Richard Gardner "Dick" Shoup (November 29, 1923 – November 25, 1995) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, great-grandson of George Laird Shoup.

Education

Born in

Salmon, Idaho Salmon is a city in Lemhi County, Idaho. The population was 3,119 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Lemhi County. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, to the southeast of Sal ...

, Shoup attended the Salmon public schools. He received his B.S. from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

in 1950.

Military

He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, European Theater, Field Artillery from 1943 to 1946. He served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

from 1951 to 1952.

Early career

He was owner-operator of a laundry and dry cleaning business from 1954 to 1967. He was employed in the agriculture service department of Montana Flour Mills from 1953 to 1954.

Political career

Shoup was elected alderman on the Missoula City Council from 1963 to 1967, serving as president from 1965 to 1967. He served as mayor of

from 1967 to 1970. He served as member of the Governor's (Montana) Crime Commission from 1969 to 1970, and on the Montana League of Cities and Towns from 1967 to 1970. Shoup was elected as a Republican to the Ninety-second and Ninety-third Congresses (January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1975). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1974 to the Ninety-fourth Congress. His chief concerns as a U.S. Representative were the Conquest of Cancer Act, soldiers missing in action from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, energy development, and proper labeling of beef products.Guide to the Richard G. Shoup Papers at the University of Montana
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Other activities

He served as director of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

from 1975 to 1984. He died November 25, 1995.

References

20th-century mayors of places in Montana 1923 births 1995 deaths Montana city council members Mayors of Missoula, Montana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana Politicians from Missoula, Montana University of Montana alumni United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Montana-mayor-stub