Sigurd Anderson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sigurd Anderson (January 22, 1904December 21, 1990) was the 19th Governor of
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. Anderson, a
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 ...
from
Webster, South Dakota Webster is a city in and the county seat of Day County, South Dakota, Day County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The town was platted in 1880, and was named in honor of ...
, served in that office from 1951 to 1955.


Early life and education

Anderson was born at Frolands Verk, a rural community near
Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
, in the county of
Aust-Agder Aust-Agder (, en, "East Agder") was a county (''fylke'') in Norway until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was . The ...
, Norway and came to the United States at age three with his family to settle in
Lincoln County, South Dakota Lincoln County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 65,161, making it the third-most populated county in the state. Its county seat is Canton. The county was named for Abraham Li ...
. Sigurd became a United States citizen at age eight, when his father became a naturalized citizen. Anderson graduated from the Canton Lutheran Normal, in
Canton, South Dakota Canton is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. Canton is located 20 minutes south of Sioux Falls in southeastern South Dakota. Canton is nestled in the rolling hills of the Sioux Valley, providing an abun ...
, and enrolled at
South Dakota State College South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...
.South Dakota Manual, 1951, p. 428 During his first school year, Anderson suffered from
scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
, which prevented his return to college the following fall. In order to secure funds to continue his education, Anderson worked as a farm hand and taught rural school at Kruger #1 school house in
Kingsbury County Kingsbury County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,187. Its county seat is De Smet. The county was created in 1873, and was organized in 1880. It was named for brothers George W. and T. ...
. In 1928, Anderson enrolled at the
University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...
, and graduated in 1931 with ''cum laude'' honorsSDSU Archives & Special Collections: MA 13 Sigurd Anderson Papers
/ref> and a B.A. degree and went on to earn his
LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree from
University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...
. In 1937, he married Vivian Walz of
Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is ...
and began practicing law in
Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...
. Their daughter, Kristin Karen, was born during Anderson's administration.


Career

Anderson twice served as Day County state's attorney and as an assistant attorney general in the state capital,
Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. Before he was elected governor he served two terms as
South Dakota Attorney General The Attorney General of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an executive position as the state's chief legal officer. In 1992, ...
, 1947–1951.


1946 Attorney General election

On July 9, 1946, at the Republican convention, Anderson defeated I.R. Erickson of Vermillion; Anderson received 72,220 votes to 68,695 votes for Erickson. In the general election, Anderson defeated Democrat Albert F. Ulmer by a count of 106,502 votes to 50,480 votes.


1948 Attorney General election

In 1948, Anderson was re-nominated without opposition at the Republican convention in Pierre. In the general election, Anderson was re-elected as Attorney General by defeating D.C. Walsh by a 137,370 to 99,724 vote margin.


Gubernatorial administration

Anderson's re-election in 1952 marked the first time a candidate for South Dakota governor received more than 200,000 votes in a general election. This was not accomplished again until
Mike Rounds Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota ...
' reelection in 2006, over fifty years later. It was during Anderson's administration that the Legislative Research Council was established. It was also during this time that the state had a debt-free status—the first time in 40 years. After his service as governor, he served as a commissioner on the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
. In 1964, Anderson once again announced his candidacy for governor, but lost the GOP gubernatorial primary to
Nils Boe Nils Andreas Boe (September 10, 1913 – July 30, 1992) was an American attorney who served as the 23rd Governor of South Dakota from 1965 to 1969. He served as a judge of the United States Customs Court, later the United States Court of Interna ...
, who won the general election. Boe appointed Anderson to fill a vacancy as a circuit judge, from which position Anderson retired in 1975.


Death and legacy

Anderson died on December 21, 1990, and was interred in Webster Cemetery, Webster, South Dakota. He received dozens of professional and political honors and was a member of numerous organizations. 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 ...
,
Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
and affiliated bodies,
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
fraternity,
Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar A ...
fraternity,
Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...
fraternity,
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 many others. The Sigurd Anderson airport in Webster, South Dakota is named in his honor.South Dakota Legislative Manual, 1973, p. 127-128.


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 ...


References


External links

*
National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Sigurd 1904 births 1990 deaths People from Arendal Norwegian emigrants to the United States American Lutherans Republican Party governors of South Dakota South Dakota Attorneys General District attorneys in South Dakota People from Lincoln County, South Dakota People from Webster, South Dakota University of South Dakota School of Law alumni University of South Dakota alumni 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Lutherans