Historical note:

            Gordon Leonard Belsey (1920-2000) was born in Providence, R.I. to William A. and Beulah C. Belsey. William A. Belsey (1885-1964) was a salesman and electrician who emigrated from England to the United States in 1905, lived in Cranston from 1916 to 1933, and purchased a home on Love Lane in Warwick circa 1935. Gordon Belsey was listed in the Warwick directories at the Love Lane address from 1940 to 1976. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1942, and served with the Army Air Force in World War II. He worked as an insurance adjustor for the U.S. Fidelity & Guarantee Company, and also served in various capacities with the Rhode Island National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1969. He was active in city politics, serving as City Councilman for Ward 9 from 1956 through 1971, and as president of the City Council from 1961 to 1971. Ward 9 covered the southeastern portion of Warwick, including the Potowomut neighborhood. Belsey resided in Providence from 1976 until his death.

Bibliography:

Rhode Island Cemetery Database

Providence, Cranston and Warwick directories

1920 U.S. Census, Cranston, E.D. 88, page 3 (William and Beulah Belsey)

Obituary, Providence Journal, 2000.

Return to top

Scope and content:

            Correspondence files constitute the bulk of this collection. Ward 9 residents wrote to Belsey with complaints regarding everything from stray dogs to trash collection, with street repair requests the most common topic. Belsey would then forward the complaints to the proper authority. His papers also include newspaper clippings relating to his activities and to Warwick government in general. This collection provides an excellent look at the most basic level of local government in the late twentieth century.

Return to top

Provenance:

            These papers were initially donated to the Warwick Historical Society, which in turn donated them to the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1999.

Return to top

Processing note:

            The collection was initially processed by Warwick Historical Society staff, and was arranged into six non-archival flat boxes. In 1999, the collection was reprocessed and housed in archival boxes and folders.

Return to top

Inventory:

Correspondence:

Box 1, folder 1. 1957-1959

Box 1, folder 2. 1961

Box 1, folder 3. 1962, January - June

Box 1, folder 4. 1962, July - December

Box 1, folder 5. 1963

Box 1, folder 6. 1964, January - June

Box 1, folder 7. 1964, July - December

Box 1, folder 8. 1965, January - June

Box 1, folder 9. 1965, July - December

Box 1, folder 10. 1966, January - June

Box 1, folder 11. 1966, July - September

Box 1, folder 12. 1966, October - December

Box 1, folder 13. 1967, January - April

Box 1, folder 14. 1967, May - June

Box 1, folder 15. 1967, July - October

Box 2, folder 1. 1967, November - December

Box 2, folder 2. 1968, January - March

Box 2, folder 3. 1968, April - June

Box 2, folder 4. 1968, July - August

Box 2, folder 5. 1968, September - December

Box 2, folder 6. 1969, January - June

Box 2, folder 7. 1969, July - December

Box 2, folder 8. 1970, February - June

Box 2, folder 9. 1970, July - November

Box 2, folder 10. 1971, February - May

Box 2, folder 11. 1971, June - December

Miscellaneous

Box 2, folder 12. Appointee list, 1971

Box 2, folder 13. Certificates, 1961, 1968

Box 2, folder 14. Clippings, 1961-1966

Box 2, folder 15. Clippings, 1967-1968

Box 2, folder 16. Clippings, 1969-1974

Box 2, folder 17. Log as councilman, June 1967

Return to top

Subjects:

City council members - Rhode Island - Warwick

Warwick, R.I. - Politics and government

End of finding aid - return to top

RIHS1822