William Lemke Papers, 1901-2014

William Lemke Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: William Lemke Papers, 1901-2014

Predominant Dates:1901-1950

ID: OGLMC013

Primary Creator: Lemke, William (1878-1950)

Extent: 40.5 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1952. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Lemke, William, Politics and Government - Nonpartisan League (NPL), Politics and Government - United States House of Representatives, University of North Dakota - Alumni

Languages: English

Abstract

1878-1950; U.S. House of Representatives: 1933-1941, 1943-1950, and Union Party Candidate for President in 1936

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The William Lemke Papers have been divided into six series:

Series 1: Correspondence

Series 2: Speeches

Series 3: Press Releases

Series 4: Miscellaneous Political Papers

Series 5: Land Finance Company

Series 6: Miscellaneous

Series 7: Photographs

Collection Historical Note

"Lemke, William Frederick," written by Edward C. Blackorby, in the Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 4: 1946-1950, p. 479-481, 1974.

"Lemke, William Frederick (Aug. 13, 1878- May 30, 1950), agrarian leader and Congressman, was born in Albany, Minn., the second son and fourth often children of Frederick William Lemke, a farmer, and Julia Anna (Klier) Lemke. His father, a native of Prussia, had immigrated with his Lutheran parents in 1851; his mother, whose Catholic family had come from Bavaria, was born in Wisconsin; the couple reared their daughters as Catholics and their sons as Lutherans. In 1881 Frederick Lemke moved his family to Dakota Territory, where he settled on a homestead near Cando in Towner County in 1883. There he prospered, acquiring 2,700 acres by the mid-1890s and winning election to the state legislature as a Republican in 1900, the year before his death.

Lemke lost an eye in a boyhood accident, but apparently suffered no great handicap as a result. He graduated from the Cando high school in 1898 and entered the University of North Dakota, from which he received the B.A. degree in 1902. He then studied law at North Dakota (1902- 1903), Georgetown University (1903-1904), and Yale University (1904-1905). After receiving his LL.B. degree from Yale in 1905, he established a practice in Fargo, N.Dak. On Apr.16, 1910, he married Isabelle McIntyre (originally McGilvray), a stenographer in his office. They had three children: William Frederick, Robert McIntyre, and Mary Eleanor.

While at Yale, Lemke's friendship with the son of a Mexican senator had aroused his interest in acquiring land in western Mexico for colonization by Americans. In 1906 he organized a company which raised $400,000 through a stock offering and purchased 550,000 acres in Sinaloa and Tepic. The Mexican revolution that broke out in 1911, however, dealt the venture a blow from which it never recovered. Desiring a strong Mexican government capable of protecting his interests, Lemke applauded the seizure of power by the dictator Victoriano Huerta in 1913 and vainly urged President Wilson to recognize the Huerta regime. Lemke expressed his bitterness toward Wilson in his book Crimes Against Mexico (1915).

Impoverished by his Mexican debacle, Lemke became an attorney for the Society of Equity, a manifestation of Midwestern agrarian discontent founded in North Dakota in 1907. As a boy Lemke had witnessed the local successes of the Farmers' Alliance and the Populist party and had absorbed his father's concern for their programs, and he sympathized with the society's goal of giving the farmer a greater share of his product through the creation of a cooperative exchange. One outgrowth of the Equity movement was the founding in 1915 of a vigorous new organization, the Nonpartisan League, which sought to work within the two major political parties for agrarian reform. Lemke soon became one of its leaders.

Regarding himself as a progressive in the tradition of Robert M. La Follette, Lemke soon rose to a position of great political influence; he became chairman of the Republican state committee (1916-1920) and a member of the Nonpartisan Leagues' national executive committee (1917- 1921). In the gubernatorial race of 1916 he gained league endorsement in the Republican primary for Lynn J. Frazier, who was elected for the first of three terms. More important, Lemke was the chief architect of the league's legislative program, enacted in 1919, which created the state- owned Bank of North Dakota, a state grain mill and elevator, the Workmen's Compensation Bureau, a state hail insurance program, an industrial commission to oversee state industries, and machinery for rural credit loans and the building of low-cost houses for farmers.

In 1920 Lemke was elected attorney general of North Dakota. By this time, however, both his influence and that of the Nonpartisan League had begun to wane. The league's isolationism during World War I, the socialist background the some of its leaders, the financial boycott of North Dakota, Langer's withdrawal, and the league's opposition to wartime restrictions on civil liberties had made it the object of conservative attack during the war and the subsequent red scare. The deflation of 1921, which caused numerous bank failures and halted construction of the state mill and elevator, cast doubt on the viability of the League's program. Lemke himself was criticized for using a state loan to build himself a house and was attacked as a political czar who controlled the league newspapers and the Bank of North Dakota. In 1921 a legislative audit committee disclosed evidence of favoritism in the bank's policy or redepositing funds in institutions in which Lemke had an interest. These charges, though unsubstantiated, gave impetus to a recall movement led by the anti-League Independent Voters Association, and in 1921 Lemke, Frazier, and John H. Hagan, the state agricultural commissioner, were removed from office. Serious charges against Lemke were unsubstantiated and the indictment against him was dropped.

