Ragnvald Anderson Nestos (April 12, 1877July 15, 1942) was a
Norwegian-American politician who served as the
13th Governor 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 ...
from 1921 to 1925.
Early life
Ragnvold Anderson Nestos was a native of
Voss
Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Opphe ...
,
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 ...
. He was the son of Andres R. Nestos and Herborg Saue. One of ten children, he was sixteen and spoke no English when he came to the United States to live with his aunt and uncle at
Buxton, North Dakota
Buxton is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 348 at the 2020 census. Buxton was founded in 1880. Today, it has become a bedroom community for the nearby Greater Grand Forks metropolitan area.
History
Buxton ...
. He entered the first grade at Buxton and attended school in between working odd jobs and working at
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
camps out of state. Four years later, in 1897, he passed the
teachers
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
'
examinations and taught in a country school. He completed his studies at
Mayville State University
Mayville State University (MSU or MaSU) is a public university in Mayville, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System.
History
Founded as a normal school by provision of the North Dakota Constitution in 1889, Mayville State ...
, a teachers' college, while
homesteading
Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. Pur ...
in Pierce County. In 1904, he graduated from the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
and moved to
Minot
Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Minot Air Force Base, Air Force base approximately north of ...
, where he began practicing
law with a partner, attorney C. A. Johnson.
Political career
Nestos was a member of the
Independent Voters Association, running on the
Republican ticket. He was a member of
North Dakota State 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 ...
, 1911–12;
Ward County State's Attorney, 1913–16; and a primary candidate for
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
from North Dakota, 1916. He gained office when Governor
Lynn Frazier
Lynn Joseph Frazier (December 21, 1874January 11, 1947) was an American educator and politician who served as the 12th Governor of North Dakota from 1917 until being recalled in 1921 and later served as a U.S. Senator from North Dakota from 192 ...
was
defeated in the first successful attempt to recall a state governor in U.S. history.
Frazier's term was plagued with controversy and a grassroots movement was started to press for his recall. The
recall election
A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of offi ...
that removed Governor Frazier had also removed two other members of the state's
Industrial Commission
{{Distinguish, Industrial Relations Commission
The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentr ...
from office. It was a time of bitter political discontent between the
NPL (Nonpartisan League, which supported state-owned industry) and the
IVA
Iva or IVA may refer to:
Organizations
* Independent Voters Association, a North Dakota U.S. political organization
* Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi, a Danish university
* Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, (Swedish: ''Kungliga Ing ...
(Independent Voters Association, which opposed state ownership of industries). Nestos worked hard to make the new state-owned businesses (
State Mill and Elevator and the
Bank of North Dakota) a success. He also campaigned against illiteracy. During his administration, North Dakota came into national compliance for registering births and deaths, and the state had a full-time health officer for the first time. He ran for, and completed, a second term of office.
Legacy and death
Nestos never married.
He received national recognition for his work on behalf of the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
. He was a "Silver Buffalo Award" winner (1942). He was active within the
Norwegian Lutheran Church of America.
Nestos died of a stroke on July 15, 1942.
He is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in
Minot, North Dakota.
See also
*
List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
In total, 72 governors of U.S. states have been born outside the current territory of the United States. Joe Lombardo of Nevada, born in Japan, is the only current governor to have been born outside the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger o ...
*
List of governors of North Dakota
*
1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election
The 1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election was a recall election of List of Governors of North Dakota, North Dakota Governor Lynn Frazier in 1921. Frazier was the first U.S. Governor (United States), governor ever successfully recalled ...
*
1922 North Dakota gubernatorial election
*
1924 North Dakota gubernatorial election
References
Further reading
* Gunderson, Carl M. Ringen ''Historie om guvernør Ragnvald Nestos med hans stamtavle : Førhenverende guvernør og senator av North Dakota, U.S.A.'' (Los Angeles, 1964)
n Norwegian
External links
Biography of Ragnvold A. Nestosfrom the Historical Society of North Dakota website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nestos, Ragnvald
1877 births
1942 deaths
Republican Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives
Republican Party governors of North Dakota
University of North Dakota alumni
North Dakota lawyers
American Lutherans
Norwegian emigrants to the United States
People from Voss
People from Traill County, North Dakota
People from Ward County, North Dakota
Mayville State University alumni
Norwegian Lutherans
Independent Voters Association state governors of the United States
20th-century American politicians