Edward Jefferson's papers consist of his "personal" business files, and do not include his official correspondence as CEO of the DuPont Company. The papers primarily reflect Jefferson's "Head of State" role at DuPont and his membership on the boards of numerous business, trade, and educational organizations. The papers have been arranged in three series: DuPont Company and personal activities, Outside board memberships, and Speeches.

Files in the first series are in alphabetical order, and the speeches are listed chronologically. Contents of the files date from 1962 to 1992, but the preponderance of the material is from the period of 1979, when Jefferson was elected president of the DuPont Company, until 1987, after he retired from the position of chairman and chief executive officer. The files for this period include those titled “Office of the Chairman,” containing information on Conoco’s activities during the transition period following acquisition by DuPont. These files appear to be from the office of R.E. Bailey, vice-chairman.

The DuPont and personal activities files document the more ceremonial aspects of Jefferson's role as DuPont CEO, representing the company in meetings with world leaders, other corporate CEOs, and media representatives and serving on various state and federal panels. The records include travel arrangements, records of meetings, agendas, briefing books, biographies of dignitaries, presentation books, programs, and menus. The major topic, and the major event of Jefferson's tenure, is the bidding war between DuPont and Seagram for control of Conoco Inc., which ended in DuPont's control of Conoco and Seagram's acquisition of the largest single block of DuPont. There are records of frequent ceremonial trips to DuPont and Conoco facilities around the world and notes on both companies' activities in Europe and the Far East.

The files document Jefferson's devotion to promoting industrial research and development, including his sponsorship of David Hounshell's and John K. Smith's full-length study of R&D at DuPont, "Science and Corporate Strategy." Other topics include the promotion of energy conservation, industrial competitiveness, and the international balance of trade. There is a 50th anniversary history of DuPont's Haskell Laboratory for Toxicology and Industrial Medicine, as well as materials relating to General Motors' announcement of the Saturn automobile.

The outside boards files consist of minutes, agendas, annual reports, and financial statements for the many organizations of which Jefferson was a director, committee member, or trustee. Business corporations include AT&T, Chemical New York Company (a bank holding company), and the Seagram Company, Ltd. Trade associations include the Business Council, the Conference Board, the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Research Council (particularly the process for choosing a site for the proposed superconductive supercollider), and the President's Export Council. Educational institutions include the Center for the History of Chemistry, Columbia University, Tuskegee University, and the Universities Research Association. Jefferson also sat on the board of the Winterthur Museum, and there are extensive files on its management during the early 1980s.

The speeches, before a wide variety of venues, are arranged chronologically.