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Elmer Lore, Sr. was a State Assemblyman from the San Fernando Valley. His collection addresses issues of the 1930’s and 1940’s, in particular, unemployment, farm workers, Communism, labor movements, public assistance programs, and Democratic Party practices during the Great Depression. Lore took on the position of Chair of the Assembly Committee on Social Service and Welfare, just as the second great wave of twentieth century migrants descended upon California. This wave, some 300,000 migrants in total, consisted mostly of destitute South-Westerners from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. These were the men, women, and children who had been the victims of the Dustbowl Era. During Lore’s time in office, he communicated with the renowned labor economist, Paul Schuster Taylor from the University of California at Berkeley, who was working with the Resettlement Administration to improve housing and health care for migrant families. Taylor also happened to be the husband of legendary American documentary photographer and photojournalist, Dorthea Lange. In 1937, Lore received a copy of a report from Taylor entitled, Synopsis of Survey of Migratory Labor Problems in California, along with 52 photo prints of Lange’s most famous Dustbowl Era images. Lore would later use Taylor’s field reports and Lange’s images in order to promote relief through legislation. After serving three terms in the State Assembly, Lore made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1940. Although he was not elected, his political record and articulate legislative summaries caught the attention of Governor Culbert L. Olson, who put Lore to work in his office as the Legislative Liaison to the Assembly. Lore proved to be a man of many hats, as he also served as the California Democratic Delegate to the Democratic National Convention and as the Presidential Elector from California in 1940. The digital portion of this collection consists of photographs by noted photographer Dorothea Lange, correspondence, and documents. Additional materials are located in the University Archives.