Lemke succeeded in getting Frazier elected to the United States Senate in 1922 but was himself defeated for governor. Thereafter he engaged in several business ventures, most of them unfruitful. He had hopes of being appointed ambassador to Mexico by President Coolidge, and hence abstained from league politics in the mid-1920s. As a result, the organization was captured by his opponents, who had long regarded him as too radical. Lemke ran for the Senate in 1926 as candidate of the short-lived Farmer-Labor party, but was defeated. In the presidential election of 1928 he backed Alfred E. Smith. Lemke was an early supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and led the successful campaign that gave Roosevelt North Dakota's votes in the presidential primary. The depression, his transfer of support from Smith to Roosevelt, and alliance with William Langer helped launch his second political career. That fall, with the endorsement of the league, Lemke was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican. Save for 1940, when he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Langer, he was regularly returned to the House until his death.

As the depression deepened, Lemke became a supporter of the militant Farm Holiday Association led by Milo Reno. A foe of production controls, he consistently backed the association's radical proposal for a "cost of production" system in which the federal government would fix prices on various commodities. He also authored and--along with Senator Frazier-- cosponsored bills to ease bankruptcy terms for farmers, create a Bank of the United States (the only state-owned bank in the country), and allow farmers to refinance their mortgages at lower interest rates. Despite the opposition of President Roosevelt, Lemke by a tireless personal campaign lined up sufficient support to secure passage of the Frazier-Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act (1934) and, when it was declared unconstitutional, its successor, the Farm Mortgage Moratorium Act (1935), which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1937. Known as the Frazier bills, before Lemke's election to Congress, the latter's sole authorship has been acknowledged by Frazier; they were introduced into the Senate by Frazier and into the House by Lemke.

Embittered by Roosevelt's refusal to support his program, Lemke in 1936 accepted the presidential nomination of the vaguely agrarian-inflationary Union party, recently formed by three anti-New Deal demagogues: Father Charles E. Coughlin, the Michigan radio priest; the Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith, an ally of the recently assassinated Senator Huey P. Long; and Dr. Francis E. Townsend, campaigner for old-age pensions. Long and Coughlin had supported Lemke's bills; but his association with these fringe elements eroded his influence in liberal circles, and his presidential candidacy drew less than 900,000 votes. As World War II approached, Lemke's isolationist sentiments were rekindled, and he opposed increased armaments and spoke for the America First Committee against the Lend-Lease Bill in 1941. After the war, as a member of the House Public Lands Committee, he sponsored a number of conservation measures - Land reclamation, irrigation, land flood control - and the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, and a liberalization of the Alaskan homestead system. He enacted several bills for the betterment of American Indians and to repay them for land taken in the construction of Garrison Dam, which he had worked to finance.

Lemke was serious and reserved, with stern features and a manner that reflected his farm background. Although something of a deist, he accepted his wife's later Christian Science affiliation. He died in Fargo, North Dakota, of a sudden coronary attack at the age of seventy-one and was buried in that city's Riverside Cemetery. Lemke's career, unlike that of more traditional politicians, defies easy characterization. A dedicated public servant, he tenaciously pursued those policies, however radical or hopeless, which he believed to be in the interest of his constituents. Many considered him an extremist, and his zeal sometimes narrowed his vision and led him into questionable positions or dubious alliances. Yet as architect of the Nonpartisan League's program in North Dakota and as Congressman, he introduced and achieved enactment of much responsible, liberal legislation."

Subject/Index Terms

Lemke, William
Politics and Government - Nonpartisan League (NPL)
Politics and Government - United States House of Representatives
University of North Dakota - Alumni

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional materials were donated by: the State Historical Society of North Dakota on May 16, 1983 (83-1077); the Institute for Regional Studies, North Dakota State University, in October 1993 (93-1924); Richard Freeman, Leesburg, Virginia, in February 1998 (99-2313); and by Craig Fuller, Associate Editor, Utah Historical Quarterly, on August 4, 2004 (2005-2740).

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

Acquisition Source: Isabelle Lemke

Acquisition Method: Donation; the original acquisition records are unavailable

Related Publications: Blackorby, Edward. Prairie rebel: the public career of William Lemke. <span class="EXLDetailsDisplayVal">Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1963.</span>

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). William Lemke Papers. OGLMC 13, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Processing Information: The collection was reprocessed in October 2015 and miscellaneous material not directly related to William Lemke was removed. The finding aid was added to Archon at the same time.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence],
[Series 2: Speeches],
[Series 3: Press Releases],
[Series 4: Miscellaneous Political Papers],
[Series 5: Land Finance Company],
[Series 6: Miscellaneous],
[Series 7: Photographs],
[All]

Series 1: Correspondence

This series consists of personal, political, financial and legal correspondence from 1901 until 1950. Included are letters of the Republican National Headquarters for North Dakota and the North Dakota Nonpartisan League, as well as correspondence related to Lemke’s 1936 campaign for President.

Box 1

Folder 1: Correspondence, undated
Folder 2: Correspondence, 1901-1903
Folder 3: Correspondence, 1908
Folder 4: Correspondence, 1909
Folder 5: Correspondence, January-April 1910
Folder 6: Correspondence, May-December 1910
Folder 7: Correspondence, 1911
Folder 8: Correspondence, Kreeger Real Estate Transaction, 1911-1919
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1912
Folder 10: Correspondence, 1913
Folder 11: Correspondence, January-June 1914
Folder 12: Correspondence, July-November 1914
Folder 13: Correspondence, December 1914
Folder 14: Correspondence, January 1915
Folder 15: Correspondence, February-March 1915
Folder 16: Correspondence, April-June 1915
Folder 17: Correspondence, July-September 1915
Folder 18: Correspondence, October-December 1915
Folder 19: Correspondence, January-March 1916
Folder 20: Correspondence, April-May 1916
Folder 21: Correspondence, June-July 1916
Folder 22: Correspondence, August 1916
Folder 23: Correspondence, September 1916
Folder 24: Correspondence, October 1-6, 1916

