Last updated: December 1, 2025
Article
Guide to the Roger G. Kennedy Papers
This finding aid describes the Roger G. Kennedy Papers, part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.
Collection Overview
Collection Number: HFCA 1645 (Series I.A.14)Creator: Kennedy, Roger G. (1926-2011)
Title: Roger G. Kennedy Papers
Dates: 1992-1997
Extent: 9.25 LF
Language of Materials: English
Digitized Copies: This collection has not been digitized.
Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open to research use.
Conditions Governing Use and Reproduction: Some of the reports and other reference materials in this collection were not produced by the NPS and may not be in the public domain. See also the NPS general copyright & restrictions information.
Provenance: This collection was found in the NPS History Collection prior to 2016.
Processing Note: This collection was processed by Emily L. Richardson in 2017. Some materials had been previously processed by History Associates, Incorporated. The finding aid was updated for the internet by Eleanore Kohorn in November 2025.
Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: Roger G. Kennedy Papers, NPS History Collection (HFCA 1645)
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Related Materials:
- Assembled Historic Records of the National Park Service (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection
- National Park Service Oral History Collection (HFCA 1817), NPS History Collection
- Records of NPS Directors, National Archives and Records Administration (RG 79.3.2)
- Roger G. Kennedy’s uniform, uniform accessories, and other objects are in the NPS History Collection
Biographical Note
Roger G. Kennedy was born on August 8, 1926, in Minnesota. He grew up in St. Paul leading canoeing, hiking, and guided expeditions for a family business. He served in the US Navy during World War II. Kennedy graduated from Yale University in 1949 and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1952. That same year he ran unsuccessfully for Congress. In 1953 Kennedy moved to Washington, DC where he worked as civil trial lawyer for the Department of Justice and as special assistant to the US Attorney General. Kennedy later went on to be a special assistant to the US Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the US Secretary of Labor, and the Presidential Commissions for Presidents Nixon and Carter.
In 1955 Kennedy began covering the White House and the Supreme Court for NBC News. He was also a correspondent for "Monitor," "The Today Show," and other news programs. He produced documentaries for NPS and hosted his own radio program. In the 1960s Kennedy returned to Minnesota where he worked as chairman of the executive committee for Northwestern National Bank of St. Paul. He went on to become vice president for investments at the University of Minnesota. He also helped found of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. From 1969 to 1979 Kennedy was vice president and chief financial officer of the Ford Foundation. In the 1970s he also wrote and presented half-hour documentaries for regional PBS.
Kennedy served as director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History from 1979 to 1993. During his tenure, the museum developed innovative, interactive, and thought-provoking exhibits. He sought to expand visitation by introducing more current cultural exhibitions and re-organizing collections. While many criticized him for acquiring pop culture objects, Kennedy felt they attracted more visitors and brought more exposure to all the Smithsonian museums. Some of the objects acquired during his tenure reflect beloved American television shows, including Archie Bunker's chair from "All in the Family," the set from "M*A*S*H," a cardigan sweater Fred Rogers wore on "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," and the ruby red slippers from the "Wizard of Oz." While at the museum, he also wrote and presented "The Smithsonian Presents Invention." Kennedy left the Smithsonian in 1992 to continue writing and to work on the 10-part television series "Roger Kennedy’s Rediscovering America" for the Discovery Channel.
On June 1, 1993, Kennedy was selected by President Clinton to head the NPS. As he did at the Smithsonian, he focused on representing often overlooked communities. During his tenure, Kennedy oversaw a restructuring of NPS field operations and cuts to central office staff as part of a government-wide effort to downsize the federal government. Despite this, he resisted Congressional efforts to scale back the park system in ways that would have made it less reflective of a diverse America. Eight new park units were added to the System during his tenure, including several with ties to Native American and African American history. Recognizing the value of the relatively new internet, Kennedy insisted that the NPS use the web to reach out beyond the park boundaries. As a result, he helped make the NPS part of school curriculums throughout the United States. Kennedy resigned as director on March 29, 1997.
