Collection Guide

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Administrative Information

Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

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Biographical Note

Chronological biography

1887: Born in Corydon, Iowa May 25, the son of Charles Francis and Hannah Miles LeCompte

1909: Received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa

1910: Publisher of the Corydon Times-Republican

1927: Married Dorothy Tye

1917 -- 1921: Served as State Senator in the Iowa Legislature

1918: Gave service in the United States Army during World War I

1939 -- 1959: Republican member of United States Congress

1967: Resides in Corydon, Iowa

1972: Dies in Centerville

Representative from Iowa, born in Corydon, Wayne County, Iowa, May 25, 1887, where he attended the public schools. He graduated from the State University of Iowa at Iowa City in 1909 and became owner and publisher of the Corydon Times-Republican in 1910. During the First World War served as a private in the medical detachment of United States General Hospital No. 26 in 1918. He was a member of the State senate 1917 -- 1921 and was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth and to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1939-January 3, 1959). He served as chairman of the Committee on House Administration (Eightieth and Eighty-third Congresses). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1958 to the Eighty-sixth Congress. He returned to newspaper publishing. After retirement he continued as a contributing editor.

Karl LeCompte died in Centerville, Iowa, September 30, 1972, and is buried in Corydon Cemetery, Corydon, Iowa.

(Biographical Directory of the United States Congress).

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Scope and Contents

The collection is organized by broad topical categories, and then by year. Two boxes in the sequence (17 and18) have been assigned item numbers and a cross reference index prepared for these two boxes.

Photographs:Box 12, Box 21

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Related Materials

Letter to Karl LeCompte from Mr. Jones at the Piney Woods School. MsL J78 le

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Acquisition and Processing Information

The papers of Congressman Karl Miles LeCompte were obtained as a gift for the library from the Honorable Karl LeCompte through the efforts of Ronald L. Fingerson in 1967.

Guide posted to Internet: December 2005

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Box Contents List

Box 1

Folder 1 Letters of condolence, congratulations and invitations. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 2 Letters of condolence, congratulations and invitations . 1956 -- 1960

Folder 3 Christmas card replies. 1953 -- 1954

Folder 4 Christmas card replies. 1955

Folder 5 Congressional Campaign. 1954. Expenses, form letters, advertisements, returns and letters of congratulation

Box 2

Folder 6 Congressional Campaign. 1954. Expenses, form letters, advertisements, returns and letters of congratulation

Folder 7 Congressional Campaign. 1954. Expenses, form letters, advertisements, returns and letters of congratulation

Folder 8 Correspondence with constituents. 1957 -- 1959

Folder 9 Correspondence with constituents. 1956 -- 1958

Box 3

Folder 10 Correspondence of Dorothy LeCompte. 1956. Requests from constituents for government publications

Folder 11 Correspondence with constituents A -- K. 1955

Folder 12 Correspondence with constituents L -- Z. 1955

Folder 13 Correspondence with constituents A -- C. 1956

Folder 14 Correspondence with constituents D -- L. 1956

Box 4

Folder 15 Correspondence with constituents M -- Z. 1956

Folder 16 Correspondence with constituents 1956

Folder 17 Correspondence with constituents 1956

Folder 18 General correspondence with constituents. A -- F. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 19 General correspondence with constituents. G -- O. 1957 -- 1958

Box 5

Folder 20 General correspondence with constituents. P -- Z. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 21 Christmas greetings. A -- L. 1957

Folder 22 Christmas greetings. M -- Z. 1957

Folder 23 Invitations, congratulations, condolences, acknowledgements for 1955

Folder 24 Correspondence of Dorothy LeCompte. 1955 and 1958. Correspondence with Washington secretary, Margaret Welch. 1955

Box 6

Folder 25 Correspondence with constituents. 1955

Folder 25 Correspondence with constituents A -- K. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 27 Correspondence with constituents L -- Z. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 28 Personal correspondence. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 29 Personal correspondence. 1955

Box 7

Folder 30 Correspondence regarding congressional campaign. 1956

Folder 31 Congressional campaign of 1956. Expense records and advertising

Folder 32 Correspondence with constituents regarding legislation during 1955

Box 8

Folder 33 Correspondence with constituents regarding Post Offices, 1955 -- 1958; veterans legislation, 1955, 1957; Health, Education and Welfare, 1957; Ways and Means, 1957; Judiciary, 1957

Folder 34 Correspondence regarding post offices and appointments. 1957 -- 1958

Folder 35 Correspondence regarding agriculture. 1955

Folder 36 Correspondence regarding agriculture. 1956 -- 1957

Box 9

Folder 37 Correspondence regarding Girl Scouts, 1958; Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1957; retirement, 1958; invitations, requests and receipts

Folder 38 Correspondence regarding flood control, 1957 -- 1958; Public Works legislation, 1955; House Administration Committee, 1957; NATO Conference, 1957

Folder 39 Correspondence regarding State Department, 1957; Foreign Affairs Legislation, 1958; Post Office Department, 1958; Interior Department, 1957; and miscellaneous legislation, 1957

Folder 40 Correspondence in regard to Washington visitors and Corydon visitors 1955 -- 1958; contributions to organizations 1955 -- 1957; clippings for 1958

Box 10

Folder 41 Acknowledgements and miscellaneous Iowa correspondence 1957 -- 1958. Notes of a speech on Masonry

Folder 42 Correspondence regarding nominations, 1942; appointments, 1944; legislation, 1956; personal letters, 1955 -- 1960; business (Times-Republican).

