Jump to Navigation

Senator Anthony Hensley Collection, 1992-2020

1    COLLECTION SUMMARY

1.1      Introduction

The Senator Anthony Hensley collection contains records created by him and his staff from 1992 to 2020. The records reflect his community-based service activities, the policies he supported, and the work he did as Senator. KSHS received the manuscript materials as a gift on December 15, 2020, from Senator Anthony Hensley.

1.2      Abstract

The collection is comprised of mainly manuscript material including constituent files; issue files; personal files with editorials, news releases, speeches, and thank you notes; and school finance. Additionally, there are digital files available on the KSHS server. The digital files parallel the manuscript materials in subject including editorials, letters, newsletters, press releases, and speeches. However, there are additional subjects in the digital files listed under the Contents List.

1.3      Dates

1992-2020

1.4      Quantity

16 cubic feet.

Digital files

1.5      Creator

Senator Anthony Hensley

1.6      Title

Senator Anthony Hensley Collection

1.7      UID and/or Call #

508984

1.8      Language

English

      1.9     Notes

This finding aid describes materials held by the Kansas State Historical Society. Materials may be used in the Research Room in the society’s Center for Historical Research during regular research hours. Support for telephone, mail and online research and reference is limited.

In a continuing effort to improve the completeness and accuracy of finding aids, revisions are made as more or new information becomes available. Consequently, this finding aid may differ slightly from what appears on the microfilm or on the Kansas State Historical Society’s web site.

       1.10   Repository

Kansas State Historical Society (Topeka)

 

2    BIOGRAPHY OR HISTORY

 

Throughout his years of public service, Anthony Hensley has been identified with improving the quality of education, access to affordable health care, tax fairness, safety in the workplace, job training, and fair wages. In addition, he worked for better community-based services for disabled, mentally ill, and aging Kansans.

Hensley was first elected to the Kansas Legislature in 1976 at the age of 23. He served 16 years in the Kansas House of Representatives before being appointed to the Kansas Senate on July 1, 1992. That same year, he was also elected the Majority Whip. The Majority Whip is an assistant leader for their party, responsible for making sure party members vote and attend quorums, occasionally filling in for absent majority or minority leaders. Hensley served as state Senate minority leader as well from 1996 to 2021. In 1997, Hensley was elected Senate Democratic Leader. In 2019, he went into his 43rd session that made him the longest serving member of the Legislature in Kansas history. He left office on January 11, 2021.

He is a lifelong resident of the 19th Senate District, comprised of eastern Topeka and Shawnee County, western Douglas and Jefferson counties, and all Osage County.

Hensley is a 1975 graduate of Washburn University and holds a master’s degree in Special Education from Kansas State University. Outside of his legislative duties, he was a public-school teacher for 43 years. He taught as a U.S. Government teacher at Highland Park High School, also his alma mater, for seven years before his retirement, but spent most of his career at a school for students with behavior disorders. He retired from teaching in May of 2018.

View his legislator resume online at the Kansas Legislature website.

 

3    SCOPE AND CONTENTS

 

This collection contains papers accumulated and created by Kansas Senator Anthony Hensley, District 19, Minority Leader, Democrat, during his time in office. Materials include constituent files; issue files; personal files with editorials, news releases, speeches, and thank you notes; and school finance. The digital files reflect these subjects. They were saved and donated by Anthony Hensley.

The 16 cubic feet boxes and digital files within this collection are in original order. The discerned original arrangement has a logical order to it for researching. Original order also maintains the Senator’s files authenticity and context since it allows a complete reflection of how his activities were completed, so original order was kept.

With that, the collection is arranged into 5 series: Constituent files, Issue files, Personal files, School finance, and Digital files. The files under the Personal files series are numerous and filed alphabetically, thus there are 6 subseries that match that organization. Additionally, there are individual names and labels on each file. See individual file name listing here.

