Benjamin Foster Papers, 1890 – 1990

Ms. Collection No. 751

• Biographical Sketch
• Scope and Content
• Descriptive Information
• Container List

Biographical Sketch

Wallace Benjamin Foster was born March 31, 1926, in Hutchinson, Kansas. He attended elementary and secondary school in Hutchinson. After high school graduation, Foster attended Miami University in Ohio (1944), Central Michigan University in Michigan (1945) and served in the Navy during World War II from 1944 through 1946. In 1951, Foster joined the Air Force Reserve where he served in the Korean Conflict, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He decided to continue his education and enrolled in the University of Wichita and the University of Kansas in 1953. There he obtained his law degree.

After receiving his law degree, he began practicing law in Hutchinson. He then became a partner at the firm of Blake, Jones, Hopper, Foster, and Allison of Wichita.

Ben married Lucinda Stevens, on October 29, 1955. She helped Ben with his campaigns, and also worked as an artist.

Benjamin Foster, a Republican in Wichita, began his political career in 1964 when he ran for State representative. He served as a representative from 1964 to 1968. Foster then decided to run for State senator. He held this position from 1968 until 1972, and then he lost the bid for re-election. During his Senate days, Foster also served as the third city Municipal Court judge from 1970 through 1972. In 1974, Foster returned to the Legislature by running for State representative. He continued to hold this position until 1990 when he retired.

During his many legislative years, Foster served on or chaired many committees. While in the House, Foster chaired the Memorials Committee, served on the House Judiciary Committee, served on the Ways and Means Committee and served on the Energy and Natural Resource Committee. In the Senate, he chaired the Elections Committee.

Foster’s most noteworthy appointments included assistant majority leader and speaker pro tem. However, two of Foster’s defeats included his running for lieutenant governor and losing in 1970 and also his loss for re-election to the Senate in 1972.

Foster was involved in important legislation throughout his career. His first bill that was introduced dealt with outlawing the use of hypnosis as a means of entertainment. Foster promoted highway safety measures. He also worked on bills concerning liquor by the drink, pari-mutuel betting, eighteen year old voting age and school funding. Foster remained active in the daily processes and activities of the Legislature and also in campaigning for re-election until 1990.

Besides being a politician, Foster was a writer. He wrote Whatever’s Right, a journal containing his daily actions and comments, and an article entitled “The Socialization of A Kansas Legislator: A Personal Account,” found in Reflections on Being A Kansas Legislator – 1 (1982), edited by Marvin A. Harder.

Throughout his life, Foster was a member of many social and political clubs and organizations. He belonged to the American Clydesdale Race Horse Association, Le Flambeau, the Tennessee Squires, the Society for the Preservation of Early American Art, the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas, and the Wichita State University Alumni Association. Foster was the recipient of many honors and awards as well. He was appointed honorary deputy sheriff of Sedgwick County, Kansas, in 1985. He was awarded lifetime membership of the Retired Officers Association, and he received recognition for scholarship in the field of history by Phi Alpha Theta.

Benjamin Foster died March 13, 1998, in Taos, New Mexico.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of legislative material, campaign material and correspondence for each year Ben Foster served in the Kansas Legislature, a scrapbook, a collection of newspaper clippings, honors and awards, membership cards, and manuscripts for a journal and an article Foster wrote. These include Whatever’s Right and “The Socialization of a Kansas Legislator” in Reflections on Being A Kansas Legislator – 1. The Kansas State Historical Society Library owns a copy of Foster’s work entitled “The Socialization of a Kansas Legislator,” found in Reflections on Being A Kansas Legislator – 1 (1982), call number: SP 378 Z C172r.

The membership cards, honors and awards range from honorary academic clubs to legislative clubs and committees.

The scrapbook contains articles about Foster’s campaigns and opponents.

There is also a large collection of newspaper clippings about Foster’s successes, personal and political.

The majority of this collection is the legislative and campaign materials and correspondence from each year Foster served. These papers include campaign pamphlets, expense records and letters Foster sent and received.

Besides his political papers, Foster has included some personal correspondence and invitations.

This collection is arranged into 26 series. Series 1 and 2 contain papers about Foster as a lawyer and as a judge. Series 3 through series 16 contain papers for each election year. These are divided into three subseries each including legislative materials, campaign materials and correspondence. Series 17 through series 21 are personal items including membership cards, honors and awards and personal correspondence. Several of the folders of series 18 through 24 are actually in oversize storage. The final series contains miscellaneous items.

Processed at a later date is a small quantity of distantly related family material. This material, series 26, pertains to the Brady and Parsell families. These families form the maternal side of Ben Foster’s genealogy.

Also included in this collection are five oversized miscellaneous folders located in oversized storage. Folder 1 contains the scrapbook (reproduced), folder 2 contains photocopies of newspaper clippings, folder 3 contains voter maps and demographic printouts, folder 4 contains legislative material, and folder 5 contains full page newspapers.

Descriptive Information

Processed by: Monica Oliver, intern / Robert A. McInnes

Date of processing: 1996

Volume: 2 ft.: four 5 inch boxes, one 2.5 inch box, and additional oversize material.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Benjamin Foster to the Kansas State Historical Society in 1991 (accession 1991MS048) and 1992 (accession 1993MS063). In accordance with Foster’s requests at donation, access to the collection was closed until his death.

Citation: Citations referring to this collection should include series and subseries titles and Benjamin Foster Papers, 1964 – 1990, ms. collection no. 751, Library and Archives Division, Kansas State Historical Society.

Container list