The Mary Lasker Papers

Profiles in Science: The Mary Lasker Papers: "In the decades after World War II, Mary Lasker acted as a catalyst for the growth of the world's largest and most successful biomedical research enterprise, with the National Institutes of Health as its centerpiece. She was a well-connected fundraiser and astute lobbyist who through charm and skillful use of the media persuaded congressmen and presidents to provide greatly increased funds for biomedical research. Driven by an unshakeable belief that the nation's wealth could be mobilized to unravel the mysteries of disease and find new cures, she developed a compelling political rationale for federal sponsorship of medical research, built a powerful lobby that won large appropriations for NIH, and pushed the agency into new scientific directions, at times in opposition to the scientific establishment.
The Columbia University Libraries Rare Book & Manuscript Library is the repository for the Mary Lasker Papers, which range from 1940 to 1993. The collection contains correspondence, reports, bulletins, clippings, photographs, awards, and printed material."