Abramson family papers, 1938-2016

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  Abramson family

Title:  Abramson family papers, 1938-2016

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.

Size of Collection:  5 cu. ft., 1 wrapped vol., 1 ovsz. fld., 2 audio cassettes, 4 reels of 1/4 inch audio tape, 13 digital files (8.4 GB)

Location Number:  Mss. A A158

Biographical Note

Jerry Edwin Abramson (1946- ) had a career which took him from a small grocery at the corner of Preston and Jacob Street to City Hall in Louisville, the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, and finally to an office in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC.

Abramson was born in Louisville, Kentucky on September 12, 1946, at Jewish Hospital.  His parents were Roy Abramson (1917-1998) and Shirley Botwick Abramson (1920-2002), and he has one sibling Sheilah Abramson-Miles (1950- ).

Abramson attended the Louisville public schools of Greathouse and Hawthorne Elementary, Seneca Middle School, and Seneca High School, graduating in 1964. During high school he was active in the teen programs at the Jewish Community Center, particularly the national high school fraternity AZA (Aleph Zedek Aleph) sponsored by B’nai B’rith, an international Jewish social and service organization. Abramson assumed a leadership role locally in the Resnick AZA chapter and regionally in the KIO (Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio) district. At Seneca High School he played in the marching band, was active in debate, and sang in the rock band Apollo and the Sunsetters.

In 1964 Abramson began his undergraduate career at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He was a member of the ZBT (Zeta Beta Tau) Jewish social fraternity. In 1966, Abramson ran for and was elected to the IU Union Board.  The Union Board was responsible for programming at the Indiana Memorial Union, then the largest student union complex in the world. He was also selected for the Indiana University Foundation, which oversaw Little 500 Weekend, a 50-mile bicycle race described as the “World’s Greatest College Weekend.”

In the spring of 1968 Abramson became involved in the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy. He was selected to lead Youth for Kennedy during the Indiana primary. Meeting, working, and traveling with Senator Kennedy had a profound effect on Abramson and inspired him to pursue a career in public service. Sadly, at the time of Abramson’s graduation from Indiana University, Senator Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.  Abramson was invited to be on the funeral train from New York to Washington but declined because it would prevent him from attending his graduation ceremony.

In the fall of 1968 Abramson began his legal studies at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. During the summer of 1969 he was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He took basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky and spent the remainder of his military career serving in the Judge Advocates Office at Fort Knox and the Presidio in San Francisco, CA. He left the service in the spring of 1971 and resumed law school at Georgetown where he had been elected to the Georgetown Law Review.

After graduating from Georgetown in the spring of 1973, Abramson returned to Louisville and took an Associate position at the Greenebaum, Doll, Matthews and Boone law firm. He also became active in both the secular and Jewish communities. In 1975 he ran for and was elected 3rd Ward Alderman in the Louisville Board of Aldermen. Abramson served two terms on the Board of Aldermen from 1975 to 1979.  In 1980 Governor John Y. Brown chose him to be his general counsel and secretary of justice. He served in this position through 1981. Eventually Abramson became a partner in the Greenebaum, Doll and McDonald law firm.

In the early 1980s Abramson decided to run for mayor of Louisville. He was elected as mayor in 1985 and served until 1998. Jerry Abramson earned the nickname “Mayor for Life” as eventually he became the longest serving mayor in Louisville’s history.

During Abramson’s first term as mayor on June 24, 1989, he married Madeline Malley Miller (1955- ). Prior to Madeline’s marriage to Jerry, she converted to Judaism. Madeline grew up in a Catholic family in Louisville’s South End. They were active in the Democratic party and with the Kentucky Irish American newspaper. Madeline graduated from Holy Rosary Academy in 1973. She earned an Associate Degree in Real Estate from Jefferson Community College and an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies from the University of Louisville. She worked at a variety of firms, ultimately becoming Executive Assistant to the General Counsel of US Bank and a Member of the Advisory Board.  In 1991 the Abramsons adopted their son, Sidney (1991- ). In 2016 Sidney Abramson married Kandice Oppell; they have two children, Grayson Robert Abramson (2018- ) and Ruby Jane Abramson (2021- ).