Throughout his career, Kennedy authored a dozen books, including Figures on a Moving Frontier; Minnesota Houses; American Churches; Architecture, Men, Women, and Money; Orders from France; Greek Revival America; Rediscovering America; Mission; Wildfire and Americans: How to Save Lives, Property and Your Tax Dollars; and When Art Worked: The New Deal, Art, and Democracy; Hidden Cities; and Burr, Hamilton and Jefferson: A Study in Character. He was also general editor and wrote the prefaces for the 12 volumes of Smithsonian Guide to Historic America. He also published numerous articles in magazines such as Harvard Business Review, Harpers, The New Republic, American Heritage, Law and Contemporary Problems, Smithsonian, Atlantic, and Architectural Digest. Kennedy received many awards and honorary degrees during his career, including the Henry Medal, Solon Buck Award for Regional History, New York Film Critics Silver Award, and Henry Reed Hope Award.
He and his wife Frances had a daughter named Ruth. Roger Kennedy died on September 30, 2011, in Rockville, Maryland.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, reports, studies, and publications Kennedy acquired during his tenure as director. Subjects include individual park and servicewide personnel matters, letters of thanks for articles, publications and compliments sent to him; responses to suggestions, complaints, and requests from all areas of the country and some from abroad; comments on reports or other papers that he reviewed; leadership; and refusals regarding requests for endorsements. Some correspondence also refers to Kennedy’s book Hidden Cities. Correspondents include park visitors; NPS personnel; Federal, State and local government officials; schools and universities; museums; environmental, historical heritage, and conservation groups (including the National Park Foundation); publishing houses; archeologists; historians; architects; writers; and Native American Tribal representatives.
Included within the extensive correspondence files are reports and publications on a variety of topics, including biodiversity, park boundary studies, the Channel Islands Environmental and Cultural Center, the National Parks and Conservation Association, the controversy over the proposed Disney theme park near Manassas National Battlefield, the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., rural tourism, historic preservation guidelines and standards, technology and culture, the National Constitution Center, and the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject or topic, and thereunder chronologically.
Container List
BOX 01Folder 01: Correspondence, November 1992-May 1993
Folder 02: Correspondence, June 1993 [1 of 3]
Folder 03: Correspondence, June 1993 [2 of 3]
Folder 04: Correspondence, June 1993 [3 of 3]
Folder 05: Correspondence, July 1993 [1 of 5]
Folder 06: Correspondence, July 1993 [2 of 5]
Folder 07: Correspondence, July 1993 [3 of 5]
BOX 02
Folder 01: Correspondence, July 1993 [4 of 5]
Folder 02: Correspondence, July 1993 [5 of 5]
Folder 03: Correspondence, August 1993 [1 of 4]
Folder 04: Correspondence, August 1993 [2 of 4]
Folder 05: Correspondence, August 1993 [3 of 4]
Folder 06: Correspondence, August 1993 [4 of 4]
BOX 03
Folder 01: Correspondence, September 1993 [1 of 3]
Folder 02: Correspondence, September 1993 [2 of 3]
Folder 03: Correspondence, September 1993 [3 of 3]
Folder 04: Correspondence, October 1993 [1 of 3]
Folder 05: Correspondence, October 1993 [2 of 3]
Folder 06: Correspondence, October 1993 [3 of 3]
BOX 04
Folder 01: Correspondence, November 1993 [1 of 3]
Folder 02: Correspondence, November 1993 [2 of 3]
Folder 03: Correspondence, November 1993 [3 of 3]
Folder 04: Correspondence, December 1993 [1 of 4]
Folder 05: Correspondence, December 1993 [2 of 4]
BOX 05
Folder 01: Correspondence, December 1993 [3 of 4]
Folder 02: Correspondence, December 1993 [4 of 4]
Folder 03: Correspondence, January 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, January 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, February 1994 [1 of 4]
Folder 06: Correspondence, February 1994 [2 of 4]
BOX 06
Folder 01: Correspondence, February 1994 [3 of 4]
Folder 02: Correspondence, February 1994 [4 of 4]
Folder 03: Correspondence, March 1994 [1 of 3]
Folder 04: Correspondence, March 1994 [2 of 3]
Folder 05: Correspondence, March 1994 [3 of 3]
Folder 06: Correspondence, April 1994 [1 of 2]
BOX 07
