Fred Schwengel Papers
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, publications, and assorted government documents associated with Fred Schwengel from his time in both the Iowa legislature (1945-1955) and the United States Congress (1955-1965; 1967-1973). Much of the collection and Schwengel's career is related to the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln, and especially Schwengel's involvement with the Centennial Commemorations of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Lincoln's Inaugurations. The collection includes correspondence between Schwengel and other Lincoln historians and collectors, as well as documentation from the United States Capitol Historical Society, of which Schwengel was a founding member and the first president.
Dates
- Creation: 1837-1992
Creator
- Schwengel, Fred, 1907-1993 (Person)
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Biographical Note
Frederick Delbert Schwengel was born to Gerhardt and Margaret Schwengel in Franklin County Iowa on May 28, 1906. His early education was primarily rural; after attending a school in West Fork Township, Schwengel left home to further his education, eventually graduating from Sheffield High School in 1926. An alumnus from Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, Schwengel graduated from that institution on May 23, 1930 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Fred met Clara Ethel Cassity in college and they were married shortly after graduation on August 15, 1931. Schwengel had, at the time of his death in 1993, two children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Returning to his native Iowa in 1937, Schwengel began work in the insurance business, eventually establishing a career with the American Mutual Life Insurance company.
A strong Republican, Schwengel was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1945. He was to serve five consecutive terms in this office (1945-1955), before being elected as a Representative in the U. S. Congress, a tenure which lasted eight terms (1955-1965; 1967-1973). In the U. S. House of Representatives, Schwengel served on the Public Works Committee, District of Columbia and House Administration, Republican Task Force on Minority Staffing, and the Wednesday Group. To help honor Abraham Lincoln, Schwengel additionally served on the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission and the U. S. Civil War Centennial Commission.
Learn more about Fred Schwengel and Truman's Schwengel Lincoln Collection in our digital exhibition.
Extent
6.9 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
German
Arrangement
This collection is organized into 5 series.
- Series 0: Administrative/Biographical
- Series I: Celebrations and Anniversaries, 1911-1993
- Series II: Lincoln Groups, Publications, and Addresses, 1839-1996
- Series III: Lincolniana Correspondence, Research, and History, 1837-1994
- Series IV: Fred Schwengel Career and Personal Correspondence, 1939-2015
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials were donated by Fred Schwengel and family in the mid-1990s.
Processing Information
The collection is orrganized by subject. Original folder names have been retained.
Subject
- Schwengel, Fred, 1907-1993 (Person)
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 (Person)
Geographic
Occupation
Uniform Title
- Title
- Papers of Fred Schwengel, 1837-1992
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Elaine Doak, Adrian Geisbuhler, and Anthony laMarche.
- Date
- [1993-2010], 2017
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Truman State University, Pickler Memorial Library, Special Collections Manuscripts Repository