Box 2

Folder 1: Correspondence, October 7-9, 1916
Folder 2: Correspondence, October 10-12, 1916
Folder 3: Correspondence, October 12-14, 1916
Folder 4: Correspondence, October 15-18, 1916
Folder 5: Correspondence, October 18-19, 1916
Folder 6: Correspondence, October 20-21, 1916
Folder 7: Correspondence, October 22-24, 1916
Folder 8: Correspondence, October 24-26, 1916
Folder 9: Correspondence, October 26-27, 1916
Folder 10: Correspondence, October 28-29, 1916
Folder 11: Correspondence, October 30-31, 1916
Folder 12: Correspondence, October Telegrams
Folder 13: Correspondence, October Telegrams
Folder 14: Correspondence, November 1-4, 1916
Folder 15: Correspondence, November 5-20, 1916
Folder 16: Correspondence, November 21-30, 1916
Folder 17: Correspondence, November Telegrams

Box 3

Folder 1: Correspondence, December 1-12,1916
Folder 2: Correspondence, December 13-31,1916
Folder 3: Correspondence, January-February 1917
Folder 4: Correspondence, March 1917
Folder 5: Correspondence, April-May 1917
Folder 6: Correspondence, June-July 1917
Folder 7: Correspondence, August-September 1917
Folder 8: Correspondence, November-December 1917
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1918
Folder 10: Correspondence, 1919
Folder 11: Correspondence, January-July 1920
Folder 12: Correspondence, August 1920
Folder 13: Correspondence, September 1920
Folder 14: Correspondence, October 1920
Folder 15: Correspondence, November 1-5,1920 (1 of 2) (Including election returns)
Folder 16: Correspondence, November 1-5,1920 (2 of 2) (Including election returns)
Folder 17: Correspondence, November 6-30,1920
Folder 18: Correspondence, December 1920
Folder 19: Correspondence, January 1-24,1921
Folder 20: Correspondence, January 25-31,1920
Folder 21: Correspondence, February 1-9,1921

Box 4

Folder 1: Correspondence, February 10-19,1921
Folder 2: Correspondence, February 20-28,1921
Folder 3: Correspondence, March 1-10,1921
Folder 4: Correspondence, March 11-20,1921
Folder 5: Correspondence, March 21-27,1921
Folder 6: Correspondence, March 28-31,1921
Folder 7: Correspondence, April 1-7,1921
Folder 8: Correspondence, April 8-23,1921
Folder 9: Correspondence, April 24-30,1921
Folder 10: Correspondence, May 1-5,1921
Folder 11: Correspondence, May 6-14,1921
Folder 12: Correspondence, May 15-18,1921
Folder 13: Correspondence, May 19-20, 1921
Folder 14: Correspondence, May 21-23, 1921
Folder 15: Correspondence, May 24-31, 1921
Folder 16: Correspondence, June 1-2,1921
Folder 17: Correspondence, June 3-6, 1921
Folder 18: Correspondence, June 7-15,1921
Folder 19: Correspondence, June 16-20,1921
Folder 20: Correspondence, June 21-26 1921
Folder 21: Correspondence, June 27-28,1921
Folder 22: Correspondence, June 29-30,1921

Box 5

Folder 1: Correspondence, July 1-8,1921
Folder 2: Correspondence, July 9-18,1921
Folder 3: Correspondence, July 19-24,1921
Folder 4: Correspondence, July 25-31,1921
Folder 5: Correspondence, August 1-5,1921
Folder 6: Correspondence, August 5-10,1921
Folder 7: Correspondence, August 11-15,1921
Folder 8: Correspondence, August 16-18, 1921
Folder 9: Correspondence, August 19-24,1921
Folder 10: Correspondence, August 24-31,1921
Folder 11: Correspondence, September 1-7,1921
Folder 12: Correspondence, September 8-15,1921
Folder 13: Correspondence, September 16-22,1921
Folder 14: Correspondence, September 23-27,1921
Folder 15: Correspondence, September 28-30,1921
Folder 16: Correspondence, October 1-4,1921

Box 6

Folder 1: Correspondence, October 5,1921
Folder 2: Correspondence, October 6,1921
Folder 3: Correspondence, October 7,1921
Folder 4: Correspondence, October 8-10,1921
Folder 5: Correspondence, October 10-11,1921
Folder 6: Correspondence, October 12-14,1921
Folder 7: Correspondence, October 15-17,1921
Folder 8: Correspondence, October 18-20,1921
Folder 9: Correspondence, October 20-22,1921
Folder 10: Correspondence, October 22-24,1921
Folder 11: Correspondence, October 25-27, 1921
Folder 12: Correspondence, October 28-31,1921
Folder 13: Correspondence, November 1-7,1921
Folder 14: Correspondence, November 8-11,1921
Folder 15: Correspondence, November 12-19,1921
Folder 16: Correspondence, November 20-30,1921
Folder 17: Correspondence, 1921 P.J. Levalle
Folder 18: Correspondence, December 1-7,1921

Box 7

Folder 1: Correspondence, December 8-31,1921
Folder 2: Correspondence, January 1922
Folder 3: Correspondence, February 1-March 13,1922
Folder 4: Correspondence, March 14-31,1922
Folder 5: Correspondence, April 1-11,1922
Folder 6: Correspondence, April 12-19,1922
Folder 7: Correspondence, April 20-27,1922
Folder 8: Correspondence, April 28-May 3,1922
Folder 9: Correspondence, May 4-10,1922
Folder 10: Correspondence, May 11-16,1922
Folder 11: Correspondence, May 17-22,1922
Folder 12: Correspondence, May 23-25,1922
Folder 13: Correspondence, May 26-28,1922
Folder 14: Correspondence, May 29-31,1922
Folder 15: Correspondence, June 1-5,1922
Folder 16: Correspondence, June 6-8,1922
Folder 17: Correspondence, June 9-13,1922
Folder 18: Correspondence, June 14-19,1922

Box 8

Folder 1: Correspondence, June 20-30,1922
Folder 2: Correspondence, July 1-12,1922
Folder 3: Correspondence, July 13-22,1922
Folder 4: Correspondence, July 24-31,1922
Folder 5: Correspondence, August 1922
Folder 6: Correspondence, September 1922
Folder 7: Correspondence, October 1-7,1922
Folder 8: Correspondence, October 8-19,1922
Folder 9: Correspondence, October 20-31,1922
Folder 10: Correspondence, November 1-19,1922
Folder 11: Correspondence, November 20-30,1922
Folder 12: Correspondence, December 1-12,1922
Folder 13: Correspondence, December 13-31,1922
Folder 14: Correspondence, January 1-18,1923
Folder 15: Correspondence, January 19-31,1923
Folder 16: Correspondence, February 1923
Folder 17: Correspondence, March 1923
Folder 18: Correspondence, April 1923
Folder 19: Correspondence, May 1923

Box 9

Folder 1: Correspondence, June 1923
Folder 2: Correspondence, July 1923
Folder 3: Correspondence, August 1923
Folder 4: Correspondence, September 1923
Folder 5: Correspondence, October 1923
Folder 6: Correspondence, November 1923
Folder 7: Correspondence, December 1-10,1923
Folder 8: Correspondence, December 11-19,1923
Folder 9: Correspondence, December 20-31,1923
Folder 10: Correspondence, January 1-10,1924
Folder 11: Correspondence, January 11-31,1924
Folder 12: Correspondence, February 1924
Folder 13: Correspondence, March 1924
Folder 14: Correspondence, April 1924
Folder 15: Correspondence, May 1924
Folder 16: Correspondence, June 1924
Folder 17: Correspondence, July 1924
Folder 18: Correspondence, August 1924
Folder 19: Correspondence, September-October 1924
Folder 20: Correspondence, November-December 1924
Folder 21: Correspondence, January-February 1925
Folder 22: Correspondence, March-April 1925

Box 10

Folder 1: Correspondence, May-June 1925
Folder 2: Correspondence, July-August 1925
Folder 3: Correspondence, September-October 1925
Folder 4: Correspondence, November-December 1925
Folder 5: Correspondence, January-March 1926
Folder 6: Correspondence, April-December 1926
Folder 7: Correspondence, January-March 1927
Folder 8: Correspondence, April-December 1927
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1928
Folder 10: Correspondence, January-August 1929
Folder 11: Correspondence, September-October 1929
Folder 12: Correspondence, November-December 1929
Folder 13: Correspondence, January-February 1930
Folder 14: Correspondence, March-May 1930
Folder 15: Correspondence, June-August 1930
Folder 16: Correspondence, September-November 1930
Folder 17: Correspondence, December 1930
Folder 18: Correspondence, January 1931
Folder 19: Correspondence, February 1931
Folder 20: Correspondence, March 1931

Box 11

Folder 1: Correspondence, April-August 1931
Folder 2: Correspondence, September-December 1931
Folder 3: Correspondence, January-April 1932
Folder 4: Correspondence, May-July 1932
Folder 5: Correspondence, August-October 1932
Folder 6: Correspondence, November 1932
Folder 7: Correspondence, December 1932
Folder 8: Correspondence, January-March 1933
Folder 9: Correspondence, April 1933
Folder 10: Correspondence, May-June 1933
Folder 11: Correspondence, July-September 1933
Folder 12: Correspondence, October-December 1933
Folder 13: Correspondence, January 1934
Folder 14: Correspondence, February 1934
Folder 15: Correspondence, March 1934
Folder 16: Correspondence, April 1934
Folder 17: Correspondence, May 1934
Folder 18: Correspondence, June 1934
Folder 19: Correspondence, July-August 1934
Folder 20: Correspondence, September-November 1934
Folder 21: Correspondence, December 1934
Folder 22: Correspondence, January 1935

Box 12

Folder 1: Correspondence, February 1935
Folder 2: Correspondence, March 1935
Folder 3: Correspondence, April-May 1935
Folder 4: Correspondence, June-July 1935
Folder 5: Correspondence, August-September 1935
Folder 6: Correspondence, October-December 1935
Folder 7: Correspondence, January 1936
Folder 8: Correspondence, February 1936
Folder 9: Correspondence, March 1936
Folder 10: Correspondence, April 1936
Folder 11: Correspondence, May 1936
Folder 12: Correspondence, June-July 1936
Folder 13: Correspondence, August-September 1936
Folder 14: Correspondence, October-November 1936
Folder 15: Correspondence, December 1936
Folder 16: Correspondence, January-February 1937
Folder 17: Correspondence, March 1937
Folder 18: Correspondence, April 1937
Folder 19: Correspondence, May 1937
Folder 20: Correspondence, June 1937
Folder 21: Correspondence, July 1937
Folder 22: Correspondence, August 1937
Folder 23: Correspondence, September 1937
Folder 24: Correspondence, October 1937
Folder 25: Correspondence, November 1937

