The University of Iowa Libraries

Lucas James DeKoster was born in Hull, Iowa, on June 18, 1918. He attended Kansas State University before transferring to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he graduated in 1939 with a degree in mechanical engineering. From 1940 to 1947, he worked for the NACA (a forerunner of NASA) where he did propeller and jet engine research. DeKoster attended the Cleveland Marshall Law School, graduating in 1949. He then worked as a patent attorney in Cleveland. In 1951, he returned to Hull, Iowa, to establish a legal practice. A Republican, Mr. DeKoster was elected in 1967 to the first of five terms in the Iowa state senate, until 1983. He died in Hull, Sioux County, Iowa, on February 23, 2000.

The papers of Lucas J. DeKoster date from 1967 to 1982. A group of clippings make up the first series.
 
Correspondence makes up the second series. Letters from Charles Grassley, Thomas Tauke, and Arthur A. Neu are included here.
 
DeKoster wrote a newsletter, aimed at his constituents, in which he kept them up-to-date on what was going on in the Iowa Legislature. These newsletters (which in his diary he refers to as "a euphemism for campaign letter") are included in the third series, Legislative. Apparently DeKoster sent these out to the newspapers in his area for them to quote from as they chose. Included in most of these files are the original typewritten copies, with DeKoster's holographic corrections and additions, and a carbon copy or photocopy of the final copy. Closely allied to the newsletters as a way of reaching his public, are a series of letters to the editors he wrote, often in response to articles and other letters. These are included in the legislative series as well. Papers relating to his committee service during his years in the Senate are included here. He served on the Judiciary Committee and the Corrections and Mental Health Appropriations Subcommittee among others. There are local and national publications and copies of articles about these topics included in the legislative series since they are thought to have served as research for proposed amendments to bills under the guidance of these committees.
 
The Miscellaneous series contains items that wouldn't fit comfortably under another heading.
 
Campaign materials, family business, community service items, and speeches are collected under the rubric Personal.
 
Photographs make up the last series in the group.

Access: This collection is open to research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: These papers were given to the University of Iowa Libraries by Mr.DeKoster in installments from 1973 to 1982.

Preferred Citation: Papers of Lucas James DeKoster, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Repository:	University of Iowa Special Collections
Address:	Special Collections Department University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:	319-335-5921
Curator:	Greg Prickman
Email:	lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Website:	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.

Corporate Names:
Republican Party (Iowa)

Occupations:
Legislators

Geographic Names:
Iowa
Iowa