Shillinglaw, David Lee, 1889-

David Lee Shillinglaw (b. June 6, 1889, d. February 13, 1976) was a World War I-veteran, American Legionnaire, investment banker, and a Chicago civic leader. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Shillinglaw was raised in Independence, Iowa and later Rowley, Iowa following the death of his father in 1900. He attended a country school until the age of thirteen, and then worked on the family farm until age eighteen.

Shillinglaw attended the Iowa State Teachers College for four years, majoring in History and Economics, and teaching courses in both subjects during the summer months. In 1911 he entered the University of Iowa as a Senior and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to earn his L.L.D. from the University of Iowa Law School in 1915. Following graduation, Shillinglaw practiced law in Waterloo, Iowa and organized several businesses.

When the United States declared war in 1917, Shillinglaw immediately applied for active service. He was rejected from the first training camp, but eventually found his way to Europe in September 1917 as a member of the YMCA American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He was put in charge of the YMCA AEF's construction work in Europe, organizing the design, manufacture, and erection of all buildings used by the YMCA throughout France. He entered direct army service in July 1918 under the command of General Dawes in the engineer corps. Here, Shillinglaw was in charge of lumber supplies not produced in French forests. After the Armistice, he was asked to return to the YMCA AEF in January 1919 to lead the salvage and liquidation of YMCA properties throughout Europe. He secured 48,000,000 francs for the Perkins Commission, and returned to the United States in 1920.

Shillinglaw held various positions following the war. Returning first to Iowa he was founder of the First Radio Corporation in Iowa. He was an assistant sales manager of the Chicago branch of the Liquid Carbonic Company in 1922. He began work for investment bankers Forgan, Gray and Company in 1923 and was eventually made Vice President. In 1933 he founded his own investment firm, the David L. Shillinglaw Company, later Shillinglaw, Bolger and Company, Inc.

In addition to his leadership in numerous corporations throughout Chicago, Shillinglaw served in the American Legion. He joined the Legion in 1919, and was commander of the Advertising Men's Post in Chicago. He was President of the Cook County Council, and later a member of the National Defense Committee. Shillinglaw was elected the Illinois State Commander of the American Legion in 1928, and was made a member of the National Executive Committee in 1929.

Shillinglaw married Marie Schmidt of Chicago in 1930.

In addition to his business ventures and service in the American Legion, Shillinglaw was active in politics. He was a Republican precinct captain for twenty-five years, Chief Doorkeeper at the Republican Convention in Philadelphia in 1940, and Assistant State Director of Finance for Illinois from 1940 to 1944. He was active in many local and state campaigns. In 1953 Shillinglaw was sponsored by Everett Dirksen for an appointment to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. His appointment stalled, however, in the federal security check. At the height of the McCarthy era, the FBI questioned Shillinglaw's membership in the Institute of Pacific Relations. Shillinglaw was never appointed to the U.N.

Throughout his career, Shillinglaw lectured widely on finance, foreign relations, democracy, and civil liberties. A number of his addresses and articles were published in The New York Times, The Economist, and other leading newspapers. He was active in numerous educational and philanthropic organizations, including the board of governors of the International House at the University of Chicago, and the board of the Fulbright Scholarship. He established the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professorship at the University of Chicago in 1972. In 1971, the University of Chicago published Shillinglaw's book about his experience in World War I: An American in the Army and YMCA, 1917-1920: The Diary of David Lee Shillinglaw.

Mr. Shillinglaw died in Chicago at the age of 86.

From the guide to the Shillinglaw, David Lee. Papers, 1892-1971, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)