Box 13

Folder 1: Correspondence, December 1-19,1937
Folder 2: Correspondence, December 20-31,1937
Folder 3: Correspondence, January 1-9,1938
Folder 4: Correspondence, January 10-20,1938
Folder 5: Correspondence, January 21-31,1938
Folder 6: Correspondence, February 1-14, 1938
Folder 7: Correspondence, February 15-28,1938
Folder 8: Correspondence, March 1-20,1938
Folder 9: Correspondence, March 21-31,1938
Folder 10: Correspondence, April 1-16,1938
Folder 11: Correspondence, April 17-30,1938
Folder 12: Correspondence, May 1-16, 1938
Folder 13: Correspondence, May 17-31,1938
Folder 14: Correspondence, June 1938
Folder 15: Correspondence, July 1-20,1938
Folder 16: Correspondence, July 21-31,1938
Folder 17: Correspondence, August 1-7,1938
Folder 18: Correspondence, August 8-13,1938
Folder 19: Correspondence, August 14-19,1938
Folder 20: Correspondence, August 20-31,1938
Folder 21: Correspondence, September 1-20,1938

Box 14

Folder 1: Correspondence, September 21-30,1938
Folder 2: Correspondence, October 1938
Folder 3: Correspondence, November 1-18,1938
Folder 4: Correspondence, November 19-30,1938
Folder 5: Correspondence, December 1-14,1938
Folder 6: Correspondence, December 15-22,1938
Folder 7: Correspondence, December 23-27,1938
Folder 8: Correspondence, December 27-31,1938
Folder 9: Correspondence, January 1-3,1939
Folder 10: Correspondence, January 4-7,1939
Folder 11: Correspondence, January 8-11,1939
Folder 12: Correspondence, January 12-16,1939
Folder 13: Correspondence, January 17-19,1939
Folder 14: Correspondence, January 20-22,1939
Folder 15: Correspondence, January 23-26,1939
Folder 16: Correspondence, January 27-29 1939
Folder 17: Correspondence, January 30-31,1939
Folder 18: Correspondence, February 1-2 1939
Folder 19: Correspondence, February 3-6,1939

Box 15

Folder 1: Correspondence, February 7-8,1939
Folder 2: Correspondence, February 9-12,1939
Folder 3: Correspondence, February 12-14,1939
Folder 4: Correspondence, February 15-16,1939
Folder 5: Correspondence, February 17-19, 1939
Folder 6: Correspondence, February 20-21,1939
Folder 7: Correspondence, February 22-23, 1939
Folder 8: Correspondence, February 24-25,1939
Folder 9: Correspondence, February 26-28,1939
Folder 10: Correspondence, March 1-3,1939
Folder 11: Correspondence, March 4-6,1939
Folder 12: Correspondence, March 7-8,1939
Folder 13: Correspondence, March 9-12,1939
Folder 14: Correspondence, March 13-15,1939
Folder 15: Correspondence, March 16-19,1939
Folder 16: Correspondence, March 20-22, 1939
Folder 17: Correspondence, March 23-25,1939
Folder 18: Correspondence, March 26-28,1939
Folder 19: Correspondence, March 29-31,1939
Folder 20: Correspondence, April 1-5, 1939

Box 16

Folder 1: Correspondence, April 6-9,1939
Folder 2: Correspondence, April 10-12,1939
Folder 3: Correspondence, April 13-15,1939
Folder 4: Correspondence, April 16-19,1939
Folder 5: Correspondence, April 20-23,1939
Folder 6: Correspondence, April 24-27,1939
Folder 7: Correspondence, April 28-30, 1939
Folder 8: Correspondence, May 1-4, 1939
Folder 9: Correspondence, May 5-9,1939
Folder 10: Correspondence, May 9-12,1939
Folder 11: Correspondence, May 11-18,1939
Folder 12: Correspondence, May 18-23,1939
Folder 13: Correspondence, May 24-26, 1939
Folder 14: Correspondence, May 27-31,1939
Folder 15: Correspondence, June 1-7,1939
Folder 16: Correspondence, June 8-14,1939
Folder 17: Correspondence, June 15-19,1939
Folder 18: Correspondence, June 20-24 1939

Box 17

Folder 1: Correspondence, June 25-28,1939
Folder 2: Correspondence, June 29-30,1939
Folder 3: Correspondence, July 1-10,1939
Folder 4: Correspondence, July 11-17,1939
Folder 5: Correspondence, July 18-24,1939
Folder 6: Correspondence, July 25-28,1939
Folder 7: Correspondence, July 29-31,1939
Folder 8: Correspondence, August 1-7,1939
Folder 9: Correspondence, August 8-15,1939
Folder 10: Correspondence, August 16-22,1939
Folder 11: Correspondence, August 23-31,1939
Folder 12: Correspondence, September 1-7,1939
Folder 13: Correspondence, September 8-23,1939
Folder 14: Correspondence, September 24-30,1939
Folder 15: Correspondence, October 1-12, 1939
Folder 16: Correspondence, October 13-22,1939
Folder 17: Correspondence, October 23-31,1939
Folder 18: Correspondence, November 1-13,1939

