the form letters. These digital files have not been published online. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Legislative Files Series
Series 3. Legislative files document Richard Burr's work on legislation, in committees, or generally as a member of Congress. The files span 1985-2022, (bulk 1994-2009). This series is not arranged into subseries. The materials are arranged loosely by topic. Files may contain any of the following material types: printed text of bills or amendments including drafts or final versions, articles and press clippings, Congressional Research Service or Government Accountability Office reports, Dear Colleague letters, signed letters to government officials or other formal correspondence, relevant constituent correspondence, memorandums prepared by office staff, related email printouts, FloorPrep or Congressional Report publications, committee hearing testimonies, prepared talking points, committee hearing questions, handwritten notes by Richard Burr or staff. Some files also contain appropriations requests from North Carolina corporations or governmental agencies. Promotional materials for companies or other organizations related to Burr's work are present throughout the series as well. A selection of the legislative files have been digitized and are duplicated in microfilm and digital format; these folders have volume numbers in their inventory titles, as well as additional box numbers assigned by the Burr office. Scanning work was done by the Burr office before materials were transferred to this repository.
Born-digital files in this series are arranged by topic and include signature request forms, internal correspondence, appropriations requests, reports, meeting memos, speeches, bill texts, and official correspondence from the Burr office. Most of these materials date 2005-2023. To request in-person access to digital files at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Memorabilia Series
Series 4. Memorabilia contains photographs and artifacts. Materials include, but are not limited to, photographs and scrapbooks; office decorations; items given as gifts from Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trips to other countries; items relating to North Carolina; lapel pins and challenge coins; inauguration ceremony items; programs for White House or other congressional events; sports paraphernalia and apparel; and plaques, trophies, and other awards won by Burr. The series is arranged generally by item type and size. Some photographs in this series are in digital format. They are available on request in the reading room. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Press Files Series
Series 5. Press files consist of four subseries: Subseries 1. Press clippings and press releases, Subseries 2. Press secretary files, Subseries 3. Audio materials, and Subseries 4. Video materials.
Subseries 1. Press clippings and press releases date 1973-2016 (bulk 1992-2008). Clippings document Burr's activities in Congress, election campaigns, voting records, appearances in North Carolina, opinion pieces about his activities, editorials that he wrote, and his statements on issues. Most of the clippings were provided by Burr's staff, although some clippings were compiled by his father, David Burr, as well as two scrapbooks. A mixture of national and local newspapers are represented, with an emphasis on local coverage. Press releases from Burr's office cover 1994-2004. Some press clippings and a small number of press releases are duplicated on microfilm and digitally on CD. Digital files are not currently available online and must be accessed in the reading room.
Subseries 2. Press secretary files include documentation of "Inside Congress" production, media contact lists, "The Burr Bulletin" email newsletter printouts, and handwritten notes from press secretary Laura Caudell.
Subseries 3. Audio materials consist of audio tapes of interviews or floor speeches featuring Richard Burr. Many of these tapes are recordings of the "North Carolina Congressional Report," (1995-1996) which was a weekly radio show in which Burr would give short explanations of political topics and current events.
Subseries 4. Video materials consist of video recordings of interviews and speeches featuring Richard Burr. Included in this subseries is "Inside Congress," (1995-1997) Burr's cable TV show featuring interviews with members of Congress about educational topics. There are also some scattered campaign advertisements or other short advertisements for Burr's activities, 1995-1997.
Subseries 5. Electronic files date 1994-2022 (bulk 2005-2022) and include press releases, news clippings, exports of office social media accounts and websites, video and audio clips of interviews and relevant news stories, newsletters, op-eds and letters to the editor, speech and interview transcripts, memos, preparation for media appearances, tele-town hall summaries, media contact lists, and office and strategy files relating to the press office. Most files are in Word or PDF format but other formats are present including audiovisual formats, database formats, social media exports, and others. To request in-person access at Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives, please email archives@wfu.edu.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into five series: Series 1. Administrative and personal files; Series 2. Constituent files; Series 3. Legislative files; Series 4. Memorabilia; and Series 5. Press files.
Series 1. Administrative and personal files contain materials related to routine, non-legislative functions of Burr's office as well as personal files, including correspondence and documentation of Richard Burr's childhood and school years.
Series 2. Constituent files include issue mail from constituents and drafts of response letters from the Burr office. By agreement with the donor, this series is restricted until January 2028.
Series 3. Legislative files make up the bulk of the collection and include documentation of bills, policy initiatives, committee work, and appropriations.
Series 4. Memorabilia includes photographs and objects documenting Burr's congressional career, Congressional Delegation trips abroad, his affiliation with Wake Forest University, and various North Carolina-related artifacts.
Series 5. Press files include a press clippings archive, newsletters, video and audio interviews with Richard Burr, and press releases.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Names
- United States. Congress. Senate
Subjects
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Kate Trathen, Lexine Appiah, Berley Camelien, Meg Campbell, Dean Myers, Helen Player, and Gaby de la Vega., 2025 August
- Access Restrictions
- Due to agreement with the donor, the constituent files series is restricted until January 2028. This series may not be accessed for research until that time. All other series in the collection are open for research. Please contact Wake Forest University's Special Collections and Archives at archives@wfu.edu with questions or concerns.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Richard M. Burr Congressional Collection (MS909), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.