Richard Gardner Shoup was born in Salmon, Idaho, on November 29, 1923. He was the great-grandson of George Laird Shoup, U. S. Senator from Idaho (1890-1901). He served in the U. S. Army in Europe from 1943-1946. He received his bachelor’s degree from Montana State University (now The University of Montana--Missoula) in 1950 and served in the U. S. Army again during the Korean conflict from 1951 to 1952. He was elected as alderman to the Missoula City Council in 1963, serving as president of the council from 1965 to 1967. He was Mayor of Missoula from 1967 to 1970. From 1954 to 1967, Richard Shoup owned and operated a laundry and dry cleaning business in Missoula. He served as a member of the Montana Governor’s Crime Commission from 1969-1970 and the Montana League of Cities and Towns from 1967-1970. Shoup was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives and served from 1971 to 1975. During his tenure, he was a member of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. Primary among his concerns as a U.S. Representative were the Conquest of Cancer Act, soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam conflict, energy development, and proper labeling of beef products. After leaving Congress, Shoup was appointed Director of the Union Pacific Railroad in Washington, D.C., and maintained that position from 1975 to 1984. He died in Missoula on November 26, 1995.
From the guide to the Richard Shoup Papers, 1968-1974, (University of Montana--Missoula)
