Ralph Edmund Herseth (July 2, 1909 – January 24, 1969) was the 21st Governor of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

from January 6, 1959 to January 3, 1961. He was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and was the patriarch of the prominent Herseth family of

Early life and education

Herseth was born in

Houghton, South Dakota Houghton is an unincorporated community in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. Its population is not tracked by the Census Bureau. History Houghton was platted in 1886. It was named for C. W. Houghton, an original owner of the town site. ...

, the son of Oline (née Afseth) and Lars Herseth. His father was a Norwegian immigrant, as were his maternal grandparents. He graduated from Columbia High School, in

Brown County, South Dakota Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 38,301, making it the fourth-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Aberdeen. The county is named for Alfred Br ...

. He attended Northern State Teachers College and North Dakota State College. He married Lorna H. Buntrock on December 23, 1937, and they lived on a ranch near Houghton. Lorna Herseth later became South Dakota's Secretary of State. Their son Lars Herseth was Majority Leader of the State Senate, and granddaughter

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin Stephanie Marie Herseth Sandlin (born December 3, 1970) is an American attorney, university administrator, and politician from the Democratic Party. She served in the United States House of Representatives for from 2004 until 2011. Sandlin was ...

served in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

from 2004 until 2011.

Political career

Herseth was a Superintendent for the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(1935–39). He served in the South Dakota State Senate for Brown County from (1951–52) and (1957–58). Herseth was only the third

to hold the office of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the state of South Dakota. As governor, he focused on state tax problems, appointing a Citizens Tax Study Commission to recommend tax reform. He was also active in developing South Dakota's natural resources.

Big Bend Dam Big Bend Dam is a major embankment rolled-earth dam on the Missouri River in Central South Dakota, United States, creating Lake Sharpe. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri w ...

on the Missouri River was begun during his single term in office. The state government experienced problems resulting from hard-hitting natural disasters in

in 1959; he was defeated for reelection in 1960, and for a return to office in 1962.

Death

Herseth died on January 24, 1969, and is interred at Houghton Cemetery, Houghton, Brown County, South Dakota US.NState
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References

External links

at the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

Ralph E. Herseth entry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

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Governor Ralph Herseth portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herseth, Ralph 1909 births 1969 deaths Democratic Party governors of South Dakota Democratic Party South Dakota state senators Northern State University alumni North Dakota State University alumni American people of Norwegian descent People from Brown County, South Dakota 20th-century American politicians Herseth family