Richard Eardley papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 018

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, speeches, correspondence, reports, studies, court documents, and ephemera documenting Richard Eardley's tenure as a member of the Boise City Council from 1969-1973 and as Boise Mayor from 1974-1986. Notable issues documented in the collection includes policing, development of downtown, urban renewal, and affordable housing. Also included in the collection are original works of Darwin H. “Dar” Dodds documenting his imprisonment on Wake Island during World War II. Individual record series are described more fully below.

Dates

1941-1986
Majority of material found within 1974-1986

Creator

Eardley, Richard (December 23, 1928-June 30, 2012) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Select records may be exempt from disclosure under Idaho Public Records Act.

Conditions Governing Use

Biographical / Historical

Richard Eardley was born on December 23, 1928, in Denver, Colorado. He moved to Baker City, Oregon, with his family at eight years old and graduated from Baker High School in 1947. While in high school, Eardley played sports and wrote for the school newspaper. He spent a year at Eastern Oregon College of Education before leaving to move to California for a construction job for a short time. Upon returning to Baker City, he worked as a journalist at the Baker Democrat-Herald, a weekly publication, and as the news director for the KBKR radio station. In 1950 he married his wife, Patricia, and they had three sons, Rick, Randy, and Ron. In 1955 the family moved to Boise, Idaho where Eardley worked as a reporter for the Idaho Daily Statesman from 1955-1958, and then as the news and sports director for KBOI from 1958-1974.

In 1969 Eardley was elected to the Boise City Council and served four years until 1973 when he was elected mayor. He served three terms as Boise Mayor from 1974-1986, one of only two mayors to have served for three terms. During his tenure as mayor, he oversaw the construction of the current Boise City Hall, worked to revitalize the North End Neighborhood, and helped create the Boise Arts Commission, World Center for Birds of Prey, Morrison Center, and Boise Greenbelt.

Richard Eardley passed away on June 30, 2012, in Boise, Idaho.

Extent

12.1 Cubic Feet (14 archival boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series, one of which has been further arranged in subseries. The content of each series and subseries are arranged alphabetically. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:
Series 1: Mayoral Records
Subseries 1: Administrative Files and Correspondence
Subseries 2: Boise Redevelopment Agency
Subseries 3: Speeches
Subseries 4: Subject Files
Series 2: City Council Records
Series 3: Dar Dodds Collection

Physical Location

Materials are stored offsite; advance notice is required for access.

Custodial History

Records were created and acquired by Richard Eardley during his 12 years as mayor and 4 years as member of Boise City Council. They were maintained by his family following his death. The details of how and when Eardley acquired the papers of Darwin H. Dodds is unknown, but it is suspected that they were connected through their work in radio.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Records were donated to the Boise City Archive by Randy Eardley on February 24, 2015.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Related Materials

Related material providing documentation of the collection creator’s experience as mayor regarding the firing and subsequent litigation of female police officers from the Boise Police Department may be found in the Idaho State Archives.

Processing Information

The arrangement scheme for the collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original order. The material was organized into seven series in 2015: Eardley Scrapbooks; Eardley Personal Writings; Eardley Boise Redevelopment Agency: Eardley City Council; Eardley City Documents; Eardley Correspondence; The Dar Dodd Collection. During reprocessing in 2022, materials were rearranged into three series. Records restricted from disclosure under the Idaho Public Records Act were removed.