Folder 01: Correspondence, April 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, May 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, May 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, June 1994 [1 of 4]
Folder 05: Correspondence, June 1994 [2 of 4]
BOX 08
Folder 01: Correspondence, June 1994 [3 of 4]
Folder 02: Correspondence, June 1994 [4 of 4]
Folder 03: Correspondence, July 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, July 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, August 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 06: Correspondence, August 1994 [2 of 2]
BOX 09
Folder 01: Correspondence, September 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, September 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, October 1994 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, October 1994 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, November 1994 [1 of 4]
BOX 10
Folder 01: Correspondence, November 1994 [2 of 4]
Folder 02: Correspondence, November 1994 [3 of 4]
Folder 03: Correspondence, November 1994 [4 of 4]
Folder 04: Correspondence, December 1994 [1 of 3]
Folder 05: Correspondence, December 1994 [2 of 3]
Folder 06: Correspondence, December 1994 [3 of 3]
BOX 11
Folder 01: Correspondence, January 1995 [1 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, January 1995 [2 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, February 1995 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, February 1995 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, March 1995 [1 of 2]
BOX 12
Folder 01: Correspondence, March 1995 [2 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, April 1995
Folder 03: Correspondence, May 1995 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, May 1995 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, June 1995 [1 of 2]
Folder 06: Correspondence, June 1995 [2 of 2]
BOX 13
Folder 01: Correspondence, July 1995 [1 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, July 1995 [2 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, August 1995
Folder 04: Correspondence, September 1995 [1 of 3]
Folder 05: Correspondence, September 1995 [2 of 3]
Folder 06: Correspondence, September 1995 [3 of 3]
BOX 14
Folder 01: Correspondence, October 1995
Folder 02: Correspondence, November 1995
Folder 03: Correspondence, December 1995
Folder 04: Correspondence, January 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, January 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 06: Correspondence, February 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 07: Correspondence, February 1996 [2 of 2]
BOX 15
Folder 01: Correspondence, March 1996
Folder 02: Correspondence, April 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, April 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, May 1996
Folder 05: Correspondence, June 1996
BOX 16
Folder 01: Correspondence, July 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 02: Correspondence, July 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, August 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, August 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Correspondence, September 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 06: Correspondence, September 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 07: Correspondence, October 1996
BOX 17
Folder 01: Correspondence, November 1996
Folder 02: Correspondence, December 1996 [1 of 2]
Folder 03: Correspondence, December 1996 [2 of 2]
Folder 04: Correspondence, January 1997
Folder 05: Correspondence, February 1997
Folder 06: Correspondence, March-April 1997
BOX 18
Folder 01: Correspondence: 7th Cavalry Surgeon, 1994
Folder 02: Correspondence: Adobe Preservation, 1995
Folder 03: Correspondence: Alaska Native Heritage Center, 1996
Folder 04: Correspondence: Alexandria Seaport Foundation, 1996
Folder 05: Correspondence: “Black Westerners” Documentary Film Series Proposal by Anne Watson, 1996
Folder 06: Correspondence: Boston National Historic Park: Freedom Trail Plan, 1996
Folder 07: Correspondence: Brooks Air Force Base and San Antonio Mission National Historic Park Plus SWRO re: Contamination, 1995
Folder 08: Correspondence: Chaco Culture, 1996
Folder 09: Correspondence: Cincinnati Museum Center, 1996
Folder 10: Correspondence: Citizen’s Council on Voyageurs, 1995
Folder 11: Correspondence: Civil War Round Table Associates, 1994
Folder 12: Correspondence: Colonel Henry J. Pratt, 1997
