Citizens' Committee to Recall Rizzo Records
Collection ID
Acc. 419, 599a
Related Subjects
Collecting Areas
Description
Collection Summary
Title
Citizens’ Committee to Recall Rizzo Records
Dates
1976
Collection ID
Acc. 419, 599a
Creator
Citizens’ Committee to Recall Rizzo
Quantity
8 linear feet (8 boxes)
Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries
Language
Materials in English.
Detailed Collection Information
Historical Note
The Citizens’ Committee to Recall Rizzo formed in January 1976 to recall Frank L. Rizzo, then mayor of the City of Philadelphia, in a petition drive. Beginning on April 17, former Mayor Joseph S. Clark became the recall petition's first signer. The coalition gathered 210,806 signatures within the required sixty day time limit. The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter required at least 25 percent of the registered voters, or 145,000 signatures, to force a yes or no referendum on the fall election ballot.
The Committee submitted the petitions to the politically partisan Board of Elections. The Board verified 88,894 signatures, rejecting the vast majority as irregular, lacking a full name, indicating the wrong ward, etc. The Board of Elections was able to do so since the City Solicitor adopted stringent guidelines requiring all signatures to the match voter registration cards in every detail. The Committee challenged this action in the Common Pleas Court of the County of Philadelphia. The Court ruled that a sufficient number of valid signatures appeared on the petitions for a recall vote. The City Solicitor later filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania who declared the recall process unconstitutional, removing the referendum from the ballot.
Description of Collection
This collection reflects the activity of the recall movement in four scrapbooks of news clippings arranged in chronological order. The collection also includes press releases, editorials, statistical reports, and the findings of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The bulk of the collection, however, is the petitions and affidavits.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 4 series as follows:
Series 1: Administrative Records, undated
Series 2: Clippings and Scrapbooks, 1976
Series 3: Recall Rizzo Petition, undated
Series 4: Recall Petition Evaluation, undated
Patron Information
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Temple University’s online library catalog: http://diamond.temple.edu/record=b1636797~S30
Research Access
Collection is open for research.
Collections Stored Off-Site
This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.
Publication and Copyright Information
The Citizen's Committee to Recall Rizzo Records are in custody of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Citizens’ Committee to Recall Rizzo Records, Acc. 419/599a, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Deposited by the Americans for Democratic Action through Esther Halpern, Secretary, March 1980 (Acc. 419) and Graham Robb, Executive Director, August 1985 (Acc. 599a).
Processing Information
Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in June 2015.
Index Terms
The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:
Corporate Names:
Citizens’ Committee to Recall Rizzo
Personal/Family Names:
Rizzo, Frank, 1920-1991
Subjects:
Municipal officials and employees -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Recall -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Mayors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Places:
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Material Types:
Administrative records
Clippings
Legal documents
Petitions
Press releases
Scrapbooks
Inventory
Series 1: Administrative Records, undated
1 1 Legal: Citizen's Committee to Recall Rizzo V. Board of Elections of the City and County of Philadelphia undated
1 2 Miscellaneous undated
1 3 Press Release undated
1 4 Statistical Report undated
Series 2: Clippings and Scrapbooks, 1976
2 1 News clippings January-July 1976
2 2 News clippings July-November 1976
2 3 Scrapbooks January-June 1976
2 4 Scrapbooks June-August 1976
2 5 Scrapbooks August-September 1976
2 6 Scrapbooks September-November 1976
Series 3: Recall Rizzo Petition, undated
2 7 Recall Petition 1-50 undated
2 8 Recall Petition 51-100 undated
2 9 Recall Petition 101-150 undated
2 10 Recall Petition 151-200 undated
2 11 Recall Petition 201-250 undated
2 12 Recall Petition 251-300 undated
