Albin Walter Norblad Sr., (March 19, 1881 – April 17, 1960) was a prominent lawyer who lived in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

, United States, and the 19th Governor of Oregon from 1929 to 1931. He was a Republican. He was the father of

A. Walter Norblad Albin Walter Norblad Jr. (September 12, 1908 – September 20, 1964), was an American attorney and Republican politician in Oregon. He represented the U.S. state of Oregon's First District from January 18, 1946, until his death from a heart att ...

(1908–1964) member of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st Congressional District from 1946 to 1964.

Family and early life

Norblad was born in 1881 in Malmö (which was located in the

Swedish-Norwegian Union Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway ( sv, Svensk-norska unionen; no, Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden ...

at the time of his birth). His parents were Peter and Bessie Youngsberg. The family's surname was changed by the Swedish Government. The family emigrated to the United States while Albin was very young, settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He attended night classes at the Grand Rapids Business College. After earning enough credits there, Norblad was able enroll at the University of Chicago Law School, supporting himself as a reporter for the ''Chicago American'' newspaper. Graduating in 1902, he passed the bar exam and moved back to Michigan where he set up a law firm. He was elected District Attorney for Delta County.

Early political career

Norblad moved to

in 1909 with his wife, Edna Lyle Cates Norblad (1883–1972). He began practicing law, and became involved in the community. His first government office in Oregon was as Astoria's city attorney from 1910 to 1915. He would also become a member of the local school board, and president of the Astoria Chamber of Commerce. Norblad was also involved in many fraternal and civic organizations. Norblad went on to run for a seat in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

in 1918, and served in the Senate starting in 1919. Re-elected in 1920, he attempted an abortive run for Oregon's At-large U.S. House seat in 1922. He was succeeded in the Senate in 1923 by

Mary Strong Kinney Mary Strong Kinney (April 9, 1859 – June 17, 1938) was an American politician from Oregon. Early life and education Mary Edna Strong was born on April 9, 1859, in Salem, Oregon, to Elisha Strong and Pherne Brown Strong. Her great grandmother was ...

(1859–1938), but won re-election to the seat in 1926. He served as President of the Oregon State Senate in 1929, placing him as second in the state's then-official line of gubernatorial succession.

Governorship

After the death on December 21, 1929 of sitting Governor Isaac Patterson (1859–1929), Senate President Albin Norblad was sworn in as governor. As soon as he was inaugurated, he declared his intent to run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Norblad began focusing his attention on the economic situation in the state. He formed the state's first labor commission, later to become the State of Oregon Employment Department. He authorized $2 million worth of road construction, and succeeded in employing 5,000 workers. During his term in office, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads worked to realign sections of the

Oregon Coast Highway Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Ida ...

. Another $3 million was spent upgrading publicly owned facilities around the state. Norblad also accepted federal help in solving the dispute between Eastern Oregon's cattle and sheep ranchers. The Governor indicated his support for the pending military draft legislation working its way through Congress. He also argued for the state's acquisition of federally owned forest land. In 1931, the Modern Probation Act passed and the Oregon State Probation Commission established. Taking office during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Norblad's first attempts to improve conditions in the state were largely ineffective. Lacking a political identity statewide, and considered a progressive by conservative elements in control of the state Republican party, Norblad was defeated in his primary bid in May 1930, coming in second place. When the winner of the primary unexpectedly died a month later, Norblad took his name out of the running for the nomination, giving the Republican state central committee his blessing to choose a new candidate. Defeated in his primary bid by George W. Joseph (1872–1930) who died prior to the general election, Governor Norblad handed office to the victor of the 1930 gubernatorial election, independent

Julius L. Meier Julius L. Meier (December 31, 1874 – July 14, 1937) was an American businessman, civic leader, and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of the Meier & Frank department store founder, he would become a lawyer before entering the family bu ...

(1874–1937).

Personal life

Norblad went back to practicing law in Astoria, once again becoming closely involved in the community. He founded the Lower Columbia Association of Chambers of Commerce, and gained a grant from the descendants of John Jacob Astor for use in the Astoria Sesquicentennial Celebration. Norblad continued his practice and civic activities in Astoria until his death on April 17, 1960. He was buried with his wife, Edna Lyle at the

Rose City Cemetery Rose City Cemetery, also known as Rose City Cemetery and Funeral Home, is a cemetery in northeast Portland, Oregon's Cully neighborhood, in the United States. History Leaders of the Japanese Association, which became the Nikkei Jin Kai after Wor ...

, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.

References

External links

Oregon State Archives: Governor A.W. Norblad's Administration
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norblad, A. W. 1881 births 1960 deaths Republican Party governors of Oregon Politicians from Malmö Politicians from Astoria, Oregon Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Republican Party Oregon state senators Swedish emigrants to the United States University of Chicago Law School alumni School board members in Oregon 20th-century American politicians Oregon city attorneys