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Name and location of repository
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Title
Date(s)
- 1934-2016 (Creation)
Extent
17.39 linear feet (11 records center boxes, 3 oversize boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Franklin Edward Denholm was born on November 29, 1923, to John J. and Laura Anna (Mathias) Denholm on his family’s homestead in Scotland Township, Day County, South Dakota. He worked as a farmer, operated an interstate trucking business, and became a well-known auctioneer after completing his public school education. He married Mildred T. Niehaus on June 12, 1950, in Webster, South Dakota. From 1950 to 1952, he served as Day County Sheriff and was a delegate to the South Dakota State Democratic Conventions during the same period.
Denholm earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from South Dakota State College in 1956, with additional coursework in economics, history, and speech. While at SDSU, he won first place in Men’s Oratory at the South Dakota Intercollegiate Forensics competition and national honors at Redlands University in California. He was active in several student organizations, including Delta Sigma Alpha, Toastmasters, the Ag Econ Club, and International Relations, and served as president of the Blue Key National Honor Society. In his final year, he was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.
He began graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, which were interrupted by his appointment as a Special Agent in the FBI by Director J. Edgar Hoover. He served in the Bureau from 1956 to 1961 in Washington, D.C.
Denholm received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Dakota and was admitted to the South Dakota Bar in 1962. He practiced law in Brookings as corporate counsel for the cities of Brookings, Volga, and White from 1962 to 1971. He was authorized to practice before the U.S. District Court (Southern Division), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the District of Columbia courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Tax Court. From 1962 to 1966, he taught economics, law, and political science at South Dakota State University and was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Denholm was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 92nd and 93rd Congresses, serving from 1971 to 1975. Among the legislation he supported and saw enacted were the Rural Telephone Act of 1971, the Rural Development Act of 1972, and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. The Senate version of his so-called “Denholm Bill” reinstated the Rural Electrification Act in 1973 after its enforcement had lapsed under the Nixon administration.
Following an unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1974, Denholm returned to his legal practice in Brookings. He remained active in civic and professional organizations, including Phi Kappa Delta, the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the South Dakota Peace Officers Association, the Izaak Walton League, and St. Thomas More Catholic Parish. He also served as president of the Kiwanis Club and as a trustee of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Denholm was recognized in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Government, Personalities of the West and Midwest, and Men of Achievement.
He died on April 7, 2016, in Brookings, South Dakota.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Frank E. Denholm Papers primarily document Denholm’s service as U.S. Representative for South Dakota’s First Congressional District from 1971 to 1975. The collection reflects his advocacy for rural America, particularly through his work to reinstate the Rural Electrification Act and support legislation on agriculture, rural water systems, and rural development. It includes extensive press releases, congressional reports, financial disclosures, and newspaper clippings related to his legislative activities.
Campaign materials feature prominently, with county-level organizing documents, bumper stickers, advertisements, and memorabilia spanning multiple election cycles. The collection contains correspondence, including exchanges with political figures such as George McGovern, Richard Kneip, J. Edgar Hoover, and Tom Daschle.
Denholm’s earlier and later careers as an FBI agent, sheriff, auctioneer, and attorney are also represented. Non-congressional files include his work in law enforcement, his private business ventures, and his involvement in regional civic life.
Visual documentation includes nearly 1,500 photographs and slides, many related to campaigns, official travel, and public events, as well as oversized items such as campaign posters and scrapbooks. Audio-visual materials include reel-to-reel recordings and 2-inch quad video tapes of campaign advertisements and congressional work.
The collection also features materials related to Denholm’s wife, Mildred Niehaus Denholm, who was active in his campaigns and participated in Congressional Wives’ organizations. Born May 9, 1927 in Andover, South Dakota, Mildred Denholm was a teacher and trained secretary with additional studies in music. The papers include her biographical information, correspondence with Frank Denholm, and documents relating to her role in the Congressional Women’s Club. She passed away on August 14, 2014.
Additional material includes Denholm’s autobiographical writings, family history, South Dakota State University coursework, speeches, public statements, and memorabilia such as awards, plaques, and a pen from the Nixon White House. The papers offer insight into South Dakota political history and mid-20th century rural policy advocacy.
The Denholm Papers serve scholars of political science, rural history, South Dakota state politics, and 20th-century congressional history by preserving a detailed account of one legislator’s efforts to shape federal policy to better serve rural constituencies.
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Conditions governing access
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Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
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Finding aids
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Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
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Subject access points
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Name access points
- Denholm, Frank E. (Frank Edward), 1923-2016 (Subject)
- United States. Congress. House (Subject)
- United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation (Subject)