Highlights of Jerry Abramson’s first terms (1985-1998) include the $700 million expansion of Louisville International Airport; the creation of Waterfront Park as part of the revitalization of Downtown Louisville; and the expansion of the local economy by recruiting Yum Brands and the Presbyterian (Church) USA to relocate to Louisville. In 1994 he was elected president of the United States Conference of Mayors.

After completing three terms as mayor in 1998, Abramson returned to the practice of law at Frost, Brown, Todd. During this time frame there was a successful campaign to merge the governments of Louisville and Jefferson County into the Louisville Metro government.  Abramson was instrumental in this campaign. He was selected to run for the position of the first mayor of Louisville Metro, a position he occupied from 2002-2010.  Abramson integrated the two pre-existing governments into one system.

At the end of Abramson’s second term as metro mayor, he decided not to run for a final third term. For many years he had been friendly with Steve Beshear, who was serving his first term as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Beshear was seeking a candidate to run with him as his lieutenant governor for his second term, and Abramson joined the Beshear ticket. Abramson took office as lieutenant governor in December 2011.

In November of 2014 Abramson received an appointment from President Barack Obama to become Deputy Assistant to the president and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Abramson’s focus was to serve as liaison between the White House and state and local governments and indigenous tribes.

When Abramson left the White House at the end of the Obama administration, he resumed his faculty position at Bellarmine University. In late 2018 he left Bellarmine to accept a position at Spalding University as executive-in-residence.

References

Carol Ely, Jewish Louisville: Portrait of a Community (2003), pp. 122, 175, 201, 216, 219, 228.

 

Scope and Content Note

The collection documents the political campaigns and career of former Mayor of Louisville Jerry Abramson, as well as the civic involvement of his wife Madeline Malley Miller Abramson. Included are campaign and mayoral records, political correspondence, polling data, transcripts of speeches, newspaper clippings, and some personal papers, primarily from the 1980s-early 2000s. Jerry Abramson served as Louisville 3rd Ward Alderman (1975-1978), General Counsel and Secretary of Justice to Governor John Y. Brown (1980-1981), Mayor of Louisville (1985-1998), Mayor of Louisville Metro (2003-2011), Lieutenant Governor in the administration of Governor Steve Beshear (2011-2014), and Deputy Assistant to President Barack Obama and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (2014-2016).

Box 1 contains records documenting Jerry Abramson’s campaigns and terms in office, along with a small number of personal documents relating to Jerry, Madeline, and their son Sidney Abramson. Campaign materials pertain to Jerry Abramson’s Third Ward Alderman, Mayor, and Lieutenant Governor races. They include announcement speeches, financial reports, lists of contributors, memorabilia, event information, and polling data. With the memorabilia is a published copy of the 1992 National Democratic Convention speeches, signed on the front by Bill Clinton. Newspaper clippings relate to Abramson’s involvement with Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, Abramson’s terms as Mayor, his marriage to Madeline Miller in 1989, the merger of the Louisville and Jefferson County governments in 2003, and Abramson’s positions in Governor Brown’s and President Obama’s administrations. Political correspondence relates to Abramson’s mayoral campaigns and terms. District Dialogues consist of a disassembled scrapbook of documents and information about Jerry Abramson’s meetings with residents in every city district in 2002.

Box 2 consists of documents from Abramson’s high school and college years, additional records about Abramson’s campaigns and terms in office, and Madeline Abramson’s papers. Jerry Abramson’s political papers include Friends of Jerry Abramson Political Action Committee (PAC) records, campaign reports and information, Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor’s office documents, biographies and tributes, and White House dinner invitations. Madeline Abramson’s papers consist of speeches, some correspondence, materials related to her civic involvement, and a few personal items. Folder 35 holds a few items relating to the Falls of the Ohio crossroads campaign in 2010, as well as a Zachary Taylor commemorative coin and a CD-R with a proposal for an illustrated activity guidebook to the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Boxes 3-5 contain scrapbooks documenting Jerry Abramson’s political career from 1977 to 2002. Some were put together by Roy Abramson and by Blanche Norman. The scrapbooks consist primarily of newspaper clippings but also include memorabilia, fundraising materials, invitations, and photographs. They document Abramson’s service in Governor Brown’s administration, his three terms as Louisville Mayor, his and Madeline Malley Miller’s wedding, his attendance as President of the United States Conference of Mayors at the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel with President Bill Clinton, the Louisville-Jefferson County merger campaign, and Abramson’s election as Louisville’s first Metro Mayor.

