The Records of Mayor Roland S. Vallee, 1964-1967

Introduction

The records of Mayor Vallee cover only brief portions of his four years in office and consist of 6 folders.

Biographical Note

Mayor Vallee
Photograph courtesy of the
Manchester Union Leader

Roland S. Vallee, known as the "singing mayor", served as Manchester's mayor from 1964 to 1967. Vallee was born in Manchester on November 13, 1929, the son of Wilfred and Marie Anna Hudon Vallee. He attended St. Anselm College and the University of New Hampshire. From 1948 to 1953, he served in the U.S. Navy.

Mayor Vallee began his political career as an alderman. He used his rich baritone voice as an easy way to make acquaintances and be seen by people. During his administration, Manchester was one of 75 cities chosen to be part of the federal Model Cities Program. As part of President Johnson's Great Society Program, the goal was to rehabilitate "blighted" city areas. Vallee's concern for urban renewal also sparked his involvement in the Amoskeag Millyard Project.

Vallee owned and operated two Manchester corporations: Val Construction Company and Valco Realty.

Mayor Vallee died in Palm Beach, Florida in 1997 at the age of 67.

Scope and Content

The papers of Mayor Vallee consist of 6 folders. They include: Architects, Cemeteries, City Library, Correspondence, Post Office and Planning Board. The location of the balance of the Vallee papers is not known.

Arrangement

Mayor Vallee's papers consist of correspondence and is arranged topically by folder. The material in each folder is then arranged chronologically.

Administration Information

The collection was processed by archivist Sally Stephensen in 2000 with biographical information written by Kathie Gardner.

Access

The records are open for research without restrictions under the conditions of the Archives' access policy. Records may be copied for use in administrative, scholarly or personal research. Researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use the material from the archivist.