Folder 43 Correspondence regarding Iowa topics, 1956; United Nations, 1955; Iowa Centennial, 1946 -- 1947

Folder 44 Personal letters of 1938 -- 1940. Family history -- biographical material. Correspondence with Washington secretary 1957 -- 1959

Box 11

Folder 45 Correspondence regarding Academy appointments, 1955, 1958; Navy Department, 1958

Folder 46 Correspondence regarding miscellaneous independent offices (FPC, FOA, GSA, SBA, etc.) 1955. Veteran benefits, 1958; Navy Department, 1958

Folder 47 Personal letters of 1957 -- 1958

Folder 48 Times-Republican business correspondence, 1957 -- 1958. Miscellaneous receipts, magazine subscriptions

Box 12

Folder 49 Correspondence regarding stocks, insurance, Civil Service Retirement Fund, Aunt Martha's estate

Folder 50 Mrs. LeCompte's personal correspondence. Numerous photographs

Folder 51 Miscellaneous personal letters, 1942; election returns, 1940 -- 1946, 1952, 1954, 1958; letters of congratulations, 1956; political letters of 1955; and miscellaneous of 1957 -- 1958

Folder 52 Mrs. LeCompte's personal letters, 1943; election returns of 1942; personal receipts and bills, 1940 -- 1942; Times-Republican of 1939

Box 13

Folder 53 Correspondence regarding legislation of 1939 -- 1944

Folder 54 Correspondence regarding legislation of 1939 -- 1944. War casualty letters of 1944

Folder 55 War casualty letters of 1944

Folder 56 War casualty letters of 1944

Box 14

Folder 57 Departmental correspondence of 1939 -- 1940, 1944

Folder 58 Requests concerning appointments to academies and army training camps, 1939 -- 1944

Folder 59 Correspondence regarding jobs, 1939 -- 1940

Folder 60 Independent agencies correspondence, 1939 -- 1944. Veteran's benefits, 1940 -- 1944

Box 15

Folder 61 Letters and requests from constituents 1939. Bulletins of Grand Lodge 1960. Miscellaneous literature of 1939

Folder 62 Miscellaneous correspondence, 1939 -- 1940, 1944

Folder 63 Correspondence and requests of 1944

Folder 64 Election returns, letters of congratulations and invitations of 1944

Box 16

Folder 65 Campaign correspondence of 1940 and 1944. Political letters and constituent letters of 1940 and 1944

Folder 66 Election congratulations of 1939 -- 1940 and 1944. Personal letters of 1939 -- 1940. Constituent requests of 1939

Folder 67 Correspondence with Washington secretary (M. Walsh), 1944 -- 1945. Requests from constituents 1945

Folder 68 Correspondence with Jordan Work and Howard Tedford, 1939 -- 1940

Index to Boxes 17 and 18

Box 17

Index to Boxes 17 and 18

A-M

N-Z

Folder 70 Item No. 1 -- 178. Correspondence

Folder 71 Item No. 179 -- 327. Correspondence

Folder 72 Item No. 328 -- 525. Correspondence

Folder 73 Item No. 526 -- 653. Correspondence

Folder 74 Item No. 654 -- 732. Correspondence, plus handbook prepared by the Iowa State Advisory Committee for the Commission on Civil Rights, 1958

Box 18

Folder 75 Item No. 733 -- 801. Correspondence

Folder 76 Item No. 802 -- 859. Correspondence, plus items on the Commission on Civil Rights

Folder 77 Item No. 860 -- 952. Correspondence

Folder 78 Retirement letters

Folder 79 Thank you letters

Folder 80 Congratulatory letters

Folder 81 Christmas letters

Folder 82 Item No. 953 -- 986. Correspondence

Folder 83 Invitations

Box 19

State and Federal Income Tax Records for 1938 -- 1956

Mrs. LeCompte’s Scrapbooks (18)

1972 Addition

Box 20

Correspondence, 1915 -- 1968, including letters from Horace M. Towner, W. L. Harding, Albert B. Cummins, John Hammill, William B. Kenyon, N. E. Kendall, H. K. Evans, Lloyd Thurston, Gardner Cowles, Dan W. Turner, Clyde L. Herring, Thomas E. Martin, John Kyl, Norman A. Erbe, Verne R. Martin, Merwin Coad, Jack Miller, Charles B. Hoeven, and Fred Schwengel

Box 21

Biographical information, obituaries

Correspondence, 1969 -- 1972, including letters from Robert D. Ray

Carter election contest

Miscellaneous

Photographs -- Iowa Congressional delegation, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard M. Nixon

Proceedings of a general court-martial convened at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, June 22, 1939, in the case of Private Alfred J. Lovett