Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message

Karan English Collection, 1978-1994.

NAU.MS.292
NAU.PH.97.54

Biographical Note

Karan English has had a long history of public service through political and social involvement. It began with participation in high school student government, continued with experience as a summer Vista Volunteer, and has extended throughout her later years of marriage and motherhood with active roles in neighborhood, community, county, state, and national politics.

Karan was born in Berkeley on March 23, 1949, and moved with her family to Redding, California just a few years later. It was there that she, her twin sister, her brother, and her two step-brothers spent the rest of their childhood. After high school she attended Shasta Junior College for two years, and then continued her studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. In 1971 she transferred to the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she graduated in May 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical anthropology.

She married Kenneth English in 1973, and had two children, Stacy in 1975 and David in 1978. In 1977 she and her family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where she began her most active participation in politics. She became a board member of the neighborhood Property Owners Association, organized a Committee for Voice in County Government, volunteered to be a Deputy Registrar, and was appointed as a local precinct committeewoman for the Democratic Party. She also became a board member for several different arts, education, and business organizations in Flagstaff.

It was an ongoing neighborhood water and sewer problem that led her to run for the County Board of Supervisors in 1980. Her win gave her the distinction of being one of the first two women ever elected to the Board. Three years later, she was the first woman elected Chairperson of the Board. In 1984, she won re-election as a County Supervisor, and was elected to Chair again as well.

In the late 1980s Karan's marriage ended and she became a single parent. This additional challenge did not put a stop to her political career. She campaigned for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives in 1986 and was elected by the voters of Northern Arizona's District 2. She won a second term in the House in 1988. From there she went on to run for the Arizona Senate, and became Senator English from 1991 to 1992. As a member of the state Senate, she served on the Environment Committee (which she chaired) and on the Education and the Transportation Committees.

In 1992 Karan married Rob Elliott, a local businessman with three children of his own. That same year, she decided to run for the United States House of Representatives. It was a close race, but when Republican Barry Goldwater crossed party lines to endorse English, her election was nearly guaranteed. With a 12 percentage point victory, State Senator English became "U.S. Congresswoman English." This made her one of 52 women elected to Congress nationwide, in that history-making year of "an unprecedented number of female winners."

While in Congress, Karan requested and was selected to serve on the Committee on Natural Resources and on the Committee on Education and Labor. This not only reflected her own continuing interest in environmental, educational, and economic development issues, but also allowed her to have a greater influence on the concerns that were most important to her home state constituents. During these years she served on several subcommittees: National Parks, Forests and Public Lands; Native American Affairs; Oversights and Investigations; and two separate education subcommittees.

Throughout all these various political positions, Karan has distinguished herself by participating in numerous organizations, by listening and responding to the citizens she represented, by designing and proposing a vast array of significant legislation, and by winning many honors and awards. Though no longer in public office, Karan has continued to live, work, and volunteer in the Flagstaff community.

Scope and Content Note

The Karan English Papers make up an extensive collection of documents covering the business and issues of Northern Arizona's Coconino County, of the state of Arizona, and of the U.S. federal government from 1981 to 1994. These papers include correspondence, reports, articles, newsletters, fact sheets, speeches, appointment books, daily schedules, position papers, press releases, meeting agendas and minutes, campaign materials, elections data, voting records, budget records, office memoranda, and numerous legislative issues files. Most of the photographs and maps included among these papers can now be found in the Photographic and the Map Collections of Special Collections and Archives. This manuscript collection is arranged in five series which run chronologically and follow English's political progression from Coconino County Supervisor, to Representative in the Arizona House, to member of the Arizona Senate, and finally to Congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives. The fifth series is a collection of news clippings covering numerous topics of local and national significance during her years in the U.S. House.

Series one covers Karan English's years of public service on the Coconino County Board of Supervisors. Divided into 8 subseries, these papers document both government activity and public response related to the important topics of the times. Numerous files in this section address the issue of aging-- especially with regard to the impact of an increasingly older population on society and social services. Related to this issue were the growing concerns about health care, and many discussions and proposals on that topic are documented here. Economic development was also an important subject at this time, especially rural development in a county as large in area as Coconino. Attracting new industry and implementing job training programs was a major goal of County government, and as a Commissioner of Job Training Partnership, English was very involved in these efforts.

Series two encompasses the records of Karan English's two terms in the Arizona House as a Democratic Representative from Northern Arizona's District 2. This series is arranged in 7 subseries and includes papers which reflect the major issues of concern to the nation and the State during the late1980s. These were the years when the impact of the AIDS outbreak first began to demand government attention. Nearly seventy folders in this series contain information on AIDS, from the national standpoint as well as from Arizona's own perspective. Environmental issues figured prominently during these years as well. Records of government action on air quality alternative fuels, environmental education, and recycling can be found here. In particular, hazardous waste was a looming problem that had to be addressed, and it receives a great deal of coverage in this series. One of the most notable achievements from this era was the creation of the Arizona Conservation Corps. Combining environmental advantages, job opportunities, and youth training and development activities, this program's record of implementation and success is fully documented here. And finally, of great local and national interest during English's term in the Arizona House was the impeachment of the state's governor, Evan Mecham. All the files of these volatile and controversial proceedings are included in this series.

Series three consists of papers documenting Karan English's term as a member of the Arizona Senate. Divided into 6 subseries, this section encompasses a broad range of issues vital to the state in the early 1990s. Environmental concerns remained paramount. Located here is additional information about Arizona's air quality, with investigation into particular toxic elements and their effects on human health. There is also continuing attention to Arizona's hazardous waste problem, as the idea of state responsibility for waste disposal was gaining more support. Of particular interest in this series are concerns about the Navajo Army Depot, and the toxic materials stored on the grounds there. The files on the Depot contain assessment reports, environmental impact statements, firefighting concerns, support agreements, and toxic materials lists.

Series four covers the two years Karan English spent as a Congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives. This series is divided into in 3 subseries, each containing the files from one of English's three separate offices: the Washington, D.C. office; the Flagstaff, AZ office; and the Mesa, AZ office. Within each of these subseries are several sub-subseries covering the numerous issues of local, state and national importance addressed by members of the U.S. House. Of greatest local interest in this series is the information on the expansion of Walnut Canyon National Monument, the proposal for the development of Canyon Forest Village at Tusayan, and the controversy concerning the Navajo Army Depot activity.

Series five is made up of English's collection of news clippings on the various topics of national and local interest during her years in the U.S. House. These clippings offer an interesting and alternative perspective on the issues: media reaction and citizen response to the goings on of government. Providing a finger on the pulse of the public, these files reveal the range of support, opposition, satisfaction, disapproval, and even outrage that various issues elicited.

Series six contains 20 campaign and presenation slides and 36 additional images from the Karen English Campaign.

This collection is a vast treasure of primary source material on numerous topics of local, state, and national interest, from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. In fact, many of the issues included here are still relevant concerns in the twenty-first century. In addition to being of substantial historical significance for the broad range of topics covered, the collection is also important for its reflection of--through Karan English's experience--the growing presence of women in government at every level.

The photograph collection contains photographs of congresswoman Karan English at a Phelps Dodge construction site, at a formal party, and meeting president Bill Clinton.

Organization

Restrictions

Restrictions

None.

Copyright

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Related Material

Access Points

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Karan English Collection, NAU.MS.292, Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Dept.

Karan English Collection, NAU.PH.97.54, Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Dept.

Container List