Box 18

Folder 1: Correspondence, November 14-30,1939
Folder 2: Correspondence, December 1-12,1939
Folder 3: Correspondence, December 13-19,1939
Folder 4: Correspondence, December 20-31,1939
Folder 5: Correspondence, January 1-8,1940
Folder 6: Correspondence, January 9-14,1940
Folder 7: Correspondence, January 15-18,1940
Folder 8: Correspondence, January 19-23,1940
Folder 9: Correspondence, January 24-26,1940
Folder 10: Correspondence, January 27-29,1940
Folder 11: Correspondence, January 30-31,1940
Folder 12: Correspondence, February 1-6,1940
Folder 13: Correspondence, February 7-11,1940
Folder 14: Correspondence, February 12-15,1940
Folder 15: Correspondence, February 16-21,1940
Folder 16: Correspondence, February 22-25,1940
Folder 17: Correspondence, February 26-27,1940
Folder 18: Correspondence, February 28-29,1940

Box 19

Folder 1: Correspondence, March 1-5,1940
Folder 2: Correspondence, March 6-9,1940
Folder 3: Correspondence, March 9-11,1940
Folder 4: Correspondence, March 12-15,1940
Folder 5: Correspondence, March 16-19,1940
Folder 6: Correspondence, March 20-22,1940
Folder 7: Correspondence, March 23-26,1940
Folder 8: Correspondence, March 27-31,1940
Folder 9: Correspondence, April 1-4,1940
Folder 10: Correspondence, April 5-9,1940
Folder 11: Correspondence, April 10-13,1940
Folder 12: Correspondence, April 14-17,1940
Folder 13: Correspondence, April 18-19,1940
Folder 14: Correspondence, April 20-26,1940
Folder 15: Correspondence, April 27-30,1940
Folder 16: Correspondence, May 1-5,1940
Folder 17: Correspondence, May 6-8,1940
Folder 18: Correspondence, May 9-10,1940

Box 20

Folder 1: Correspondence, May 15-18,1940
Folder 2: Correspondence, May 24-31,1940
Folder 3: Correspondence, May 24-31,1940
Folder 4: Correspondence, June 1-10,1940
Folder 5: Correspondence, June 11-19,1940
Folder 6: Correspondence, June 20-30,1940
Folder 7: Correspondence, July 1-9,1940
Folder 8: Correspondence, July 10-17,1940
Folder 9: Correspondence, July 18-20,1940
Folder 10: Correspondence, July 21-28,1940
Folder 11: Correspondence, July 29-31,1940
Folder 12: Correspondence, August 1-4,1940
Folder 13: Correspondence, August 5-6,1940
Folder 14: Correspondence, August 7-9,1940
Folder 15: Correspondence, August 10-13,1940
Folder 16: Correspondence, August 14-19,1940
Folder 17: Correspondence, August 20-22,1940
Folder 18: Correspondence, August 23-31,1940
Folder 19: Correspondence, September 1-5,1940
Folder 20: Correspondence, September 6-8,1940
Folder 21: Correspondence, September 9-11,1940

Box 21

Folder 1: Correspondence, September 12-13,1940
Folder 2: Correspondence, September 14-18,1940
Folder 3: Correspondence, September 19-21,1940
Folder 4: Correspondence, September 22-25,1940
Folder 5: Correspondence, September 26-30,1940
Folder 6: Correspondence, October 1-9,1940
Folder 7: Correspondence, October 10-20,1940
Folder 8: Correspondence, October 21-31,1940
Folder 9: Correspondence, November 1940
Folder 10: Correspondence, December 1940
Folder 11: Correspondence, January 1941
Folder 12: Correspondence, February 1941
Folder 13: Correspondence, March 1941
Folder 14: Correspondence, April 1941
Folder 15: Correspondence, May 1941
Folder 16: Correspondence, June 1941
Folder 17: Correspondence, July 1941
Folder 18: Correspondence, August-September 1941
Folder 19: Correspondence, October-November 1941
Folder 20: Correspondence, December 1941
Folder 21: Correspondence, January 1942
Folder 22: Correspondence, February 1942
Folder 23: Correspondence, March 1942

Box 22

Folder 1: Correspondence, April-May 1942
Folder 2: Correspondence, June-July 1942
Folder 3: Correspondence, August-October 1942
Folder 4: Correspondence, November-December 1942
Folder 5: Correspondence, January-June 1942
Folder 6: Correspondence, July-December 1942
Folder 7: Correspondence, January-April 1943
Folder 8: Correspondence, May-October 1943
Folder 9: Correspondence, November-December 1944
Folder 10: Correspondence, January-June 1945
Folder 11: Correspondence, July-December 1945
Folder 12: Correspondence, January-April 1946
Folder 13: Correspondence, May-August 1946
Folder 14: Correspondence, September-November 1946
Folder 15: Correspondence, December 1946
Folder 16: Correspondence, Washington Report,1947
Folder 17: Correspondence, January 1947
Folder 18: Correspondence, February 1947
Folder 19: Correspondence, March 1-14,1947

Box 23

Folder 1: Correspondence, March 15-31,1947
Folder 2: Correspondence, April 1-15,1947
Folder 3: Correspondence, April 16-30,1947
Folder 4: Correspondence, May 1947
Folder 5: Correspondence, June 1947
Folder 6: Correspondence, July 1947
Folder 7: Correspondence, August 1947
Folder 8: Correspondence, September-December 1947
Folder 9: Correspondence, January 1948
Folder 10: Correspondence, February 1948
Folder 11: Correspondence, March 1948
Folder 12: Correspondence, April 1948
Folder 13: Correspondence, May 1948
Folder 14: Correspondence, June 1948
Folder 15: Correspondence, July-September 1948
Folder 16: Correspondence, October-December 1948
Folder 17: Correspondence, January 1949
Folder 18: Correspondence, February-March 1949

