Nicholas John Spaeth (January 27, 1950 – March 16, 2014) was the 27th
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
, serving from 1985–92. He lost the 1992
North Dakota governor's race to Republican
Ed Schafer
Edward Thomas Schafer (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who was the 30th governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. Schafer also served as the 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009, appointed ...
.
Born in
Mahnomen, Minnesota
Mahnomen ( ) is a city in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States, along the Wild Rice River. The population was 1,214 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mahnomen County.
U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota State Highway 200 are two of ...
, Spaeth grew up in
Valley City,
Fargo, and
Bismarck in North Dakota. He went to college at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, where he graduated with honors, and won a
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
to
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...
. After Oxford, he went to
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...
, where he was managing editor of the law review.
After graduation, he clerked for
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts:
* Eastern District of Arkansas
* Western Dis ...
Judge
Myron Bright
Myron Howard Bright (March 5, 1919 – December 12, 2016) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Early life and education
Born in Eveleth, Minn ...
and then for Supreme Court Justice
Byron White
Byron "Whizzer" Raymond White (June 8, 1917 April 15, 2002) was an American professional football player and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1962 until his retirement in 1993.
Born and raised in Color ...
.
In the November 1992 election for governor of North Dakota, Spaeth lost to Schafer, 58% to 41%. In 2004, Spaeth joined
H&R Block, Inc. in 2004, as a senior vice president and chief legal officer. He resigned in 2007 and joined the
Federal Home Loan Bank
The Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks, or FHLBank System) are 11 U.S. government-sponsored banks that provide liquidity to the members of financial institutions to support housing finance and community investment.
Overview
The FHLBank System was ...
(FHLB) as executive vice-president, general counsel and chief risk officer.
Death
Spaeth was found dead in his apartment in
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...
on March 16, 2014. He was 64 years old.
Nicholas Spaeth, former North Dakota Attorney General, found dead in Fargo over the weekend
wday.com; accessed March 18, 2014.
See also
*
References
, -
1950 births
2014 deaths
Alumni of New College, Oxford
American Rhodes Scholars
H&R Block
Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
North Dakota Attorneys General
North Dakota Democrats
People from Mahnomen County, Minnesota
Stanford Law School alumni
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