Don Sundquist

Sundquist was born on March 15, 1936, in Moline, Illinois, the son of Kenneth and Louise (Rohren) Sundquist. His father was of Swedish descent, while his mother was of German descent.

After graduating from Moline High School in 1953, he attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, obtaining his B.A. in business administration in 1957. He was a member of the Rho Nu Delta fraternity at Augustana. He served in the United States Navy from 1957 to 1963, including two years on active duty.

Sundquist joined Jostens in 1961, and initially worked at the company's plants in Princeton, Illinois, and Owatonna, Minnesota. In 1962, he was transferred to the company plant in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where he became plant manager. He left Jostens in 1972 and moved to Memphis, where he established an advertising and printing firm, Graphic Sales of America.

After moving to Tennessee, Sundquist became active in Republican Party politics. He served as an organizer of the Barry Goldwater 1964 presidential campaign. He served as Chair of the national Young Republicans from 1971 to 1973, and chair of the Shelby County Republican Party from 1975 to 1977. He was a delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention and the 1980 Republican National Convention, and managed the presidential campaign of Howard Baker during the 1980 election cycle.

Sundquist married Martha Swanson in 1959. They had three children.

Don Sundquist died in Memphis on August 27, 2023, at the age of 87, following surgery and a short illness.