Associated Press - November 19, 2009 3:14 PM ET

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Retired Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa, a Basque American who served more years in elected office in Idaho than anyone else, is giving the rest of his personal and political papers to Boise State University.

The collection includes tens of thousands of items, including letters, photos, reports, clippings and other memorabilia that the university's library says will take more than a year to catalog.

Cenarrusa served in the Idaho House from 1950 to 1967, when he was named Idaho's secretary of state.

The 91-year-old, who held a state office uninterrupted for five decades, began moving his personal and political papers to Boise State University in 2004.

Library Dean Marilyn Moody says some parts of the collection will be included in a database of Basque literature the university created last year and made globally accessible.

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