Clarence Norman Brunsdale (July 9, 1891January 27, 1978) was an American politician who served as the 24th

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 North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

and a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from the state of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Biography

Clarence Norman Brunsdale was born in

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

Steele County, North Dakota Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,798, making it the fifth-least populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat since 1919 is Finley. History The Dakota Territory leg ...

. He was the son of Knute H. Brunsdale (1855–1899) and Anna Margaret (Nordgaard) Brunsdale (1860–1927), both of whom were of Norwegian immigrant heritage. He was educated in public schools and the Bruflat Academy at Portland, North Dakota. In 1913, he graduated from Luther College in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is the largest city in and county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of Iowa ...

. He returned to Portland, teaching at Bruflat Academy and worked the family farm operations in Traill and Steele counties.

Career

Brunsdale served in the

North Dakota State Senate The North Dakota State Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative distric ...

(1927–34, 1941–51). He was an alternate delegate to

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

from North Dakota (1940) and a member of Republican National Committee from North Dakota, (1948–52). He was

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 North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

from 1951 to 1957 and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from November 19, 1959, to August 7, 1960. As governor, Brunsdale was an avid supporter of water development projects. During his administration

Garrison Dam Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota, U.S. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947 to 1953, at over in length, the dam is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. The res ...

was completed and the Legislature established the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District. The early 1950s also saw the establishment of the Highway Department and the passage of major highway legislation. Education, agriculture, and mental health issues were also important to Governor Brunsdale. In 1959, Brunsdale was appointed to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

upon the death of Senator

William Langer William "Wild Bill" Langer (September 30, 1886November 8, 1959) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th governor of North Dakota from 1932 to 1934 and the 21st governor from 1937 to 1939. His governorship was demarcated by ...

. Brunsdale voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily wi ...

. Brunsdale was not a candidate for election to the vacancy and

Quentin Burdick Quentin Northrup Burdick (June 19, 1908 – September 8, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, he represented North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1959–1960) and the U.S ...

was narrowly elected to the seat in a 1960 special election.

Personal life

He was married to Carrie Lajord (1890–1982) on August 30, 1925, and they had two daughters, Margaret Marie (Larson) and Helen Lucille (Williams). Brunsdale died at

Mayville, North Dakota Mayville is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2020 census. which makes Mayville the largest community in Traill County. Mayville was founded in 1881. The city's name remembers May Arnold, the ...

in 1978. He was buried in Mayville Cemetery, Mayville,

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population at 7,997, and was estimated to be 7,989 in 2024. The county seat is Hillsboro, North Dakota, H ...

. Brunsdale was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunsdale, Norman 1891 births 1978 deaths Luther College (Iowa) alumni People from Steele County, North Dakota American Lutherans Farmers from North Dakota Presidents pro tempore of the North Dakota Senate Republican Party North Dakota state senators Republican Party governors of North Dakota Republican Party United States senators from North Dakota American people of Norwegian descent 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly