Franklin Edvard Denholm (November 29, 1923 – April 7, 2016) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

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 ...

. He was born in Scotland Township of

Day County, South Dakota Day County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,449. Its county seat is Webster. The county is named for Merritt H. Day, pioneer and 1879 Dakota Territory legislator. Geography The terrai ...

Early life and education

He was educated in the public schools of the area, and graduated from

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

in 1956. He went on to receive a degree in J.D. from the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...

, and continued to do post-graduate work in the field of public administration at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Career

He worked as a farmer and auctioneer, and engaged in the business of interstate trucking. He was elected to the position of Day County

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in 1950, and served in that capacity through 1952, and later joined the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

in 1956, serving there through 1961. He was admitted to the bar in 1962 under

diploma privilege In the United States, the diploma privilege is a method for lawyers to be admitted to the bar (i.e. authorized to practice law) without taking a bar examination. Wisconsin is the only jurisdiction that currently allows diploma privilege as an alt ...

. He returned to

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's List of cities in South Dakota, fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

to start his legal practice. During this time back in Brookings, he also served as a lecturer in economics, law, and political science at

Political career

He was a delegate to the South Dakota State Democratic conventions in 1950 and 1952, and later to the Democratic National Convention in 1968. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

in 1971, and remained in that role until 1975, after losing the election in 1974 in a major upset. He then returned to the practice of law in

, the city in which he lived after office.

Death

Denholm died on April 7, 2016, at the age of 92 in

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denholm, Frank E. 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Day County, South Dakota Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota South Dakota sheriffs Federal Bureau of Investigation agents South Dakota lawyers Farmers from South Dakota People from Brookings, South Dakota 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers South Dakota State University alumni University of South Dakota alumni University of South Dakota School of Law alumni Humphrey School of Public Affairs alumni South Dakota State University faculty