This series contains Rockefeller's reading copy of speeches and transcripts of his remarks at press conferences. Some files contain drafts of speeches. Broad topics include both New York state and national government, politics, and public policy issues. Also included are speeches he made during his campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination in 1960, 1964, and 1968.

The primary responsibility of Counsel to the Governor was to translate the Governor's programs into law. The counsel's staff ensured that bills were correctly drafted, and helped to stop bills that were antithetical to the Governor's programs from being enacted. Bills in the Governor's annual legislative program were drafted by the Counsel's Office to ensure that they reflected the Governor's views. Drafting work was divided among assistant counsels, roughly according to subject matter. The Counsel's staff also reviewed bills drafted by other agencies. Governor Rockefeller was not directly involved in this work, concentrating instead on broad policy matters. During Governor Rockefeller's administrations, the Counsel was one of three people, along with the Secretary to the Governor and the Budget Director, on whom he relied most heavily for administration and program development.

This series consists of copies of financial reports of New York Republican fund raising committees, dated 1967 to 1973, filed with the New York Secretary of State in accordance with New York State election laws at the time. There are 10 reports from the New York Republican State Dinner Committee and 19 reports from the Governor's Club. These are file copies of reports sent to the Secretary of State by James G. Hellmuth, who served as treasurer for both organizations. All but three reports have cover letters from Hellmuth. Attached to the cover letter of most of the reports are certified mail receipts and return receipts from mailing the original reports.

Prior to his election as Governor of New York in November 1958, Nelson A. Rockefeller maintained an office at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. To separate his work as Governor from his private activities, Governor Rockefeller established an office in Manhattan at 22 West 55th Street. This became known as the New York Office, to distinguish it from the Governor's office in the state capitol building in Albany. Governor Rockefeller was the first governor to maintain a permanent office in New York City. In general, Governor Rockefeller was in Albany only when the state legislature was in session or on special occasion. The management of his public duties was largely undertaken from the New York Office.

This series contains a comprehensive collection of the bills submitted to Nelson A. Rockefeller for approval during his tenure as Governor of New York, an office he held from 1959 to 1973. As the chief executive of the state, Rockefeller signed all bills into law or vetoed them. Each bill that was submitted to Rockefeller for his signature was accompanied by a memorandum from the Counsel to the Governor. These memoranda stated the subject and purpose of the bill, including the original sponsor of the bill; brief comments offering background on the legislation; and the recommendation of the Counsel. The Counsel would usually conclude the memo with a recommendation of "Approval" or "Disapproval." In either case, the legislation may also have been signed or vetoed with an accompanying memorandum from Rockefeller.

This series contains a portion of the files of Joseph H. Boyd. These files primarily document Boyd's tenure as Congressional liaison officer for Governor Rockefeller. During 1967, Boyd maintained an office in Washington, DC, and held regular meetings with members of the New York State Congressional delegation. Almost all of the files pertain to that year, when he routinely spoke with members by telephone and represented the Governor in Washington. Boyd also served as Rockefeller's liaison to the New York State Legislature during this time. Boyd was a member of Governor Rockefeller's staff before as well as after serving in this role. The other files in this series cover his prior service as a Special Assistant to the Governor. Of note are memoranda and correspondence from Henry Kissinger and Edward Teller on such topics as foreign policy, defense spending, and the nuclear test ban treaty before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1963 (Folders 42 and 43).

The material in this series was created and maintained by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's Press Office. The series includes copies of press releases documenting his governmental and political activities and some background material used in the creation of the releases. Also included is a small collection of statistical analysis reports used by the Governor's office to gauge public opinion on various issues.

This series consists of periodic reports prepared by departments and agencies of the New York state government for Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. The reports are of four different types, from four different periods representing each of Governor Rockefeller's four administrations. In general the reports offer an assessment of each department's responsibilities, goals, performance, problems, and needs. Each of the four different report types is found for most, but not all, of the departments. The four types of reports are as follows:

This series is composed of constituent correspondence during Nelson A. Rockefeller's four terms as governor of New York, from 1959 to 1973, and particularly the elections in 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970. The series also reflects Rockefeller's presidential campaign efforts in 1964 and 1968. The bulk of the material is correspondence between the Governor's office and state constituents, as well as citizens from across the country and around the world.

Types of records include: photographs.