 

4    CONTENTS LIST

 

Box 1

Series I – Constituent files, A-K

Box 2

Series I – Constituent files, L-Z

Box 3

Series II – Issue files, A – Ci

Box 4

Series II – Issue files, Co – G

Box 5

Series II – Issue files, H – Kansans for Life

Box 6

          Series II – Issue files, KNEA – N

Box 7                             

Series II – Issue files, O – Redistricting

Box 8

          Series II – Issue files, Regents – S

Box 9

          Series II – Issue files, T – Z

Box 10

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries I – A-C

Box 11

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries II – D-J

Box 12

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries III – K-R

Box 13

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries IV – S-W

Box 14

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries V – Miscellaneous

Box 15

          Series III – Personal files

                        Subseries VI – Caucus manuals

Box 16

          Series IV – School Finances

 

KSHS Server

          Series IV – Digital files

            Biography

            Desktop

            Documents

            Editorials

            Letters

            Newsletters

            Photos

            Press releases & statements

            Speeches

            Talking points

            Vote Explanations

 

5    RELATED MATERIALS

 

  • Attorney General opinions, ATLAS, view online
  • [Biographical newspaper articles on Anthony M. Hensley / collected and photocopied by the Kansas State Historical Society], KSHS library, K BB Clipp. v.193 Hensley, A.M.
  • Hensley to fill state Senate term / by Martin Hawver, KSHS Library, K 328 Clipp. v.49 p.252.
  • Job Creation Program Annual Report [electronic resource] / presented by Nadira Patrick, Manager, Job Creation Fund Program, Kansas Department of Commerce, view on KGI Online Library.
  • 1993 Kansas State Senate, photograph, available on Kansas Memory.
  • Members of 1997 Kansas State Senate, photograph, available on Kansas Memory.
  • Kansas State Representatives & Senators, photograph, UID 316059

 

6    BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

 

7    INDEX TERMS/SUBJECT HEADINGS/ACCESS POINTS

 

  • Hensley, Anthony M., 1953-
  • Hensley, Anthony M., 1953- -- Political activity
  • Hensley, Anthony M., 1953- -- Correspondence
  • United States. Congress. Senate
  • United States. Congress. House
  • Democratic Party (Kan.)
  • Kansas – History
  • Kansas – Politics and government – 20th century
  • Kansas – Politics and government – 21st century
  • United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century
  • United States -- Politics and government – 21st century
  • Kansas. Legislature. House of Representatives
  • Kansas -- Politics and government -- 1976-
  • Government correspondence -- Kansas
  • Legislators – Kansas
  • Legislators – Kansas – Shawnee County
  • Legislators – Kansas – Osage County
  • Legislators – United States
  • Legislation – Kansas
  • Legislation -- United States
  • Shawnee County (Kan.)
  • Topeka (Kan.)
  • Douglas County (Kan.)
  • Jefferson County (Kan.)
  • Osage County (Kan.)
  • Speeches, addresses, etc., American – Kansas

 

8    ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

 

8.1      Restrictions on access

 None.

8.2      Restrictions on use

Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The user is cautioned that the publication of the contents of this collection may be construed as constituting a violation of literary property rights. These rights derive from the principle of common law, affirmed in the copyright law of 1976 as amended, that the writer of an unpublished letter or other manuscript has the sole right to publish the contents thereof unless he or she affirmatively parts with that right; the right descends to his or her legal heirs regardless of the ownership of the physical manuscript itself. It is the responsibility of a user or his or her publisher to secure the permission of the owner of literary property rights in unpublished writing

8.3      Custodial History/ Provenance

This collection contains records created by Senator Anthony Hensley and his staff. In December 2021, Senator Anthony Hensley donated the material to KSHS. It was delivered to KSHS in 10 boxes and a flash drive.

8.4      Alternate forms

None.

8.5      Preferred citation

Note: [document and/or series description, date], collection title, Kansas State Historical Society.

Bibliography: [document and/or series description, date], Senator Anthony Hensley collection, Kansas State Historical Society.

8.6      Acquisition information (Accession #)

                       Accession #2022-012

UID #508984

8.7      Processing information (Processor name)

Olivia Banzet, archivist, 2025