Stout was born on October 5, 1897, in
Winterset, Iowa (which was also the birthplace of actor
John Wayne). He studied at
Grinnell College for two years and then served in a U.S. military hospital unit during World War I. After the war, he completed his undergraduate degree at the
University of Iowa, taught painting in the art department for a couple of years, then traveled throughout Europe. In 1924, he married Margaret Hayes, with whom he had two sons, Robert and Thomas. He became head of the Fogg's conservation department in 1933, a position he held until 1947. A Navy reservist for some time, Stout was placed on active duty in 1943, and soon after joined the
Twelfth Army Group. Because of his art conservation background, he was one of the first recruited to the
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section (MFAA). The group was charged with the protection of and documentation of damages to European cultural monuments during World War II, as well as the investigation, location, recovery, and repatriation of art that had been plundered by the Nazis. While in Europe from 1944 to 1945, he supervised the inventory and removal of several thousand art works from repositories hidden in salt mines, churches, and other locations, and was appointed as the deputy commander of the MFAA. Stout was also instrumental in the founding of the
International Institute for Conservation (IIC) and was its first president, from 1950 to 1953 and served on its Council until 1963. Stout was made an Honorary Fellow of IIC in 1966. In 1975, he was inducted as an honorary member of the
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works for his accomplishments. Stout died on July 1, 1978, in
Santa Clara, California. ==Quotes==