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Carole Kay Hillard (née Rypkema; August 14, 1936 – October 25, 2007) was the first woman to serve as
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, 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 Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
.


Personal

Hillard was born in
Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its ...
, August 14, 1936, to Edward Rypkema and Vernell Peterson; she was the oldest of three daughters born to them. She graduated from the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
in 1957 with an undergraduate degree in education. She subsequently earned a master's degree in education from
South Dakota State University South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the sec ...
in 1982 and then a master's degree in political science at the
University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...
in 1984. Hillard was married to John Hillard. They had five children.


Politics

Hillard's electoral career began when she served on the
Rapid City Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed. It is the second-mo ...
Common Council. She was then elected to two terms in the
South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided ...
from Rapid City. Hillard, a Republican, was elected as lieutenant governor in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998 as the running mate of
Bill Janklow William John Janklow (September 13, 1939January 12, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who holds the record for the longest tenure as the governor of South Dakota: sixt ...
; she served from 1995 to 2003. She was instrumental in the foundation of the Rapid City woman's shelter and the Cornerstone Rescue Mission and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2007. In 1996, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Tim Johnson of
South Dakota's At-large congressional district South Dakota's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district for the state of South Dakota. Based on area, it is the fourth largest congressional district in the nation. The district is currently represented by Dusty Johnson ...
decided to retire from the U.S. Senate. Hillard decided to run for the open seat, and lost to
John Thune John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A Republican, Thune has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republica ...
, 59%-41% in the Republican primary.


Death

Hillard suffered a spinal fracture and three broken ribs on October 8, 2007, while sailing on a boat with friends in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. She underwent surgery in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, Croatia two days later. On October 19, 2007, she was hospitalized while in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
before she was bound to return home to the United States. She had developed pneumonia, a bacterial blood infection and suffered a series of strokes. Hillard died at
University Hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...
in
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
on October 25, 2007, at age 71.


See also

*
List of female lieutenant governors in the United States As of February 17, 2025, there are 22 women currently serving (excluding acting capacity) as lieutenant governors in the United States. Overall, 127 women have served (including acting capacity). Women have been elected lieutenant governor in 40 ...


References


External links


Obituary
from the ''
Rapid City Journal The ''Rapid City Journal'' (formerly the ''Black Hills Journal'' and the ''Rapid City Daily Journal'') is the daily newspaper of Rapid City, South Dakota. As of 2021, it is the largest newspaper in South Dakota by total subscriptions, according ...
''
Carole Hillard, South Dakota Magazine
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillard, Carole 1936 births 2007 deaths 2000 United States presidential electors 20th-century members of the South Dakota Legislature 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Infectious disease deaths in Switzerland Lieutenant governors of South Dakota Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives People from Deadwood, South Dakota Politicians from Rapid City, South Dakota South Dakota State University alumni South Dakota city council members University of Arizona alumni University of South Dakota alumni Women city councillors in South Dakota Women state legislators in South Dakota