Archives: Case Collection

Francis H. Case was born in Everly, Iowa, on December 9, 1896, and moved with his parents to Sturgis, South Dakota in 1909.  He attended high school at Sturgis and Hot Springs; graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University (B.A.); and received the Master of Arts Degree from Northwestern University.  Honorary degrees were conferred upon him by Dakota Wesleyan (L.L.D.) and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (L.H.D.)

During World War I Francis Case served in the United States Marine Corps, and was long a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.  In 1926, he married Myrle Graves, of Mitchell, South Dakota.  The couple had two children; Jane Commander, and Francis H. Jr., who died in 1945.

From 1922 to 1942 Mr. Case edited newspapers in Rapid City, Hot Springs, and Custer.  He was active in promoting the potential resources of South Dakota.  He proposed the Black Hills Summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge (1926-27); edited the Jefferson number of the Mount Rushmore Booklet for Gutzon Borglum (1931); and worked effectively for the development of the state's mineral and water resources and highways.

Mr. Case served as a member of the State Regents of Education in South Dakota from 1931-33.  In 1936 he was elected to Congress from the second district and served seven terms.  He was elected to the United States Senate in 1950, was re-elected in 1956, and was seeking a third term at the time of his death in 1962.

Francis Case's legislative record during his 25 years in Congress was identified with water conservation, economies in Government, an effective national defense system, and modern highway development.  His resolution, adopted in 1939-40 by the House Committee on Flood Control, produced the studies which led to the authorization of the Missouri River Flood Control Act of 1944.  His subsequent efforts in this area obtained initial funds for Sheridan Lake, Deerfield, Shadehill, Angostura, Pactola, Ft. Randall and Oahe Reservoirs, and Lewis and Clark Lake.  He authored legislation which now reserves half of Big Bend Dam's power for the use of South Dakota.

Other projects which reflect his effort on behalf of the State include the Sioux, Vermillion, and Fall River flood control projects; the Ellsworth Air Force Base at Rapid City, and the Ordnance Depot at Provo; the Ft. Meade Veterans Hospital at Sturgis; and the Black Hills National Cemetery.  The Missouri River Bridge at Platte, and the Grand River Bridge at Mobridge were sponsored by him, and many post offices and National Guard Armories in the State were made possible through his efforts.

While in the House of Representatives he fought vigorously against "back-door spending", a form of government financing through Treasury borrowing rather than through direct congressional appropriations.  He introduced the first legislative proposal for selling farm surpluses to foreign countries in exchange for foreign currencies, thus anticipating the Food for Peace Program.  He worked successfully for the right of national suffrage for the citizens of the District of Columbia; initiated legislation for the renegotiation of "excess profits" war contracts, thus saving for the United States Treasury more than $12 billion during World War II and the Korean War; and cosponsored the Government Corporations Control Act of 1945 and the Case-Wheeler Water Conservancy Acts of 1937 and 1940.  He also authored the Labor Relations Act of 1946 which, although vetoed by President Truman, became the forerunner of the Taft-Hartley Act; and introduced the Synthetic Fuels Act of 1948.

In the Senate, Francis Case pioneered legislation leading to the Saline Water Acts of 1952-55, which authorized research into ways of converting brackish inland water and sea water into fresh water.  The Desalinization Plant at Webster, South Dakota, resulted from his 1958 bill.  He also sponsored bills creating the President's Advisory Committee on Weather Control, which compiled the most comprehensive data available on that subject; the weather research program of the National Science Foundation; and the cloud seeding studies of the Bureau of Reclamation.

As a member of the House of Representatives he served on the Irrigation, Mines, Indian Affairs, and Appropriations Committees; on the Select Committees on Phosphate Investigations and on Foreign Aid and on the Joint Congressional Committee on Aviation Policy.  While in the Senate, he served on the Public Works, Armed Services, and Appropriations Committees; on the Select Committees on Natural Resources and the Special Committee to Study Censure (of Sen. McCarthy).  In 1960 he was appointed to the Senate Committee on Preparedness.

Explore the collection using the Case Collection Finding Aid.