Tutwiler, Margaret: Files, 1981-1985

Office of Political Affairs; Office of the Chief of Staff

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Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note

Margaret Tutwiler worked as an assistant to James Baker for her entire Reagan White House tenure, she was, in position and in practice, the chief White House political affairs person during the crucial period of the 1984 campaign. Her files, which were maintained as one unit throughout her time in the Reagan White House, pertain mostly to her political affairs work rather than her role as Baker’s Administrative Assistant. For these reasons, the Reagan Library has placed her entire collection within the Office of Political Affairs.

The current container list is based on a preliminary arrangement and description of the Tutwiler collection done in 1990. The Tutwiler collection consists of six series: SERIES I: Chief of Staff Correspondence, 1981-1982; SERIES II: Political File, 1982-1985 (7 Subseries); SERIES III: Congressional Election File, 1981-1985; SERIES IV: Candidate Questionnaires, 1984; SERIES V: White House Inter-Office Correspondence, 1983-1985; SERIES VI: Public Petitions, Ca. 1984.

Series I contains material related to Tutwiler’s role in the Office of the Chief of Staff. A high percentage of the material in this series was created by James Baker, and apparently given to Tutwiler for filing or further action (cf. the James Cicconi collection).

The remaining series contain material related to Tutwiler’s political affairs work.

Series List

SERIES I: CHIEF OF STAFF CORRESPONDENCE 1981-1982

SERIES II: POLITICAL FILE 1982-1985

SUBSERIES A: General Correspondence

SUBSERIES B: Republican Campaign

SUBSERIES C: Reagan-Bush ’84

SUBSERIES D: Letters of The President

SUBSERIES E: Reagan Event File

SUBSERIES F: Reagan Messages 1983-1985

SUBSERIES G: Reagan Scheduling 1983-1985

SERIES III: CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION FILE 1981-1985

SERIES IV: CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES 1984

SERIES V: WHITE HOUSE INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE 1983-1985

SERIES VI: PUBLIC PETITIONS Ca. 1984

Biography

Biography

Margaret Tutwiler (1950- ) came to the Reagan White House as the Executive Assistant to Ronald Reagan’s first Chief of Staff, James Baker. She had held positions in the Republican Party of her native Alabama from 1974 to 1978, and worked on the 1980 George Bush Presidential and Vice-Presidential campaigns.

As the 1984 elections approached, Baker sought to avoid mixing government and political resources to every extent possible. The White House Office of Political Affairs was disbanded in October 1983, with most of its staff leaving the White House for positions in President Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign. Within the remaining White House staff, most political affairs duties were assigned to Tutwiler, under Baker’s direct supervision. She served as White House liaison to the Republican Party and the 1984 Presidential campaign, coordinated White House assistance to the re-election campaigns of Republican members of Congress, and coordinated and approved political travel by White House staff. In July 1984, she was promoted to Deputy Assistant for Political Affairs.

When Baker became Secretary of the Treasury in early 1985, Tutwiler transferred to the Treasury Department as one of his Assistant Secretaries. She continued to work under Baker, in the State Department and White House, throughout the George Bush Administration. When George W. Bush became President in 2001, Tutwiler worked briefly on his White House staff, then served as Ambassador to Morocco (2001-2003) and Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy (2003-2004) before leaving Government service for a position with the New York Stock Exchange.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-01-30

WHORM Alpha File

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Tutwiler, Margaret: Files, 1981-1985

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