Ralph Frederick Beermann (August 13, 1912 – February 17, 1977) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician and

US Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Early life

Born near

Dakota City, Nebraska Dakota City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,919 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County. Tyson Foods' largest beef production plant is located in Dakota City. History Dakota City was p ...

, Beermann graduated from

Morningside College Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a campus in Sioux City (ar ...

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

and then attended various army specialist schools.

Career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Beermann served in the African and European Theaters in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as part of the 601st Ordnance Battalion and the 301st Ordnance Regiment. After the war, he partnered with his six brothers (the Beermann Brothers) in farming,

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

dehydrating In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of Metabolism, metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental tempe ...

and cattle raising in

Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the population was 21,582. Its county seat is Dakota City. Dakota County is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE– SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the ...

. Beermann served as chairman of the Dakota County Republican Central Committee for ten years and organized the Dakota County

Young Republicans The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization ...

. He was elected to serve the 3rd district of Nebraska in the

Eighty-seventh United States Congress The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1961 ...

from January 3, 1961 to January 3, 1963; and served the 1st district in the

Eighty-eighth United States Congress The 88th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

from January 3, 1963 to January 3, 1965. He was narrowly defeated for re-election in 1964. After leaving Congress, Beermann returned to his business pursuits, but from 1972 to 1977, he served on the board of the

Nebraska Public Power District Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is the largest electric utility in the state of Nebraska, serving all or parts of 84 (of 93) counties. It was formed on January 1, 1970, when Consumers Public Power District, Platte Valley Public Power and Irri ...

Death

Beermann died in a

plane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

when the single-engine plane that he was piloting crashed at

Sioux City Municipal Airport Sioux Gateway Airport , also known as Colonel Bud Day Field, is a public and military use airport in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is located six nautical miles (7 mi, 11 km) south of the central business district of Sioux ...

in Iowa on February 17, 1977; his age was 64 years and 188 days. He is interred at the Dakota City Cemetery. He was a member of the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

and a member of the

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 agri ...

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

and the

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

. Beermann was survived by his wife, Marjorie Beermann, and four brothers.

References

External links

# # * * * at the

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beermann, Ralph Frederick Morningside University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II American Lutherans Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 1912 births 1977 deaths Accidental deaths in Iowa People from Dakota City, Nebraska Military personnel from Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Lutherans