In a November ceremony, Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) donated his congressional and personal papers to Mississippi State, formalizing a significant event for the university, said Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman.

"Congressman Pickering's papers will become an important part of an already significant congressional collection," she said.

The library's Special Collections already houses the papers of former U.S. Senator John C. Stennis and former congressmen G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, David Bowen, and Charles Griffin.

Now in his second term, Pickering was elected by 3rd District voters in 1996 to succeed Montgomery, who retired after 30 years in Washington, D.C. In addition to serving on the House Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science committees, the Jones County native is an assistant majority whip in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.