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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.

The Barbara Bates Gunderson Papers consist primarily of scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia documenting her public, political, and governmental career, with particular emphasis on her role as a U.S. Civil Service Commissioner and political involvement with the Eisenhower administration. The bulk of the material dates from the 1950s through the 1970s and reflects Gunderson’s national political activity, campaign work, and federal service.

The collection includes extensive newspaper and magazine clippings, black and white photographs, correspondence with U.S. politicians and White House officials, and material related to Gunderson’s appointment to and service on the U.S. Civil Service Commission. Highlights include items from her tenure as National Co-Chairman of the Citizens for Eisenhower Congressional Committee, documentation from her participation in the 1974 South Dakota Republican primary for U.S. Senate, and artifacts from events such as the Federal Woman’s Award Dinner and Civil Service-related conferences.

Scrapbooks form a substantial portion of the collection and offer a detailed visual and documentary record of Gunderson’s professional activities and public recognition. Several binders and albums contain photographs, invitations, speeches, telegrams, and keepsakes. A small number of items, including framed materials, plaques, and presentation pieces, further commemorate her contributions.

Also of note are publications, such as Advance Congregational Christian Journal, Harper’s Magazine, and the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute Proceedings, as well as two paperback book jackets from novels authored by Gunderson. The collection includes memorabilia related to her advocacy for women in government and her involvement with national political platforms and commissions.

This collection provides insight into mid-20th-century political campaigns, civil service reforms, and the evolving role of women in federal government leadership. It is a significant resource for studying the intersection of gender, politics, and public service in Cold War-era America.