Douglas Allen Larsen (March 8, 1976 – October 1, 2023) was an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

North Dakota 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 distri ...

, representing the 34th district from 2020 until his death in 2023.

Education

Born in Minot on March 8, 1976, Larsen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication arts and political science from

Minot State University Minot State University (MSU or MiSU) is a public university in Minot, North Dakota, United States. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, MSU evolved into a university in 1987 and is currently the state's third-largest, offering undergraduate and ...

Career

Larsen served in the

North Dakota Army National Guard The North Dakota Army National Guard (ND ARNG) is headquartered at the Fraine Barracks in Bismarck, North Dakota, and consists of the 68th Troop Command, headquartered in Bismarck, and the 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, headquartered in Fargo ...

for 29 years.Jack Dura & Mead Gruver
North Dakota state senator, his wife and 2 kids killed in Utah plane crash
Associated Press (October 2, 2023). He mobilized twice, to Iraq (2009–10) and later to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(2013–14). When at the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, he was the commander of the 112th Aviation Battalion. He was a lieutenant colonel at the time of his death. Larsen owned Apex Builders, a home building and development company, and a Wingate by Wyndham hotel franchise in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...

. He was also a licensed real estate agent.

Career in politics

Larsen was elected to the

in November 2020 and assumed office on December 1, 2020. Larsen was elected from District 34, which comprises

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

Death

Doug Larsen died on October 1, 2023, in a plane crash en route between family in Scottsdale, Arizona, and his home in North Dakota, shortly after taking off from a stop for fuel at Canyonlands Regional Airport in

Grand County, Utah Grand County is a county on the east central edge of the U.S. state of Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 9,669. Its county seat and largest city is Moab. Grand County is home to one of the nine stat ...

, near

Moab Moab () was an ancient Levant, Levantine kingdom whose territory is today located in southern Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by ...

. He was 47, and died along with his wife and both his children.

References

1976 births 2023 deaths United States Army officers Minot State University alumni Republican Party North Dakota state senators 21st-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2023 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Utah {{NorthDakota-politician-stub