On June 3, 1969, U.S. President Richard Nixon came to General Beadle State College (now called Dakota State University) to speak at the dedication of the Karl E. Mundt Library -- because of his friendship and political connections to Senator Karl E. Mundt, U.S. senator for South Dakota.
Richard Nixon and Karl Mundt at the dedication ceremony of the library in 1969.
-- From the collections of the Karl E. Mundt Foundation and Archives.
"Nixon's presence at the dedication marked the president's first speech outside Washington, D.C., following his inauguration five months earlier. The political unrest on college campuses and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy caused great fear for presidential safety.... [Gale] Pifer remembers the agents scrambling to find a man who ducked into the Women's Gym, only to find him in the bathroom." --Liermann, Susie. "Nixon's visit to college recalled 30 years later." Madison Daily Leader, June 3, 1999, p. 1.
Karl Mundt's papers and memorabilia are housed in the Karl E. Mundt Archives, located in lower level of the Library. They provide a record of U.S. politics and Mundt's role during the 36 years he held political office (5 terms in the House of Representatives, 4 terms in the U.S. Senate).
