Douglas R. Stringfellow
Encyclopedia
Douglas R. Stringfellow was a one-term congressman in the United States House of Representatives and is remembered as a fraud.
. While attending public schools, he moved to Ogden, Utah
, where he graduated from high school
in 1941. He then attended Weber College until entering into service in the Army Air Force during World War II
from 1942 to 1945. In France, Stringfellow was wounded from a mine explosion, leaving him walking with the aid of a cane, for which he received the Purple Heart Medal.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Stringfellow served as a missionary
in Northern California
from 1947 to 1948. Stringfellow returned to pursue a career in broadcasting, serving as an announcer and executive for a Utah radio station from 1949 to 1952.
from Utah
. Much of the appeal of his candidacy lay in his decorated past as a hero during World War II
, a past which he made frequent reference to during his revival-style campaign speeches. Stringfellow was able to take advantage of Dwight Eisenhower's landslide presidential victory and defeated his Democratic
opponent, Ernest McKay, in a rout of 76,545 votes (60.5%) to 49,898 votes (39.5%). His victory in the open-seat contest was a gain for the Republican party.
Stringfellow claimed to have served as an agent of the OSS
during the war. The agency was later renamed the CIA. He claimed that at one point he had participated in a top-secret mission to rescue a German atomic physicist, Otto Hahn
, from behind enemy lines and transport him to England. He also claimed that he had been captured by the Germans and held in Belsen Prison, where he had been brutally tortured, causing him to become a paraplegic. Stringfellow said that while lying wounded he had undergone an intense religious experience, and it was through this new-found faith, as well as the aid of the anti-Nazi underground, that he had escaped from the prison. He claimed that he had been awarded the Silver Star
for his heroic service.
Stringfellow's colorful past was widely broadcast in the media. It even aired on the popular national television show This is Your Life
. Stringfellow also frequently traveled around Utah preaching about his wartime religious experience with the blessing of the LDS church.
Furthermore, Stringfellow had not worked for the OSS. He had been a private in the Army Air Forces, and he had never earned the Silver Star
. Almost his entire military career, in other words, was a hoax. Stringfellow also claimed that he had attended Ohio State University
and the University of Cincinnati
, but neither institution had any record of his attendance.
When his Democratic opponents exposed him, the LDS church ordered Stringfellow to make a public confession, which he did. The Republican Party quickly replaced him on the ballot just sixteen days before the election with Henry Dixon
. Dixon was a candidate of unquestioned integrity and managed to hold on to the seat for the Republicans in an election in which the Democrats took back control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
. At the time of his death he was living in obscurity and working as a landscape painter.
Biographical background
Stringfellow was born in Draper, UtahDraper, Utah
Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah Counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Between 1990 and 2000 Draper was Utah's fastest-growing city over 5,000 people . Its population in 1990 was 7,143 and had grown to 25,220 by the 2000 census...
. While attending public schools, he moved to Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, where he graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1941. He then attended Weber College until entering into service in the Army Air Force during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1942 to 1945. In France, Stringfellow was wounded from a mine explosion, leaving him walking with the aid of a cane, for which he received the Purple Heart Medal.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Stringfellow served as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
from 1947 to 1948. Stringfellow returned to pursue a career in broadcasting, serving as an announcer and executive for a Utah radio station from 1949 to 1952.
The Surprising 1952 Election
In 1952 Stringfellow, a political unknown, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
from Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Much of the appeal of his candidacy lay in his decorated past as a hero during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a past which he made frequent reference to during his revival-style campaign speeches. Stringfellow was able to take advantage of Dwight Eisenhower's landslide presidential victory and defeated his Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent, Ernest McKay, in a rout of 76,545 votes (60.5%) to 49,898 votes (39.5%). His victory in the open-seat contest was a gain for the Republican party.
Stringfellow claimed to have served as an agent of the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
during the war. The agency was later renamed the CIA. He claimed that at one point he had participated in a top-secret mission to rescue a German atomic physicist, Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
, from behind enemy lines and transport him to England. He also claimed that he had been captured by the Germans and held in Belsen Prison, where he had been brutally tortured, causing him to become a paraplegic. Stringfellow said that while lying wounded he had undergone an intense religious experience, and it was through this new-found faith, as well as the aid of the anti-Nazi underground, that he had escaped from the prison. He claimed that he had been awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for his heroic service.
Stringfellow's colorful past was widely broadcast in the media. It even aired on the popular national television show This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
. Stringfellow also frequently traveled around Utah preaching about his wartime religious experience with the blessing of the LDS church.
1954 Election and Exposure
Stringfellow served one term and was running for reelection in 1954 when his past was exposed as a fraud by his Democratic opponents. They revealed that Stringfellow actually wasn't a paraplegic. He had been wounded from a mine explosion during a routine mission in France, but he could walk with the aid of a cane.Furthermore, Stringfellow had not worked for the OSS. He had been a private in the Army Air Forces, and he had never earned the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
. Almost his entire military career, in other words, was a hoax. Stringfellow also claimed that he had attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, but neither institution had any record of his attendance.
When his Democratic opponents exposed him, the LDS church ordered Stringfellow to make a public confession, which he did. The Republican Party quickly replaced him on the ballot just sixteen days before the election with Henry Dixon
Henry Aldous Dixon
Henry Aldous Dixon was a U.S. Representative from Utah and president of Weber College and Utah State Agricultural College.-Biography:...
. Dixon was a candidate of unquestioned integrity and managed to hold on to the seat for the Republicans in an election in which the Democrats took back control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Sad End
Stringfellow tried to capitalize on his notoriety by going on a speaking tour, but it proved unsuccessful. He briefly resumed his career as a radio announcer and worked at various stations throughout Utah while always using a pseudonym. He died at the age of 44 from a heart attack in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. At the time of his death he was living in obscurity and working as a landscape painter.
External links
- Official Congressional Biography Guide
- Time Magazine story
- The Douglas R. Stringfellow Papers at the University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
Marriott Library Special CollectionsSpecial collectionsIn library science, special collections is the name applied to a specific repository or department, usually within a library, which stores materials of a "special" nature, including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts...