Karl Mundt

Karl Earl Mundt (June 3, 1900 – August 16, 1974) was an American educator and a Republican member of the United States Congress, representing South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives (1939–1948) and in the United States Senate (1948–1973).^[1]

Biography

Mundt was born in Humboldt, South Dakota. He was the son of Ferdinand John Mundt (1875–1947) and Rose (Schneider) Mundt (1874–1965). Both of his parents were the descendants of German immigrants. Mundt attended public schools in Humboldt, Pierre, and Madison, graduating from Madison High School in 1919. In high school, he excelled in oratory and debate, which became lifetime passions. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College in Minnesota in 1923 with a major in economics, he became a teacher and principal at Bryant High School in Bryant, South Dakota. As a first-year teacher he taught speech, psychology, sociology, and government, coached the debate, oratory, and extemporaneous speech teams, and began a school newspaper. After his first year, he was promoted to Superintendent of Bryant schools, a position he held until 1927. As superintendent, he continued to coach debate and oratory.

In 1924, Mundt married Mary Elizabeth Moses (1900–1985), a college classmate who also taught at Bryant High School. In 1927, both Karl and Mary Mundt received Master of Arts degrees from Columbia University following four years of summer study there. Beginning in 1928, they both taught at Eastern State Normal School^[2] (now Dakota State University), continuing there until 1936. Karl headed the speech department and taught psychology and economics, while Mary taught drama and French.^[3]

In 1936, Mundt was the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in

Karl Mundt died in Washington, D.C., during 1974 of a heart ailment and was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Madison, South Dakota.

Accomplishments in the U.S. Congress

He also introduced a modification to Title 50, criminalizing the passage of certain classified information to foreign nationals.[6]

Mundt voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,^[7] 1960,^[8] 1964,^[9] and 1968,^[10] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,^[11] the Voting Rights Act of 1965,^[12] and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court.^[13]

As a Senator, Mundt served on the Senate's

Mundt was the primary sponsor of the Alexander Hamilton Bicentennial Convention, held in the summer of 1957. It featured 55 high school (mostly) seniors in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as representatives of the (then) 48 states and seven territories in a "mock" constitutional convention.

Legacy

The Karl Mundt Archives including personal papers, congressional correspondence and many personal items are available at Dakota State University in Madison. The campus library was named in his honor and dedicated by Richard Nixon in 1969.^[15] The Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota was named in his honor when it was established in 1974.

The Karl E. Mundt Foundation, established in Mundt's honor in 1963, awards prizes for essays and oratorical contests, sponsors seminars and public lectures, and helps support the annual Karl E. Mundt Debate Tournament and Karl E. Mundt Dakota Invitational Oral Interpretation Contest in South Dakota. The Karl E. Mundt Foundation had its offices at the Karl Mundt Library at Dakota State University, but closed in July 2017. The Karl Mundt Archives are now one with the library.

In film

One of the principal characters of the Coen brothers' 1991 film Barton Fink is a traveling salesman named Karl Mundt, played by actor John Goodman.^[16]

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• House Un-American Activities Committee
• List of members of the House Un-American Activities Committee
• Karl Mundt Archives
• Karl Mundt Library
• Mundt-Nixon Bill
• Smith–Mundt Act
• Voice of America
• UNESCO

References

Related reading

• Heidepriem, Scott (1988) A Fair Chance for a Free People: A Biography of Karl E. Mundt, United States Senator (Madison, SD: Leader Printing)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karl E. Mundt.

• United States Congress. "Karl Mundt (id: M001078)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Karl E. Mundt Archives Biography and information about the Senator's papers and memorabilia archived at Dakota State University
• "Letter from J.J. Singh requesting support for Mundt amendment" in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
• Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge
• Biographical Dictionary of the US Congress: Karl Mundt – Extended Bibliography
• Biographical Dictionary of the US Congress: Karl Mundt – Guide to Research Collections
• House History: Karl Mundt