David Elderkin Papers

Collection

Identifier: MsC0511

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Papers of David M. Elderkin, 1966 -- 1999, consist of two boxes (eight linear inches) of photocopies of correspondence, editorials, photographs, speeches, and other material of a distinguished Iowa lawyer. Original materials were retained by Mr. Elderkin. There is a considerable amount of correspondence with James S. Flansburg of The Des Moines Register. Mr. Elderkin wrote a number of editorials for The Cedar Rapids Gazette, and gave many talks at Iowa State Bar Association gatherings on current legal matters. Many of his editorials had to do with narcotics and crime. The collection contains photographs of Roy J. Carver, Alan B. Shepard, Richard M. Nixon, Archibald Cox, Dan Quayle, Jack Kemp, and Ronald Reagan.

Dates

Creation: 1966-2001

Creator

Elderkin, David (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Biographical / Historical

David MacDuff Elderkin was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on November 5, 1913, the son of Amos A. Elderkin and Elizabeth MacDuff. He graduated from Cedar Rapids High School in 1930 and the University of Iowa in 1935. In 1937, he received a law degree from the University and was admitted to the bar. During World War II, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific area. From 1945 to 1950 he was an assistant county attorney in Linn County. Thereafter, he was a trial lawyer in private practice in Cedar Rapids. In 1966 -- 1967 he was president of the Iowa State Bar Association and in 1989 he was named Dean of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was the attorney for Roy J. Carver, the Muscatine, Iowa, industrialist, and he was also on the board of Copley Newspapers.