Marvin Nelson (born June 1, 1958) is an American politician from the state of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. He serves 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 ...

as a member of the

North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League 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 ...

. Nelson has served in the North Dakota House for the 9th district since January 2011. He was a candidate for

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is vested in the governor" in Secti ...

in the 2016 gubernatorial election. Joan Heckaman was the Lt. Governor candidate on the ticket. Nelson lost to

Doug Burgum Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 33rd governor of North Dakota since 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party. Burgum was born and raised in the small to ...

in the general election.

Biography

Early life and education

Nelson was born on June 4, 1958 in the small town of

Rugby, North Dakota Rugby is a city in, and the county seat of, Pierce County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2020 census, making it the 19th largest city in North Dakota. Rugby was founded in 1886. Rugby is often billed as the geog ...

and raised by his parents, Marlowe and Marion, on a diversified farm northeast of Rugby. Crops on the farm included wheat,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

, oats, flax, and corn; and livestock consisted of

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was ...

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

, hogs, mink, and chickens. Along with his brother, Mark, and sister, MariJean, the family attended Bethany Lutheran Church in Rugby. Nelson's father served as a township treasurer and County Commissioner in Pierce County. Nelson's parents were also both active in Civil Defense. Nelson graduated from

Rugby High School Rugby High School is a public high school located in Rugby, North Dakota. It is a part of Rugby Public Schools. The athletic teams are known as the Panthers. Rugby High serves Rugby, Balta, Barton, and Orrin in Pierce County, and Knox in ...

, where he played

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

in the band and was active in debate and

Future Farmers of America National FFA Organization is an American 501(c)(3) youth organization, specifically a career and technical student organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education. It was founded in 1925 at Vi ...

. He attended NDSU-BBIF and transferred to

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 ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Entomology. During college, Nelson worked during the summer as an

apiary An apiary (also known as a bee yard) is a location where beehives of honey bees are kept. Apiaries come in many sizes and can be rural or urban depending on the honey production operation. Furthermore, an apiary may refer to a hobbyist's hives ...

inspector for the Department of Agriculture. He attended graduate school at NDSU before becoming a crop consultant.

Career

Nelson met his wife, Susan Ulwelling, in Fargo, North Dakota. After being married, the two moved to

Rolla, North Dakota Rolla ( ) is a city in Rolette County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Rolette County. The population was 1,223 at the 2020 census. The city contains a small park and a small outdoor pool. History Rolla was laid out in 18 ...

, where Nelson and several others built a

consignment shop Consignment involves selling one's personal goods (clothing, furniture, etc.) through a third-party vendor such as a consignment store or online thrift store. The owner of the goods pays the third-party a portion of the sale for facilitating t ...

called Clothing Connection. Nelson continues to operate the shop, in addition to working as an agricultural consultant. Nelson serves on the board of directors for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America. He has been active in both Farmers Union and

Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly just the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agr ...

, the Agricultural Consultants of North Dakota, Northwest Landowners Association, and the Salted Lands Council.

Political career

Nelson was elected to District 9 in the

in 2010 and was reelected in 2014. District 9 consists of Rolette County. Nelson has served three sessions on the Industry, Business and Labor Committee, and on the Natural Resources, Agriculture, Transportation, and Audit and Fiscal Review Committee. During the Interim, he has served on the Health Care Reform, Taxation, Health Services, Water Topics, and Tribal and State Relations Committees. He currently serves as chairman for Tribal and State Relations. Nelson Heckaman

Nelson has been elected to Legislative Management for two sessions, and also serves on the House Rules Committee. He has been appointed to the Crop Protection Product Harmonization and Registration Board.

Candidacy for Governor

On March 16, 2016, Nelson launched his campaign to become the

. Nelson ran unopposed during the primary and became the nominee of the Democratic-Nonpartisan League.https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-06-14/north-dakota-voters-weigh-in-on-governor-farming-rules Nelson faced the Republican nominee,

, in the North Dakota gubernatorial election. Nelson was defeated by Burgum on November 8.

References

External links

Biography, bills & committees
at North Dakota Legislative Branch
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Marvin 1958 births Living people People from Rugby, North Dakota North Dakota State University alumni 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2016 United States elections Democratic Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives