ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION: OGL # 1224
DATES: 1910-1964
SIZE: 2 linear feet
ACQUISITION: The Lynn U. Stambaugh Papers were purchased from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Books and Collections and deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection on October 29, 1990 (Acc.# 91-1743).
ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
Lynn Upshaw Stambaugh was born in Abilene, Kansas, on July 4, 1890. His father, Winfield Scott Stambaugh, was a Western pioneer who served as a time as the marshal of Abilene. The family moved to Fargo, where Lynn Stambaugh graduated from Fargo High School.
He attended the University of North Dakota, graduating on June 18, 1913, with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the College of Law. While at UND, Stambaugh was a member of Sigma Chi, a Greek social fraternity, and Phi Delta Phi, an honorary law society. He also acted as manager for the women’s basketball team in 1911.
He became the fourth generation of his family to practice law. He worked for two years in Fargo as a notary republic, salesman, and deputy clerk of the Fargo district court. In 1915, he married Enid Ericson. That same year, he joined the law firm of Pierce, Tenneson, Cupler, and Stambaugh. He entered the United States Army on September 4, 1917, and was sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa. He was a member of Battery E, 338th Field Artillery and saw combat duty with this unit in France from May 23, 1918, until July 11, 1918. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on July 12, 1918, and fought with the 142nd Field Artillery until his discharge on June 21, 1919.
He returned to Fargo and a position with Pierce, Tenneson, Cupler, and Stambaugh. In 1934, he was elected commander of the North Dakota American Legion. He was elected National Commander of the American Legion in 1941. Before and after the outbreak of World War II, Stambaugh headed the Legion’s efforts in the war effort and civilian defense activities.
In 1944, Stambaugh was a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senate. He lost the nomination to incumbent Senator Gerald P. Nye. He filed as an Independent, and attacked Nye’s isolationist views. The Grand Forks Herald was among his most ardent supporters, writing that the defeat of Nye was critical for the cause of international cooperation. Stambaugh finished a distant third in the fall election, but his candidacy split Republican support for Nye. As a result, the Democratic candidate, former Governor John Moses, won the election.
In 1945, President Truman appointed him first vice president and member of the board of the United States Export-Import Bank in Washington, D.C. He remained in this position until 1960, when he joined a Phoenix law firm and served as their representative in the nation’s capital.
Lynn Stambaugh died May 27, 1971, in his Washington home. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources:
Dacotah Annual
The University of North Dakota Alumni Review
Lynn Stambaugh obituary, Washington Post, 29 May 1971
History of North Dakota by Elwyn B. Robinson
The Lynn U. Stambaugh Papers date from 1910-1964 and contain awards and certificates, from 1910-1957, as well as general correspondence, from 19412-1964. The collection also contains material relating to a tour of South American by the United States Export-Import Bank. This includes correspondence by Enid Stambaugh and an itinerary of the tour. Miscellaneous materials, including tourism pamphlets, are also included.
Six scrapbooks were placed on the shelves adjacent to the collection. Three scrapbooks regard Stambaugh’s service in the American Legion, while the remaining three document his career with the United States Export-Import Bank.
225 photographs in the Lynn U. Stambaugh Papers have been separated and placed in the Orin G. Libby Photographic Collection. The photographs are arranged by subject. The subject headings include: post cards, family, American Legion, ANAVICUS (Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans in Canada, United States,) United States Export-Import Bank, and miscellaneous.
Box 1
Folder
Loose Scrapbooks:
220 photographs were separated and placed in the Orin G. Libby Photographic Collection, while five were placed in the Oversize Photograph Collection. The photographs are arranged by subject headings, and include: post cards, family, American Legion, ANAVICUS (Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans in Canada, United States,) United States Export-Import Bank, and miscellaneous.
Return to: Military History
Return to: Politics
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