Box 24

Folder 1: Correspondence, April-May 1949
Folder 2: Correspondence, June-August 1949
Folder 3: Correspondence, September-December 1949
Folder 4: Correspondence, Miscellaneous dates, 1950-1954
Folder 5: Correspondence, January 1950-February 1950

Box 35

Folder 1: Correspondence, Mexican Land Deal, 1912 - 1913
Folder 2: Correspondence, Mexican Land Deal, 1913
Folder 3: Confidential Correspondence Regarding North Dakota politics, 1921, 1925, 1931-1934
Folder 4: Confidential Correspondence regarding North Dakota politics, 1937 - 1939
Folder 5: Confidential Correspondence regarding North Dakota politics, 1940, 1942
Folder 6: Confidential Correspondence regarding North Dakota politics, 1945 - 1947

Series 2: Speeches

This series contains Lemke’s speeches, both those delivered in person and over the radio. The speeches date from 1931 to 1950, although many are undated.

Box 26

Folder 1: Speeches, 1931-1949
Folder 2: Speeches, Undated
Folder 3: Speeches, Undated
Folder 4: Speeches, Undated
Folder 5: Radio Addresses, 1933-1935
Folder 6: Radio Addresses, 1936-1937
Folder 7: Radio Addresses, 1938-1939

Box 27

Folder 1: Radio Addresses, 1940-1944
Folder 2: Radio Addresses, 1945-1947
Folder 3: Radio Addresses, 1948-1950
Folder 4: Radio Addresses, Undated

Series 3: Press Releases

This series consists primarily of Lemke's regular newspaper column, entitled Doings of Congress, in addition to other news releases.

Box 27

Folder 5: Doings of Congress, 1933-1934
Folder 6: Doings of Congress, 1935-1936
Folder 7: Doings of Congress, 1937-1938
Folder 8: Doings of Congress, 1939-1940

Box 28

Folder 1: Doings of Congress, 1943-1944
Folder 2: Doings of Congress, 1945-1946
Folder 3: Doings of Congress, 1947-1948
Folder 4: Doings of Congress, 1949-1950
Folder 5: Press Releases, 1934-1950
Folder 6: Press Releases, Undated

Series 4: Miscellaneous Political Papers

This series consists of political materials, much of which is undated.

Box 29

Folder 1: Pre 1920s
Folder 2: 1920 - 1921
Folder 3: 1922 - 1936
Folder 4: 1937 - 1938
Folder 5: 1939 - 1950
Folder 6: Undated
Folder 7: Undated
Folder 8: Undated
Folder 9: Undated
Folder 10: Undated
Folder 11: Undated
Folder 12: Undated
Folder 13: Undated

Box 30

Folder 1: Undated
Folder 2: Undated
Folder 3: Undated
Folder 4: Undated
Folder 5: Undated
Folder 6: Undated
Folder 7: Undated
Folder 8: Undated
Folder 9: Undated
Folder 10: Undated
Folder 11: Undated
Folder 12: Undated
Folder 13: Undated
Folder 14: Undated
Folder 15: Petitions Against Chief of Police in Fargo
Folder 16: Letters of Congratulations

Box 31

Folder 1: William Lemke Election Petitions, 1946
Folder 2: Petitions for the Repeal of Prohibition
Folder 3: Petitions for the Repeal of Prohibition
Folder 4: Petitions for the Repeal of Prohibition
Folder 5: Petitions for the Repeal of Prohibition
Folder 6: Petition to the 17th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota

Series 5: Land Finance Company

Box 31

Folder 7: 1908 - 1909
Folder 8: 1909
Folder 9: 1910
Folder 10: 1911 - 1912
Folder 11: 1913 - 1922
Folder 12: 1923 - 1924
Folder 13: 1925 - 1929

Series 6: Miscellaneous

Box 32

Folder 1: Invitations, 1936-1940
Folder 2: Maps - Irrigation Projects, Missouri River Basin, Alaska, 1933-1946
Folder 3: Memorabilia
Folder 4: Miscellaneous Material - pamphlets, posters, cards
Folder 5: Miscellaneous Material - canceled checks, utility bills, etc
Folder 6: Newspaper clippings - miscellaneous, 1916-1946
Folder 7: Nonpartisan League, 1920s-1930s
Folder 8: Political cartoons, 1930s-1940s
Folder 9: Posters and Broadsides, 1930s
Folder 10: Speeches, 1943-1944
Folder 11: Supreme Court briefs, North Dakota, 1921 and 1925
Folder 12: Union Party - Lemke's Presidential election attempt in 1936

Box 33

Folder 1: Letters and Articles on Lemke's Legal Practice
Folder 2: Articles, Letters, Bills, & Resolutions from Lemke's time in the US House of Representatives, 1921 - 1950
Folder 3: Articles, Letters, Bills, & Resolutions from Lemke's time in the US House of Representatives, 1921 - 1950
Folder 4: Articles, Letters, Resolutions, & Proposals during Lemke's campaign for presidency 1936
Folder 5: Political Contributions to Lemke's Campaign, 1921
Folder 6: Personal Letters & Articles of Lemke's, 1922
Folder 7: Official Documents from the Department of State, North Dakota, 1937
Item 1: Scrapbook: Newspaper Articles, 1910-1914
Item 2: Statement filed by Huron Chamber of Commerce, Huron, S. D. in support of HR 4795.
Item 3: Scrapbook: Newspaper Articles, 1915 - 1916