Folders 76-79 hold miscellaneous legal sized papers: campaign data from 1985; certificates for Jerry Abramson from the Department of the Army in 1971, from Jefferson County in 1985, and from the Kentucky Senate in 2003; Lester Abramson’s real estate records from the 1930s-1950s; and records relating to Steve Beshear’s Lieutenant Governor campaign in 1982-1983.

Volume 80 and folder 81 hold oversize items: polling data from 1985; a Kentucky State Board of Elections document certifying Steven L. Beshear and Jerry E. Abramson as Governor and Lieutenant Governor in 201; a Bachelor of Arts degree for Madeline Abramson from Bellarmine University in 2013; and an Air Force One flight certificate.

Folder 82 and Items 83-89 consist of digitized Abramson audiovisual campaign advertisements from the 1970s-1980s and event recordings from 1989-1998. These materials can be accessed on the library computers on-site at the Filson. The materials were originally housed on U-matic, VHS, open reel 1/4 audio tape, and compact cassette tapes. Two cassette tapes were retained, separated from the Abramson manuscript boxes, and stored with Filson audiovisual collections.

The Filson deeply appreciates the volunteer work of Rabbi Stanley Miles in arranging the Abramson family papers and writing the biographical note.

Related collections:

Abramson Family Photograph Collection, ca. 1965-2010 [020PC15].

Museum objects: New York City marathon cap [2021.30.1], “Mayors Care for You” United States Conference of Mayors pin [2021.30.2], “I Helped Build Waterfront Park” pin [2021.30.3], Jerry Abramson mayoral campaign button [2021.30.4], City of Louisville pins [2021.30.5-6], “Salute to Mayor Jerry E. Abramson” pin [2021.30.7].

 

Folder List

Box 1

Folder 1: “The Abramson Administration Accomplishments,” 1986-1993

Folder 2: Abramson family genealogy, 2001

Folder 3: Abramson family Jewish documents, 1989-2016

Folder 4: “Beyond Merger, A Competitive Vision for the Regional City of Louisville,” 2002

Folder 5: Campaign memorabilia, Louisville races and Democratic National Convention, 1975, 1980s, 1992

Folder 6: Campaign contributions and prospective contributors, mayor’s race, 1985-1986

Folder 7: Campaign documents, mayor’s race, 1984-1985, 1990-1995

Folder 8: Campaign financial reports, mayor’s race, 1985

Folder 9: Campaign packet, mayor’s race, 1985

Folder 10: Campaign questions and special request forms, mayor’s race, 1985

Folder 11: Campaign senior citizen dinners, mayor’s race, 1985

Folder 12: Campaign volunteer forms and information, mayor’s race, 1985

Folder 13: Campaign strategy and notes, lieutenant governor’s race, 2010-2011

Folder 14: Clippings Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign, 1968

Folder 15: Clippings Gov. John Y. Brown administration, 1980-1981

Folder 16: Clippings first term as mayor, 1985-1989

Folder 17: Clippings second term as mayor, 1990-1993

Folder 18: Clippings third term as mayor, 1995-1997

Folder 19: Clippings third term as mayor, 1998-1999

Folder 20: Clippings, 2000

Folder 21: Clippings merger campaign, 2002

Folder 22: Clippings Louisville metro mayor, 2003-2010

Folder 23: Clippings White House years, 2014-2015

Folder 24: Correspondence, 1964, ca. 1985, undated

Folder 25: Correspondence, 1984-1986

Folder 26: Correspondence, 1987-1989

Folder 27: Correspondence, 1990-1998

Folder 28: Correspondence, 1999-2014

Folder 29: “A Development Banking Enterprise for Louisville,” 1993

Folder 30: District Dialogues with Jerry, Districts 1-6, 2002

Folder 31: District Dialogues with Jerry, Districts 7-12, 2002

Folder 32: District Dialogues with Jerry, Districts 13-18, 2002

Folder 33: District Dialogues with Jerry, Districts 19-26, 2002

Folder 34: Downtown development, Louisville Central Area (LCA), 1985

Box 2

Folder 35: Falls of the Ohio crossroads campaign, 2010

Folder 36: Friends of Jerry Abramson PAC financial reports, 1985-1994

Folder 37: Friends of Jerry Abramson PAC records, 1988-1989

Folder 38: Friends of Jerry Abramson PAC records, 1990

Folder 39: Friends of Jerry Abramson PAC records, 1991

Folder 40: Friends of Jerry Abramson PAC records, 1992

Folder 41: Governor and lieutenant governor inauguration, 2011

Folder 42: Governor’s office documents, 1995, 2011

Folder 43: High school clippings and papers, 1962-1964

Folder 44: Indiana University clippings and papers, 1964-1968

Folder 45: Jerry Abramson law firm announcement and awards, 1974, 1977, 1998-2003

