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- William Lemke Papers
- Finding Aid
William Lemke Papers, 1901-2014
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
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
- 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.
- Series 3: Press Releases
- This series consists primarily of Lemke's regular newspaper column, entitled Doings of Congress, in addition to other news releases.
- Series 4: Miscellaneous Political Papers
- This series consists of political materials, much of which is undated.
- Box 29
- 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
- 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
- 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
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]