Box 34

Item 1: Scrapbook: Newspaper Articles 1932 - 1933
Item 2: Ledger: Robinson & Lemke, 1907 - 1912
Item 3: Ledger: Robinson & Lemke, 1915 - 1923

Box 35

Folder 7: The Goat, Nonpartisan League magazine. March-November 1920
Folder 8: Bills for the Establishment of Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Folder 9: Boundaries of Proposed North Roosevelt National Park & Tabulation of Lands
Folder 10: Barnhartt L.M., Sheriff Medora, ND 1946-1947: Re: Ft. Berthold Indians
Folder 11: Boyd, A.T., Secretary, Medora Grazing Association, 1942-1948: Re: Elkhorn Ranch and Artesian Well and Grazing Districts
Folder 12: Brown, Ann M., Medora Chamber of Commerce; R. Fay Brown; Hugh Butler, 1946-1948
Folder 13: Connolly, James B., Dickinson Chamber of Commerce, 1945-1948: Re: Park Boundaries and Elkhorn Ranch.
Folder 14: Dahl, Einar and Dry, Ervin W., Watford City, 1948: Re: Passage of H.R. 5587
Folder 15: Eaton, J. J., Billings County Abstract Co., Medora, 1947-1948. Re: Elkhorn Ranch & Park Boundaries
Folder 16: Gardner, W. L., Real Estate Co., New England and B.B. Groom, N.D. Tax Equity Committee, 1947-48
Folder 17: Hagedorn, Hermann, Roosevelt Memorial Assoc., Hall, Thomas, Secretary of State, 1947-48
Folder 18: "H", 1946 - 1948
Folder 19: Indergaard, Carl, Commander, American Legion, Belfield, 1945-1947
Folder 20: Jensen, (?), Buford-Trenton Project; Johnson, Roy, Fargo Forum, 1948.
Folder 21: K, 1947; Lebo, Paul, President, Medora Chamber of Commerce, 1945
Folder 22: "M", 1946 - 1948
Folder 23: O'Connell, William P., Medora Grazing Association; 0, 1947-1948.
Folder 24: "P", 1947 - 1948
Folder 25: Reid, Russell, State Historical Society, 1947-1948; Roberts, Harry, Caretaker of Chateau de Mores, 1946 - 1948
Folder 26: S, 1945-1947; Stenehiem, Leland, President, Association of Commerce, Watford City, 1945-1948.
Folder 27: T, 1947; Tester, J.F. , Auditor, Billings County, and, Tollefson, Arne, Auditor, McKenzie County, 1947: Re: Park Boundaries and Location of Elkhorn Ranch
Folder 28: Urbanec, George, Belfield Chamber of Commerce, 1947; Vallombrosa, Louis, 1948
Folder 29: "W", "Y", "Z", 1947-1948
Folder 30: Publications Regarding Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park
Folder 31: Remarks from the Congressional Record, 1940, 1945-1946
Folder 32: Newspaper Clippings: 1936-1964
Folder 33: "William Lemke and the Bank of North Dakota"
Folder 34: "It Is Time We Do Something Radical: The Union Party in Utah." Utah Historical Quarterly Summer 2014

Series 7: Photographs

Separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.

Photograph 1: NPL Committee Meeting, St. Paul, Minnesota, December 1918
Photograph 2: "Lemke for President" Campaign photo: undated
Photograph 3: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 4: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 5: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 6: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 7: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 8: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 9: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 10: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 11: Unidentified landscape, possibly Lemke's land in Mexico
Photograph 12: Lemke for President campaign float, 1936
Photograph 13: Lemke for President campaign float, 1936
Photograph 14: Lemke for President campaign billboard, 1936
Photograph 15: Lemke for President campaign billboard, 1936
Photograph 16: Lemke for President campaign billboard, 1936
Photograph 17: Lemke for President campaign billboard, 1936
Photograph 18: Lemke for President campaign float, 1936
Photograph 19: Lemke for President campaign float, 1936
Photograph 20: Thomas Charles O'Brien (Vice-Presidential candidate), 1936
Photograph 21: William Lemke, 1936
Photograph 22: William Lemke, 1936
Photograph 23: William Lemke, 1936
Photograph 24: Lemke and O'Brien, 1936
Photograph 25: Lemke and O'Brien, 1936
Photograph 26: Lemke and O'Brien, 1936
Photograph 27: Union Party National Conference, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 1936
Photograph 28: Union Party National Conference, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 1936
Photograph 29: Unidentified office gathering, probably Lemke's office, probably 1936
Photograph 30: Unidentified landscape, possibly of North Dakota
Photograph 31: Unidentified landscape, possibly of North Dakota
Photograph 32: William Lemke, possibly taken during his time at UND
Photograph 33: William Lemke and others, undated
Photograph 34: Mount Rushmore, given to Lemke and signed by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor
Photograph 35: Mount Rushmore, given to Lemke and signed by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor
Photograph 36: Mount Rushmore, given to Lemke and signed by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor
Photograph 37: Mount Rushmore, given to Lemke and signed by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor
Photograph 38: William Lemke and others, undated
Photograph 39: William Lemke and others, undated
Photograph 40: Unidentified
Photograph 41: Unidentified
Photograph 42: Unidentified
Photograph 43: Unidentified
Photograph 44: William Lemke and others, undated
Photograph 45: William Lemke at unidentified gathering, possibly in Fargo
Photograph 46: Unidentified persons at gathering, inscribed to Lemke
Photograph 47: William Lemke and others, undated
Photograph 48: William Lemke and Usher Burdick, undated
Photograph 49: William Lemke and unidentified, undated

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids