Walter H. Jurgensen (October 1894 – 1973) was the 20th lieutenant governor of Nebraska from 1933 to 1938. Jurgensen was born in Madison, Nebraska, in October 1894 to Peter and Sophia (Paulsen) Jurgensen. He attended high school in

Spencer, Nebraska Spencer is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 455 at the 2010 census, down from 541 in 2000. History Spencer was platted in 1891. Sources vary whether it is named for an army captain, or for George E. Spencer, ...

and college at the University of Nebraska, and worked in the insurance business. He married Margaret J. Carper of Cass County in 1920.Sheldon, Addison Erwin. ''Nebraska, The Land and the People, Vol. 3'' (1931) Before seeking political office, Jurgensen served as president of the Western Union Life Insurance Company in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1928 Jurgensen, then a Republican, challenged

Charles J. Warner Charles Joseph Warner (March 29, 1875 – September 24, 1955) was an American politician in the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served for four terms as the 25th lieutenant governor of Nebraska, from 1949 to 1955. Before that, he was a state legisla ...

, then an incumbent state senator, in the Republican primaries for his seat in the Nebraska Senate, but he was unsuccessful. Jurgensen was first elected

Nebraska Lieutenant Governor The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the governor. According to the Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, becomes permanently incapacitated, resigns, or ...

as a Democrat in November 1932, defeating Republican incumbent Theodore Metcalfe as part of a Democratic landslide in the state connected to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election as President.(9 November 1932)
State Vote Reflecting U.S. Poll
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Kearney Hub The ''Kearney Hub'' is a daily newspaper published in Kearney, Nebraska, United States, and is the primary newspaper for south-central region of Nebraska surrounding the city, including Buffalo County, Nebraska and the Kearney Micropolitan Statis ...

'' He was reelected in 1934, defeating Charles W. Johnson, and he defeated former lieutenant governor George A. Williams to win reelection to a third-term in 1936. As Lieutenant Governor, he formally opened the first session of the new unicameral Nebraska Legislature in 1937.(6 January 1937)
One-Chamber Nebraska Assembly Opens
'' The New York Times'' (Associated Press story) Jurgensen was removed from office in June 1938, after being convicted in March 1938 of embezzling $549 in a stock transaction between a co-defendant and a railroad station agent in September 1934.(26 June 1938)
Lieut. Governor Out: Nebraska Court Removes Official In Embezzling Case
'' The New York Times'' Jurgensen contested the conviction and sought renomination for a fourth term as lieutenant governor, but was declared ineligible to participate in the primary.(27 June 2012)
Time Capsule
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Omaha World Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ch ...

'' His successor, Democrat Nate M. Parsons, was elected to fill out the term—and served less than two months. He was sentenced to serve two to five years, and was freed by the state pardon board in December 1940 after making an unopposed request to be released.(13 December 1940)
Ex-Nebraska Official Freed
''Telegraph-Herald'' (Associated Press)(10 February 1939)
Jurgensen Retains Office Despite His Conviction By Jury
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'', pp. 1, 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurgensen, Walter H. Lieutenant governors of Nebraska 1894 births 1973 deaths Nebraska politicians convicted of crimes People from Madison, Nebraska University of Nebraska alumni 20th-century American politicians