Frank W. Kuehl, born on September 14, 1894, visited his daughter at Shorewood Hills, a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin during the week of May 1, 1980. His son-in-law, William H. Applegate, assistant director of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, indicated Mr. Kuehl would be amenable to a tape-recorded discussion before he returned to his home in Washington, D.C. in a few days. I [Dale Trelevan of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin] consented and taped the interview with slight preparation, an aberration in the research methodology developed for oral history interviews at the Society.
The results of the interview demonstrate the absence of interviewer in-depth knowledge about Mr. Kuehl's long and illustrious career in both public and private sectors of the economy, except for portions related to the progressive wing of the Republican Party during the 1920s and early 1930s. Mr. Kuehl's remarks about his background and pre-Washington years will complement the very complete collection of personal papers he has donated to the State Historical Society. Researchers should examine the register of that collection for more detailed biographical information on Mr. Kuehl.