Folder 45a: Jerry Abramson alderman years scrapbook materials, 1975-1977

Folder 46: Jerry Abramson biographies, 2010

Folder 47: Jerry Abramson tributes at end of mayoral terms, 1998, 2010-2011

Folder 48: Madeline Malley “Vox Calliopus” certificate and inauguration guide to Washington, 1975-1977

Folder 49: Madeline Abramson civic engagement, 1990-2015

Folder 50: Madeline Abramson correspondence, 1994, 1998, 2015

Folder 51: Madeline Abramson speeches, 2005-2006

Folder 52: Madeline Abramson speeches, 2007-2009

Folder 53: Madeline Abramson speeches, 2010-2015

Folder 54: Mayoral inauguration invitations and notes, 1985-1986, 1989, 2003

Folder 54a: Mayoral stationery and Louisville Metro Government guide, ca. 1985-2005

Folder 55: Mayor’s cabinet retreat, 7 March 1994

Folder 56: Mayor’s contingency fund reports 2003-2011

Folder 57: Mayor’s campaign tabular reports, 2006

Folder 58: Mayor’s race opponents, 1985

Folder 59: Mayor’s race opponent, Kelly Downard, 2006

Folder 60: Metro mayor campaign reports and script, 2006

Folder 60a: Metro mayor campaign filing papers and announcements, 2001

Folder 60b: Metro mayor campaign finance committee, donors, and consultant report, 2001

Folder 60c: Metro mayor campaign, 2005

Folder 61: “Municipalities, Jefferson County, Kentucky” report, 1982

Folder 62: R. Harrison Hickman consultation correspondence and polling data, 1983-1989

Folder 63: United States Conference of Mayors pamphlet and report, 1994-1997

Folder 64: White House dinners, 1996, 2016

Box 3

Volume 65: Scrapbook, 1977-1984

Volume 66: Scrapbook, January 1984-May 1985

Volume 67: Scrapbook, May 1985-January 1986

Volume 68: Scrapbook, May 1986-March 1989

Box 4

Volume 69: Scrapbook, June 1989-July 1990

Volume 70: Scrapbook, July 1990-October 1991

Volume 71: Scrapbook, October 1991-May 1993

Box 5

Volume 72: Scrapbook, May 1993-October 1994

Volume 73: Scrapbook, 1995-1996

Volume 74: Scrapbook, 1995-1996

Volume 75: Scrapbook, January 1999-November 2002

Folder 76: Campaign data, 1985

Folder 77: Certificates, ca. 1971-2003

Folder 78: Lester Abramson Real Estate, Victoria Hotel, 630 W. Main Street, 1938-1952

Folder 79: Steve Beshear lieutenant governor campaign, 1982-1983

Oversize

Volume 80 (wrapped): Polling data, 1985

Folder 81: Certificates, ca. 2011-2014

Audiovisual (digital access only)

All items have been digitized. See the detailed inventory here: 020x30_Abramson_metadata.xlsx

Folder 82: Campaign advertisements, 1975-1989

1 cassette tape (2020x30_AV13) separated and stored in AVD-0001

4 reels of 1/4 inch audio tape separated and stored with AV collections

Item 83: Inauguration, December 29, 1989

1 cassette tape (2020x30_AV12) separated and stored in Cassette Tape Box 1

Item 84: Mayor’s Roast, April 20, 1991

Item 85: Mayor’s Thanksgiving breakfast, November 23, 1992

Item 86: Crime Bill Signing, 1994

Item 87: Leadership Louisville’s Tribute to Mayor Abramson, 1998

Item 88: Mayor’s Gala, November 13, 1998

Item 89: Mayor’s Farewell Gala, December 3, 1998