Donald C. Macdonald Papers, 1892-1969

Donald C. Macdonald Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Donald C. Macdonald Papers, 1892-1969

ID: OGLMC384

Primary Creator: Macdonald, Donald C. (1891-1969)

Extent: 17.5 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

The Donald C. Macdonald Papers are organized into five series.

Series I: Political Materials

Series II: Personal Materials

Series III: Business

Series IV: Newspaper Clippings

Series V: Scrapbooks and Ledgers

Date Acquired: 00/00/1976

Subjects: Politics and Government - Nonpartisan League (NPL), Politics and Government - Republican Party, University of North Dakota - Alumni

Languages: English

Abstract

1891-1969; Active in both the Nonpartisan League and the Republican Party in Grand Forks County

Collection Historical Note

Donald Chester Macdonald was born July 26, 1891, to Neil and Isabelle (McLeod) Macdonald, in Hannah, North Dakota. He was inducted into the army at Roundup, Montana, on October 3, 1917, and served during World War I. He was discharged at Camp Lewis, Washington, on April 6, 1918, as a private. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1926.

Macdonald became active in politics after his return from the war and following the development of the Nonpartisan League in 1916. He was a candidate for the State Legislature in 1924 and for Congress in 1926. He was secretary of the Grand Forks County NPL from 1928 to 1938 and was chairman of William Langer's successful campaign for governor in 1932. In 1933, he was appointed a member of the Republican State Central Committee, serving through 1936. From 1936 to 1938, Macdonald was Grand Forks County Republican chairman. Prior to United States entry in World War II, he organized the North Dakota chapter of America First, a political group against U.S. involvement in the war.

Macdonald was an insurance agent in Grand Forks from 1925 through 1943 and reportedly wrote the first group hospital insurance program in the country in 1926. He was also a correspondent for the United Press for northern Minnesota and North Dakota from 1922 until 1940. From 1933 through 1936, he was district inspector for the State Regulatory Department and in 1951 was district inspector for the Attorney General's Licensing Department.

Macdonald was a Mason, Shriner, and an American Legionnaire. He was president of the Grand Forks Chess Club and from 1949 until the early 1960s was on the board of directors for the U.S. Chess Federation.

On September 25, 1928, Macdonald married Evelyn Salt. They had three children. He died December 9, 1969, in Grand Forks, and is buried in Hannah.

Subject/Index Terms

Politics and Government - Nonpartisan League (NPL)
Politics and Government - Republican Party
University of North Dakota - Alumni

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Method: Donation; The material was separated and transferred from the Neil C. Macdonald Papers, OGLMC 97, in December 1976.

Separated Materials: A total of 344 photographs were separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets. While most of the photographs depict Macdonald family members, other subjects include campaigning with the Nonpartisan League, chess events, and landscape photographs of northeastern North Dakota.

Related Materials: Neil C. Macdonald Papers: OGLMC 97

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Donald C. Macdonald Papers. OGLMC 384, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in May 2014.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Political Materials],
[Series 2: Personal Materials],
[Series 3: Business Materials],
[Series 4: Newspaper Clippings],
[Series 5: Scrapbooks and Ledgers],
[All]

Series 2: Personal Materials

Series 2 contains materials relating to the personal lives and interests of D.C. Macdonald and his family. It has been further subdivided into three sub-series: personal correspondence, materials relating to Neil C. Macdonald, and items pertaining to D.C. Macdonald's interest in chess. Arranged in reverse chronological order within each sub-series, this series covers the years 1892-1969.

Sub-Series A: Personal Correspondence

Box 5

Folder 1: 1969
Folder 2: 1968
Folder 3: May-December 1967
Folder 4: January-March 1967
Folder 5: 1966
Folder 6: 1965
Folder 7: 1964
Folder 8: January 2-December 18, 1963
Folder 9: April 2-December 13, 1962
Folder 10: January 2-March 30, 1962
Folder 11: September 3, 1961-December 19, 1961
Folder 12: June 5-August 17, 1961
Folder 13: March 1-May 31, 1961
Folder 14: January 10-February 28, 1961
Folder 15: October 2-December 30, 1960
Folder 16: June 1-September 27, 1960
Folder 17: March 2-May 30, 1960
Folder 18: January 6-February 29, 1960
Folder 19: October 1, 1959-December 31, 1959
Folder 20: June 3, 1959-September 29, 1959
Folder 21: January 11-May 28, 1959
Folder 22: January 22-December 22, 1958
Folder 23: January 3-December 27, 1957
Folder 24: Undated

Box 6

Folder 1: October 4-December 30, 1956
Folder 2: May 1-September 6, 1956
Folder 3: March 3-April 28, 1956
Folder 4: January 2-February 27, 1956
Folder 5: July 5-December 31, 1955
Folder 6: January 4-June 27, 1955
Folder 7: January 3-December 1, 1954
Folder 8: February 18-December 31, 1953
Folder 9: April 6-December 31, 1952
Folder 10: January 1-March 25, 1952
Folder 11: August 2-December 28, 1951
Folder 12: January 3-July 31, 1951
Folder 13: 1950
Folder 14: January 3, 1946-September 26, 1949
Folder 15: April 29, 1943-September 24, 1945
Folder 16: January 28, 1941-December 18, 1942
Folder 17: May 9, 1932-December 7, 1939
Folder 18: 1910-December 31, 1939
Folder 19: 35 mm film on insurance

Box 7

Folder 1: Kathrine B. Tiffany, June 1942-April 1949
Folder 2: 1960-1969
Folder 3: 1954-1959
Folder 4: 1950-1953
Folder 5: 1940-1949
Folder 6: 1918-1939
Folder 7: Undated
Folder 8: Personal, medical, September 1941-April 1969
Folder 9: Financial matters, 1936-1942
Folder 10: Insurance and Business, 1940
Folder 11: Income Tax forms, 1945-1968
Folder 12: Rental Dispute, 1944-1952
Folder 13: United Press Stringer, 1938-1942
Folder 14: Xeroxed material
Folder 15: Macdonald family material, relating to Isabella Macdonald and her attempt to keep family farm in 1930s, 1917-1944
Folder 16: Macdonald family material, 1904-1967
Folder 17: Macdonald family material, miscellaneous
Folder 18: Daily Record Book, 1941-1943
Folder 19: Daily Record Book, 1939-1941
Folder 20: Daily Record Book, 1937-1939
Folder 21: Record Book, 1940s-1950s
Folder 22: Miscellaneous material
Folder 23: Family - miscellaneous
Folder 24: Miscellaneous

Sub-Series B: Neil C. Macdonald

Box 8

Folder 1: Correspondence and miscellaneous material, 1899-1926
Folder 2: Correspondence - W.H. Taft incident, 1921
Folder 3: Harvard College material, 1921
Folder 4: Miscellaneous receipts and teachers' contracts 1897-1899, 1904
Folder 5: Normal Exponent (Mayville, ND), undated
Folder 6: Public School Income, 1908 (missing July 2013 - cataloged?)
Folder 7: Rural Schools and Rural School Consolidation (missing July 2013 - cataloged?)
Folder 8: Record of vouchers approved, 1915-1919
Folder 9: Teacher's Register, Bruce School District, Cavalier County, 1911
Folder 10: Teacher's Register, Linden School District, Cavalier County, 1908-1911
Folder 11: Teacher's Register, Linden School District, Cavalier County, 1912-1914
Folder 12: Teacher's Register, Osnabrock School?, Cavalier County, 1909
Folder 13: Teacher's Register, Alma School District, Cavalier County, 1901-1902
Folder 14: Teacher's Register, Osnabrock and Easby School Districts, Cavalier County, 1899-1901
Folder 15: Oaths of applicants for liquor (for medicinal use), 1912
Folder 16: Material on D.W. Hines and Farmers R.R., 1892-1897

Sub-Series C: Chess Materials

Box 8

Folder 17: Correspondence, 1953-1957
Folder 18: Correspondence, 1950-1952
Folder 19: Correspondence, 1944-1949
Folder 20: Correspondence, undated
Folder 21: Miscellaneous, undated
Folder 22: News clippings
Folder 23: Newsletters, publications
Folder 24: Chess Review, 1963
Folder 25: Image of D.C. Macdonald(?) for printing (metal on wood block)

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids