Richard Scammon (1915–2001) came to the University of Minnesota in 1931 and was active in the Jacobin group and a powerful force in student government and activism. His name appeared on Chase’s lists along with other “Radical Leaders” for his leadership of the anti-drill and anti-war movements. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science in 1935 and was a Captain in the U.S. Army during WWII.

Scammon was a political scientist, elections scholar, and writer. He served as the United States Director of the Census from 1961–1965 and advised Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.