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 The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

, later the

United States Court of International Trade The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

Early life and education

Boe was born in

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

in Minnehaha County,

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 ...

. He was the youngest son of Lutheran minister Nils N. Boe (1861–1938) and Sissel Catherine Finseth (1874–1960), both immigrants from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1935 from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, where he was a member of the track team, and received a

Bachelor of Laws 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 Ch ...

in 1937 from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

. Boe served as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 opposing ...

Career

Boe was later elected to the state legislature representing

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

from 1953 to 1958. In 1962, following the state's primary elections, Lieutenant Governor Joseph H. Bottum was appointed by Governor Archie M. Gubbrud to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Francis H. Case's death. Bottum's appointment created both a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship and in the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in the 1962 elections. At a state convention on July 16, 1962, Boe was named as the replacement lieutenant-gubernatorial nominee. Several days later, Governor Gubbrud appointed Boe to fill the vacancy in the lieutenant governorship, and Boe was sworn in on July 20. He was re-elected later that fall. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, when Governor Gubbrud declined to seek a third term, Boe ran to succeed him. Upon his victory, Boe, who was unmarried, was South Dakota's only bachelor governor. His sister, Borghild Marie Boe (1906-1994), served as the state's official hostess during his term in office. The Boe administration improved the state's

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

system, enacted a worker training program to attract new industry to South Dakota, increased state aid to schools, and created a retirement program for state employees. The administration also was noteworthy for advocating property tax cuts and starting the state's educational television system. After leaving office, Boe was appointed by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

as the first director of the

Office of Intergovernmental Affairs The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and t ...

in the Executive Office of the President of the United States from 1969 to 1971.

Federal Judicial Service

Boe was nominated by President

on July 28, 1971, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Samuel Murray Rosenstein. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on August 6, 1971, and received his commission on August 10, 1971. He served as Chief Judge from 1971 to 1977. He was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

on November 1, 1980, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 94 Stat. 1727. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on April 30, 1984. His service terminated on July 30, 1992, due to his death. He was succeeded by Judge Nicholas Tsoucalas.

Death

Boe died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on July 30, 1992, at Sioux Valley Hospital in

, South Dakota.

Legacy

In 1971, members of the Boe family had established an endowment at Augustana College (now

Augustana University Augustana University is a private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The university identifies 1860 as the year of its founding, the same as its Rock Island, Illinois Swedish-heritage sister school, Augustana College. It derives ...

) for the Center for Western Studies to support a non-partisan lecture series. Nils Boe is memorialized by The Boe Forum on Public Affairs conducted annually at

References

Sources

External links

Nils A. Boe Papers, White House Central Files, 1969-1971

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boe, Nils Andreas 1913 births 1992 deaths People from Minnehaha County, South Dakota Republican Party governors of South Dakota Lieutenant Governors of South Dakota Speakers of the South Dakota House of Representatives Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives South Dakota lawyers American Lutherans Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota American people of Norwegian descent University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Deaths from cancer in South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota Judges of the United States Court of International Trade Judges of the United States Customs Court 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Lutherans United States federal judges appointed by Richard Nixon