The Wesley Pruden Papers pertain to the personal life and career of Washington Times editor Wesley Pruden, Jr. Materials include correspondence, biographical summaries, military service records, resumes, passports, certificates, interview transcripts, press credentials, a memorial service scrapbook, and memo books. Other materials include photos and negatives; video tapes (VHS) and a CD of television appearances by Pruden on ABC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox, and PBS; and audiocassettes, primarily of sermons by Wesley Pruden, Sr. Audio and video tape titles are based on what was written on the original items and have not been screened for contents. Materials also include clippings, magazine articles, and newspapers.

Significant correspondents include presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, as well as materials related to Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Dan Quayle. Presidential materials include signed photographs and invitations to events. Other significant correspondents include Orval Faubus and Jim Johnson. Wesley Pruden, Sr., materials consist primarily of correspondence, but also include an interview transcript, recordings of his sermons, and newspaper clippings. Some Pruden, Sr., correspondence includes discussion of his activities with Little Rock’s White Citizens Council, while the bulk of it dates from 1967 when Pruden, Jr., was in southeast Asia.

Materials related to Pruden’s career as a journalist include memo books from newspaper stories on which he was working. Contents consist primarily of short notes. In general memo book titles are representative of the contents and are not necessarily comprehensive, and in most cases are undated. Commercial Appeal materials consist of clippings featuring articles by Pruden. National Observer materials include draft articles reflecting his experiences in Vietnam and southeast Asia, as well as photos, most of which were taken by Pruden himself. Washington Post materials consist primarily of his column, "Pruden on Politics.” Also included is the article, “The Miracle that Remade America,” a freelance piece published in the Detroit News as part of a special feature issue on cars. Correspondence related to his activities as a journalist may be found integrated with other correspondence.

Writings consist primarily of several drafts of Pruden’s unpublished novel, Texarkana Baby. Draft “version” numbers were assigned during the processing of the collection, and do not represent Pruden’s conception of nor the chronological development of the novel. Two versions of the work have no numbers but rather are designated by alternative titles, “Bombs Away” and “Gone with the War," designations created by Pruden. Also included are materials on the Higgins Boat (designated the “Higgins Landing Boat” by Pruden) used to transport troops from ships to beaches during World War II. They include both notes and draft chapters for a book by Pruden, as well as research materials including magazines produced by Higgins Industries in 1943-1944. The book was apparently never finished.

Most videos are grouped as either "television appearances" or "videos." The former group consists of instances in which Pruden's presence on the program is confirmed by the label. The latter group include television programs in which it is unknown whether Pruden was featured.