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Ralph Herseth
21st Governor of South Dakota
In office January 6, 1959 – January 3, 1961
Lieutenant	John F. Lindley
Preceded by	Joe Foss
Succeeded by	Archie M. Gubbrud
Personal details
Born	(1909-07-02)July 2, 1909 near Houghton, South Dakota, U.S.
Died	January 24, 1969(1969-01-24) (aged 59) Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lorna Buntrock
Alma mater	North Dakota State University
Profession	Farmer

Ralph E. Herseth (July 2, 1909 – January 24, 1969) was the 21st governor of South Dakota from January 6, 1959, to January 3, 1961. He was a Democrat and was the patriarch of the prominent Herseth family of South Dakota.

Early life and education

Herseth was born in 1909 on a ranch near Houghton, South Dakota, 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. 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 served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2004 until 2011.

Political career

Herseth was a Superintendent for the Civilian Conservation Corps (1935–39). He served in the South Dakota State Senate for Brown County from (1951–52) and (1957–58).

Herseth was only the third Democrat to hold the office of Governor 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 on the Missouri River was begun during his single term in office. The state government experienced problems resulting from hard-hitting natural disasters in South Dakota in 1959; he was defeated for reelection in 1960, and for a return to office in 1962.

Death

Herseth, died from a heart attack on January 24, 1969, aged 59, while visiting a friend at home in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He had a history of heart problems, having previously suffered a heart attack in 1960. He is interred at Houghton Cemetery, Houghton, Brown County, South Dakota US.

References

1. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/sandlin.htm
2. ^ "Ralph Herseth Dies Suddenly". Argus Leader. Associated Press. January 24, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Ralph Herseth". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
4. Ralph E. Herseth (Soylent Communications)
5. ^ "Funeral For Herseth To Be Monday". Argus Leader. Associated Press. January 25, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. NState

External links

• Ralph E. Herseth entry at the National Governors Association
• Ralph E. Herseth entry at The Political Graveyard
• Ralph Herseth at Find a Grave
• Governor Ralph Herseth portrait

v t e Governors and lieutenant governors of South Dakota
Governors	Mellette Sheldon Lee Herreid Elrod Crawford Vessey Byrne Norbeck McMaster Gunderson Bulow Green Berry Jensen Bushfield Sharpe G.T. Mickelson Anderson Foss Herseth Gubbrud Boe Farrar Kneip Wollman Janklow G.S. Mickelson Miller Janklow Rounds Daugaard Noem
Lieutenant governors	Fletcher Hoffman Herreid Hindman Kean Snow McDougall Shober Byrne Abel Norbeck McMaster Gunderson Forney Covey Coyne J. Grigsby Whitney Ustrud Peterson McMurchie A. Miller S. Grigsby Terry Houck Lindley Bottum Boe Overpeck Abdnor Dougherty Wollman Hansen W. Miller Kirby Hillard Daugaard Michels Rhoden

• 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
• Herseth family
• 20th-century members of the South Dakota Legislature