Representative Frank Leander Sundstrom

Frank Leander Sundstrom (January 5, 1901 – May 23, 1980) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for three terms from 1943 to 1949. His congressional service spanned the final years of World War II and the immediate postwar period, during which he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his New Jersey constituents.

Sundstrom was born in Massena, St. Lawrence County, New York, on January 5, 1901, the son of a Swedish immigrant father. He attended the public schools in Massena. As a young man, he entered the field of journalism and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor from 1918 to 1920, gaining early experience in public affairs and communication that would later inform his political career.

After his initial work in journalism, Sundstrom enrolled at Cornell University. At Cornell he distinguished himself both academically and athletically, playing tackle for the Cornell football team. During his three seasons on the team, Cornell went undefeated in 24 games, a notable achievement in collegiate athletics of the era. In his senior year he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society, a prestigious senior honor society at Cornell recognizing leadership and service. Sundstrom graduated in 1924 and immediately went on to serve as an assistant football coach at Indiana University in Bloomington for the 1924 season. His accomplishments on the football field were later recognized with his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978.

Following his graduation and brief coaching career, Sundstrom entered the financial sector. Beginning in 1925, he engaged in the banking and brokerage business in New York City, a career he pursued for more than four decades, continuing in that field until 1969. While building his professional life in finance, he became active in Republican politics in New Jersey. He rose to prominence within the party as chairman of the East Orange, New Jersey, Republican Committee, a position he held from 1940 to 1946, helping to organize local party activities and contributing to Republican electoral efforts during a period that included World War II.

Sundstrom was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-eighth Congress and was subsequently reelected to the Seventy-ninth and Eightieth Congresses. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1949, representing New Jersey’s 11th congressional district. During his three terms in office, he participated in the democratic process at the national level, taking part in debates and votes on legislation affecting both his district and the country at large in a time marked by wartime mobilization, the transition to a peacetime economy, and the early stages of the Cold War. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process throughout his tenure. In 1948 he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Eighty-first Congress, bringing his period of congressional service to a close at the start of 1949.

After leaving Congress, Sundstrom returned to private enterprise and assumed senior roles in the distilled spirits and tobacco industries. He served as vice president and director of Schenley Distillers from 1954 to 1969 and, concurrently, as vice president and director of public relations for Schenley Industries, Inc. from 1955 to 1969. In 1969 he became vice president of the Tobacco Institute, the trade association representing major tobacco companies, a position he held until 1976. From 1976 until his death in 1980, he worked as a consultant for a group of United States distillers, continuing his involvement in corporate and public relations work.

Sundstrom made his home in Chatham Borough, New Jersey, during his later years. He died in Summit, New Jersey, on May 23, 1980. He was interred in Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, New Jersey, closing a life that encompassed notable achievements in collegiate athletics, finance, party leadership, and three terms of service in the United States Congress.