Byron Knutson (born November 9, 1929, near Harlow, North Dakota) is a

North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

politician who served as the

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner The North Dakota Insurance Commissioner regulates the insurance industry in North Dakota, United States, licenses insurance professionals in the state, educates consumers about different types of insurance, and handles consumer complaints. The curr ...

from 1977 to 1980 and as the

North Dakota Labor Commissioner In the U.S. state of North Dakota, the Commissioner of Labor, commonly referred to as Labor Commissioner, is an appointed official who heads the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights. The present commissioner is Erica Thunder. The C ...

from 1987 to 1990. He previously served in the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...

from 1959 to 1962.Dakota Lawmakers
, North Dakota Legislative Council

Early life

Knutson was born near Harlow (a small town near Brinsmade) on November 29, 1929, and raised in Harlow near Devis Lake. He was educated in Harlow elementary schools and graduated from Benson County Agriculture and Training High School in

Maddock, North Dakota Maddock is a city in Benson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 402 at the 2020 census. Maddock was founded in 1901. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Demogra ...

. He attended

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

, and Valley City State College for his college education.

Political career

He served in the

from 1959 to 1963, and ran for

North Dakota Public Service Commissioner The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutional agency that maintains various degrees of statutory authority over utilities, telecommunications, railroads, grain elevators, pipeline safety, and other functions in North Dakota. Establ ...

in 1974, but was unsuccessful. He was elected as the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner in 1976, but was defeated in 1980. After being defeated, he ran for

in 1982, and for

North Dakota Secretary of State The North Dakota Secretary of State is an elected office in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The incumbent was Alvin A. Jaeger. Duties of the Secretary of State include being the custodian of the state's Great Seal and other official state docume ...

in 1984, but was unsuccessful in both elections. He tried again for Labor Commissioner in 1986, and this time won, defeating

Orville W. Hagen Orville "Ike" W. Hagen (September 26, 1915 – June 24, 2007) was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota under Governor William Guy, and as the state's first North Dakota Commissioner ...

. His tenure was short-lived, however, and he was defeated in 1990 by Craig Hagen, who is of no relation to Orville.

Opinions

Personal life

He is married to Bernice, and has two daughters: Rebecca and Harmony.

Notes

Members of the North Dakota House of Representatives North Dakota Labor Commissioners Insurance Commissioners of North Dakota 1929 births Living people {{NorthDakota-politician-stub