2 13 Recall Petition 301-350 undated
2 14 Recall Petition 351-400 undated
2 15 Recall Petition 401-450 undated
2 16 Recall Petition 451-500 undated
2 17 Recall Petition 501-550 undated
2 18 Recall Petition 551-600 undated
2 19 Recall Petition 601-650 undated
2 20 Recall Petition 651-700 undated
2 21 Recall Petition 701-750 undated
2 22 Recall Petition 751-800 undated
3 1 Recall Petition 801-850 undated
3 2 Recall Petition 851-900 undated
3 3 Recall Petition 901-950 undated
3 4 Recall Petition 951-1000 undated
3 5 Recall Petition 1001-1050 undated
3 6 Recall Petition 1051-1100 undated
3 7 Recall Petition 1101-1150 undated
3 8 Recall Petition 1151-1200 undated
3 9 Recall Petition 1201-1250 undated
3 10 Recall Petition 1251-1300 undated
3 11 Recall Petition 1301-1350 undated
3 12 Recall Petition 1401-1450 undated
3 13 Recall Petition 1451-1500 undated
3 14 Recall Petition 1501-1550 undated
3 15 Recall Petition 1551-1600 undated
4 1 Recall Petition 1601-1650 undated
4 2 Recall Petition 1651-1700 undated
4 3 Recall Petition 1701-1750 undated
4 4 Recall Petition 1751-1800 undated
4 5 Recall Petition 1801-1850 undated
4 6 Recall Petition 1851-1900 undated
4 7 Recall Petition 1901-1950 undated
4 8 Recall Petition 1951-2000 undated
4 9 Recall Petition 2001-2050 undated
4 10 Recall Petition 2051-2100 undated
4 11 Recall Petition 2101-2150 undated
4 12 Recall Petition 2151-2200 undated
4 13 Recall Petition 2201-2250 undated
4 14 Recall Petition 2251-2300 undated
4 15 Recall Petition 2301-2350 undated
4 16 Recall Petition 2351-2400 undated
4 17 Recall Petition 2401-2450 undated
5 1 Recall Petition 2451-2500 undated
5 2 Recall Petition 2501-2550 undated
5 3 Recall Petition 2551-2600 undated
5 4 Recall Petition 2601-2650 undated
5 5 Recall Petition 2651-2700 undated
5 6 Recall Petition 2701-2750 undated
5 7 Recall Petition 2751-2800 undated
5 8 Recall Petition 2801-2850 undated
5 9 Recall Petition 2851-2900 undated
5 10 Recall Petition 2901-2950 undated
5 11 Recall Petition 2951-3000 undated
5 12 Recall Petition 3001-3050 undated
5 13 Recall Petition 3051-3100 undated
5 14 Recall Petition 3101-3150 undated
5 15 Recall Petition 3151-3200 undated
5 16 Recall Petition 3201-3250 undated
5 17 Recall Petition 3251-3300 undated
6 1 Recall Petition 3301-3350 undated
6 2 Recall Petition 3351-3400 undated
6 3 Recall Petition 3401-3450 undated
6 4 Recall Petition 3451-3500 undated
6 5 Recall Petition 3501-3550 undated
6 6 Recall Petition 3551-3600 undated
6 7 Recall Petition 3601-3650 undated
6 8 Recall Petition 3651-3700 undated
6 9 Recall Petition 3701-3750 undated
6 10 Recall Petition 3751-3800 undated
6 11 Recall Petition 3801-3850 undated
6 12 Recall Petition 3851-3900 undated
6 13 Recall Petition 3901-3950 undated
6 14 Recall Petition 3951-4000 undated
6 15 Recall Petition 4001-4050 undated
6 16 Recall Petition 4051-4100 undated
6 17 Recall Petition 4101-4150 undated
7 1 Recall Petition 4151-4200 undated
7 2 Recall Petition 4201-4250 undated
7 3 Recall Petition 4251-4300 undated
7 4 Recall Petition 4301-4350 undated
7 5 Recall Petition 4351-4400 undated
7 6 Recall Petition 4401-4450 undated
7 7 Recall Petition 4451-4500 undated
7 8 Recall Petition 4501-4550 undated
7 9 Recall Petition 4551-4600 undated
7 10 Recall Petition 4601-4650 undated
7 11 Recall Petition 4651-4700 undated
7 12 Recall Petition 4701-4750 undated
7 13 Recall Petition 4751-4800 undated
7 14 Recall Petition 4801-4850 undated
7 15 Recall Petition 4851-4900 undated
7 16 Recall Petition 4901-4950 undated
7 17 Recall Petition 4951-5000 undated
7 18 Recall Petition 5001-5037 undated
Series IV: Recall Petition Evaluation, undated
8 1 Book 8: Petition sheets 1051-1200, with statistics undated
8 2 Book 10: Petition sheets 1351-1500, with statistics undated
8 3 Book 11: Petition sheets 1501-1600 undated
8 4 Book 14: Petition sheets 1951-2100, with statistics undated
8 5 Book 15: Petition sheets 2101-2250, with statistics undated
8 6 Book 16 (A): Petition sheets 2251-2325 undated
8 7 Book 16 (B): Petition sheets 2326-2400 undated
8 8 Book 27: Petition sheets 3901-4016, with statistics of Petition sheets 3901-4050 undated
8 9 Recall petition and petition evaluation: Miscellaneous loose sheets undated
Request Materials from Special Collections Research Center
https://temple.aeon.atlas-sys.com/Logon/?Action=10&Form=30&ItemTitle=Citizens' Committee to Recall Rizzo Records&ItemPlace=Urban Archives&CallNumber=Acc. 419, 599a&rft.pages=Urban Archives