Andrew Ericson Lee (March 18, 1847 – March 19, 1934) was an American politician who served as the third Governor of

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 ...

Biography

Lee was born near

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

in Norway and at a young age moved with his parents to the United States. His parents were Eric Lee and Augusta (Johnson) Lee. He spent his childhood on a farm in Dane County, Wisconsin. He moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

and settled at

Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is v ...

in 1867. Lee and Charles E. Prentis became partners in a mercantile business in 1869. Lee was married in 1872 to Annie M. Chappell. They had one daughter. Lee was the brother-in-law of Hans Gunderson and Lyman Burgess, both of whom served as members of the

House of Representatives. He was the uncle of Carl Gunderson who served as Governor of South Dakota. Hans Gunderson married Lee's sister Isabel. Isabel's brother and son were South Dakota Governors. (information about Isabel from unknown newspaper article in possession of a family member writing this update.) It was also known in the family that Andrew Lee and Carl Gunderson did not get along.

Career

In 1896, Lee ran for

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

on the

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

ticket and beat A. O. Ringsrud of Elk Point by only 319 votes. He was elected to his second term on the

Fusion Party Fusion Party is a name for multiple political parties in United States history and more recently a Federal political party established in Australia. The different parties that used the name don't share any particular political positions; instead ...

ticket, an alliance of Independents in the state. The party was formed in 1896 from an alliance of Democrats, Free Silver Republicans, and Populists who were opposed to the platform of the state Republican Party.South Dakota Governor Andrew Ericson Lee
.

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

. He was the only non-

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 ...

Governor to hold office until the election of

William J. Bulow William John Bulow (January 13, 1869February 26, 1960) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the first Democratic Governor of South Dakota, serving from 1927 to 1931. He received the highest number of votes of any Democratic candidate f ...

in 1926. Populist Governor Lee was instrumental in getting the Initiative and Referendum passed. A major focus during his administration was eliminating inefficiency and mismanagement within State Government. A major issue during his administration was the organization and return of the state militia which served in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. In 1900, the Populists nominated Lee for Congress, and he spoke at the Populist convention in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

. Lee lost in a Republican landslide, which ended the political influence of the Populists in South Dakota. In 1908, Lee ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for Governor of South Dakota.

Death

Andrew Lee died at his home in

Vermillion, South Dakota Vermillion ( lkt, Waséoyuze; "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city in and the county seat of Clay County. It is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States, and is the state's 12th-largest city. According to the 2020 ...

, on March 19, 1934, the day after his 87th birthday. The Gundersons and the Lees are buried in the old Bluff's Cemetery (Bluff View Cemetery in Vermillion, Clay County, South Dakota US).

References

External links

*
National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Andrew 1847 births 1934 deaths Governors of South Dakota People's Party state governors of the United States Democratic Party governors of South Dakota American people of Norwegian descent People from Hordaland South Dakota Populists People from Vermillion, South Dakota