Ole H. Olson (September 19, 1872 – January 29, 1954) was the 16th lieutenant governor and 18th governor of North Dakota.

Biography

Olson was born in

Mondovi, Wisconsin Mondovi is a city along the Buffalo River in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,777 at the 2010 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Mondovi. A small portion lies within the Town of Naples. Histo ...

. He was the oldest child of nine from parents who had emigrated from

Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. After graduating from Concordia College, in Moorhead, Minnesota, Olson moved to Eddy County, North Dakota, and established a successful farm. He married Julia Ramberget on December 12, 1912, and they had four sons and six daughters.

Career

Elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives, Olson served from 1917 to 1919. He was then elected to the

North Dakota State Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...

, serving from 1919 to 1931, and as president pro tempore in 1929. Olson was elected the 16th

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

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 ...

. In 1934, Governor

William Langer William "Wild Bill" Langer (September 30, 1886November 8, 1959) was a prominent American lawyer and politician from North Dakota, where he was an infamous character, bouncing back from a scandal that forced him out of the governor's office and ...

was removed from office and sentenced to prison after a scandal, and Olson was sworn in as the 18th governor. He served the remainder of Langer's term. During his brief tenure, demonstrators marched on the state capitol and the National Guard was called in.

Death

Olson died in

New Rockford, North Dakota New Rockford is a city in Eddy County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Eddy County. The population was 1,361 at the 2020 census. New Rockford was founded in 1883. History New Rockford was founded in 1883, when the Great ...

, on January 29, 1954, at the age of 81.''Ole H. Olson'' (Exhibits - North Dakota Governors)
/ref> He is buried at Grandfield Lutheran Cemetery in rural Sheyenne, Eddy County, North Dakota.

References

External links

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Ole H. 1872 births 1954 deaths Republican Party governors of North Dakota Lieutenant Governors of North Dakota Presidents pro tempore of the North Dakota Senate Republican Party North Dakota state senators Republican Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives American Lutherans American people of Norwegian descent People from Mondovi, Wisconsin People from Eddy County, North Dakota Nonpartisan League state governors of the United States 20th-century American politicians