George Frederick Shafer (November 23, 1888August 13, 1948) was an American politician who served as the 16th

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 ...

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 ...

, serving from 1929 to 1932.

Biography

Shafer was educated in Mandan's public school system and attended 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 ...

. He married Frances Kellog on September 1, 1915, and they had three sons, George F. Jr., Richard K., and Charles D.; and one daughter, Virginia H. McCormick.

Career

Shafer pursued a career in politics and became the State's Attorney for McKenzie County from 1915 to 1919. Serving as the Assistant Attorney General from 1921 to 1923, he took on a more prominent role in 1923 when he became the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. He served this position until 1929, after defeating incumbent

Walter Maddock Walter Jeremiah Maddock (September 13, 1880January 25, 1951) was an American politician in North Dakota, US. He served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1915 to 1923, and became the 14th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota in 1925 ...

in the 1928 gubernatorial election. He served as the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is vested in the governor" in Secti ...

from 1929 to 1933. During his term, many profound events in the history of North Dakota occurred. The most severe problems facing the state during Shafer's administration were

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and low prices for agricultural products. To his credit, the State Mill and Elevator showed a good profit for the state under Shafer's direction, despite the weather and economic conditions. In 1930, the state capitol (former territorial capitol) burned down. A capital commission was formed to oversee the design and construction of the new capitol, and he was at the groundbreaking ceremony in 1932.

Death

Shafer retired from public life after losing the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate against incumbent

Gerald P. Nye Gerald Prentice Nye (December 19, 1892 – July 17, 1971) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States Senate from 1925 to 1945. He was a Republican and supporter of World War II-era isolationism, chairing the Nye ...

in 1932. He died in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

, on August 13, 1948, at the age of 59. He is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Bismarck, North Dakota.

References

External links

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National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafer, George F. 1888 births 1948 deaths Republican Party governors of North Dakota North Dakota Attorneys General People from Mandan, North Dakota Independent Voters Association state governors of the United States 20th-century American politicians Independent Voters Association politicians