Donald Grant Nutter (November 28, 1915January 25, 1962) was an American politician. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Nutter served in the

Montana Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

and as the chair of the state Republican Party prior to being elected the 15th governor of Montana in 1960. After a year in office, he was killed in an airplane crash during a

blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...

in January 1962.

Biography

Early life

Donald Nutter was born November 28, 1915, in

Lambert, Montana Fox Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Richland County, Montana, United States. The population was 158 at the 2010 census. History Within the CDP, as well as the settlement of Fox Lake, is located the settlement of Lambert. Lambert was ...

, the second of three sons born to Chesley E. Nutter and Anne Grant (Wood) Nutter. The family moved to Sidney in 1918. Nutter attended the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton for two years before transferring to

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

in 1935. He left school after his father became ill to return to Sidney, where he entered public service in 1937 as the deputy clerk of the Richland County District Court. He held that position for a year, then served for another year as the undersheriff of Richland County.

Marriage and children

Nutter met his wife, Maxine Trotter, at an

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

shop where she worked with her parents. They were married in Lewistown on April 16, 1938, and had one son, John.

Career

Following their wedding, Nutter entered the farm equipment business in Sidney. He did well and moved his young family to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, where he managed a farm equipment sales company for two years. With the outbreak of

, Nutter joined the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. As a

B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

bomber pilot, he flew 62 combat missions, logging more than 500 hours of combat time. He spent 13 months in the China-Burma-India Theater and was discharged at the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

after 39 months of service. He returned to eastern Montana and opened his own farm implement dealership in Sidney and in 1948 began working toward a law degree. Nutter was elected to the Montana State Senate in 1950, serving his eastern Montana constituents while attending law school in western Montana. In 1954, he was admitted to the Montana Bar and re-elected in the state senate. During his time in the statehouse, his position changed from "a cautious reactionary to a conscientious, business-minded liberal with a host of friends and supporters throughout the state". After defeat as the incumbent seeking a third term, he served as the chairman of the Montana Republican Central Committee from 1958 to 1960. He secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination and was elected

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in November 1960. During his tenure, state spending was reduced and new industrial developments were promoted.

Death and legacy

On the night of January 25, 1962, Nutter was en route to a speaking engagement in

Cut Bank A cut bank, also known as a river cliff or river-cut cliff, is the outside bank of a curve or meander in a water channel (stream), which is continually undergoing erosion.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak Cut banks are found in abu ...

when the

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

he was a passenger in crashed. Winds exceeding 100 mph sheared off one of the wings of the plane, causing the aircraft to go down in Wolf Creek Canyon north of Helena. Also killed in the crash were Dennis Gordon, his executive secretary; Edward Wren, commissioner of agriculture; and three members of the Montana Air National Guard: Maj. Clifford Hanson, Maj. Joseph Devine and Master Sgt. Charles Ballard. Nutter's casket lay in state in Montana's Capitol House Chambers, flanked by the caskets of Wren and Gordon and under watch by two Montana National Guardsmen, prior to being interred in the Sidney City Cemetery in Sidney, Montana. Elsewhere in Sidney, Nutter is remembered with a statue in Central Park and by the Donald G. Nutter Building, which is home to the Richland County Extension Office. At the Montana State Capitol in Helena, a bronze plaque outside the south entrance to the statehouse remembers Nutter and the others lost in the 1962 air crash.

Works

Letters

Nutter's correspondence, press releases, and speeches are included in the Montana Governors records collection at the Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives in Helena, Montana.

Awards

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with cluster * Distinguished Flying Cross with clusters

References

External links

Governor Donald G. Nutter
– timeline and photos on Richland County website
Governor Don Nutter
– statue images on sculptor Bob Stayton's website
Montana Historical Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nutter, Donald G. 1915 births 1962 deaths People from Richland County, Montana Accidental deaths in Montana American Congregationalists Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States University of Montana alumni United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Republican Party governors of Montana Republican Party Montana state senators United States Army Air Forces officers Recipients of the Air Medal North Dakota State College of Science alumni 20th-century American politicians People from Sidney, Montana Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962