Folder 13: Correspondence: Cooperating Associations, 1994
Folder 14: Correspondence: Customer Information and Satisfaction Survey Steamtown National Historic Site, 1995
Folder 15: Correspondence: Death Valley Project, 1995
Folder 16: Correspondence: Design for Integrity, 1994
Folder 17: Correspondence: Georgetown Waterfront, 1996
Folder 18: Correspondence: Golden Gate National Park Association, 1996
BOX 19
Folder 01: Correspondence: “Hidden Cities,” 1996
Folder 02: Correspondence: International Centre for the Study of Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property, June 1993
Folder 03: Correspondence: Jacqueline Kennedy-Patricia Nixon Memorial Grant, 1995
Folder 04: Correspondence: Kaho-olawe Island, 1995
Folder 05: Correspondence: Merry-Go-Round Farm, 1995
Folder 06: Correspondence: National Constitution Center, 1995
Folder 07: Correspondence: National Heritage Memorial Fund, England, 1994
Folder 08: Correspondence: National Leadership Council, Fiscal Year 1997 Training Budget, 1996
Folder 09: Correspondence: Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program, March 1994
Folder 10: Correspondence: Nez Perce Collection, 1992-1994
Folder 11: Correspondence: Oxford Companion Contribution, 1996
Folder 12: Correspondence: Native American Telecommunications, 1996
BOX 20
Folder 01: Correspondence: Nursery Nature Walks, 1995
Folder 02: Correspondence: Public Art, 1989-1995
Folder 03: Correspondence: Reports: Biodiversity Gap Analysis, 1995
Folder 04: Correspondence: Reports: Capulin Volcano National Monument Boundary Study, 1994
Folder 05: Correspondence: Reports: Channel Islands National Park Environmental and Cultural Center – A Proposal, 1994
Folder 06: Correspondence: Reports: Crossroads to Posterity – The Funding of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, 1997
Folder 07: Correspondence: Reports: M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, 1992
Folder 08: Correspondence: Reports: National Parks and Conservation Association, 1997
Folder 09: Correspondence: Reports: New York State Canal Recreationway Plan Executive Summary, 1995-1997
Folder 10: Correspondence: Reports: Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station Aguanga, CA, 1993
Folder 11: Correspondence: Reports: Protect Historic America – Disney and Manassas, 1994
Folder 12: Correspondence: Reports: Redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue, 1996
Folder 13: Correspondence: Reports: Super Center, Atlanta, Georgia, June 1993
Folder 14: Correspondence: Reports: Washington Tennis Foundation, 1995
Folder 15: Correspondence: Roger Contor Lecture, 1995
BOX 21
Folder 01: Correspondence: Rural Tourism, 1996
Folder 02: Correspondence: Saving Face – How Corporate America Franchise Design Can Respect Community Identity, 1994
Folder 03: Correspondence: Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Historic Preservation Plan, 1996
Folder 04: Correspondence: Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford-Stuyvesant History, 1994
Folder 05: Correspondence: Spirit of Yellowstone, 1996
Folder 06: Correspondence: Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., 1997
Folder 07: Correspondence: Urban Resource Partnership Initiative, 1994
Folder 08: Correspondence: Yosemite Fund, 1996
Folder 09: Memoranda, 1993Folder 10: News Clippings, 1995
Folder 11: Publications: “Ecological Understanding,” 1995
Folder 12: Publications: Hungarian Quarterly: Boundary Waters, 1996-1997
Folder 13: Publications: Jefferson and the Indians, 1992
BOX 22
Folder 01: Publications: Leadership for the 21st Century, 1990
Folder 02: Publications: “Lightly on the Land – The SCA Trail-Building and Maintenance Manual,” 1996
Folder 03: Publications: “Mariners’ Museum Journal,” 1996-1997
Folder 04: Publications: “National Cathedral School,” 1994
Folder 05: Publications: “National Parks of the West,” September 1993
Folder 06: Publications: “On the Upward Trail with a Park Ranger – Isle Royale National Park 1950-1955,” 1997
Folder 07: Publications: “Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings,” 1992
Folder 08: Publications: “Technology and Culture,” 1995
Folder 09: Publications: “Westward to Promontory: Building the Union Pacific Across the Plains and Mountains,” 1986
Folder 10: Publications: “When the Wolves Return,” 1995
Folder 11: Publications: “William DcDonough Architects,” 1992
Folder 12: Statement of Director to Subcommittees and House Committee, 1995