ALBANY, N.Y. (May 22, 2003) -- The papers of U.S. Representative Gerald Solomon were recently acquired by the University at Albany Libraries. The Solomon Papers document Republican Gerald Solomon�s career as a U.S. congressman who represented the 22nd Congressional District from 1978 to 1998.

Fifty-three boxes of materials contain detailed information pertaining to his legislative activities, including voting activity, justification for his votes, and bills and resolutions he introduced and co-sponsored. Also of interest in the 60+ cubic feet of materials are the floor Statements, Remarks, and Extensions made by Solomon. In 1994, he became chairman of the House Rules Committee, where he overhauled House procedures, ending votes by proxy in committee and limiting committee chairmen to three terms. Representative Solomon was particularly interested in veterans, and he worked to promote a constitutional amendment forbidding the burning of the American flag.

Solomon began his career as a member of the New York State Assembly, 1973-1978, where he earned a reputation as a fiscal conservative who often found himself at odds with Republican Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.

Solomon died in October 2001. In 2002, the federal government officially renamed Saratoga National Cemetery in his honor to recognize his service and contribution to government.

�My late husband Jerry Solomon would be very pleased to know that his papers have been accepted by the University at Albany to be archived for research by students and scholars,� said Mrs. Freda Solomon. �I do hope these papers will be joined by the historical records of others who have contributed to the state of New York.�

�We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Freda Solomon, who has been very generous in her gift to Albany�s Libraries,� said Brian Keough, head of the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives. �The Solomon papers will add significantly to UAlbany�s public policy archive collections. We�re hopeful that this gift will encourage other public figures and political organizations to donate materials to UAlbany�s archives. These are, after all, a record of New York State�s political history, vital to scholars, and essential to our understanding of ourselves.�

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