Alice Kundert (July 23, 1920 – June 10, 2013) was an American politician. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, she ascended to the top echelon of that state's politics. From

Mound City, South Dakota Mound City is a town in and the county seat of Campbell County, South Dakota, Campbell County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 69 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Mound City was so named on account of the In ...

, she went to

Northern State University Northern State University (NSU) is a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 45 bachelor's degrees, 53 minors, six associate degrees, 16 pre-professional programs, 23 certifi ...

and taught school. Kundert served as Auditor of the State of South Dakota from 1969 to 1978 and

Secretary of State of South Dakota The secretary of state of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current secretary of state is Monae Johnson. Divisions The secretary of state's office is composed of three divisions: *ThBusi ...

from 1979 to 1986. In 1986, Kundert entered the race for the Republican nomination for governor. Her entry into the race marked only the second time that a woman had run for the GOP nomination. Facing what has been described as a "loaded field," she came in fourth, winning just 13.8 percent of the vote. After he loss in the gubernatorial primary, Kundert served in the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...

1991–1994. She also served in various offices in

Campbell County, South Dakota Campbell County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,377, making it the fourth-least populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Mound City. The county was created in 1873 and orga ...

. Her father

Otto Kundert Otto Kundert (July 26, 1888 – January 9, 1950) was an American politician. From Java, South Dakota, Kundert served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1937 to 1942, from Campbell County, South Dakota, as a Republican. His daugh ...

and her brother

Gust Kundert Gust Kundert (December 7, 1913 – March 3, 2000) was an American politician. From Mound City, South Dakota, Kundert served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1983 to 1988 as a Republican. His father Otto Kundert and his sister ...

also served in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Notes

1920 births 2013 deaths People from Campbell County, South Dakota Northern State University alumni Women in South Dakota politics Women state legislators in South Dakota Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives State Auditors of South Dakota Secretaries of State of South Dakota 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women {{SouthDakota-politician-stub