Eli C. D. Shortridge (March 29, 1830 – February 4, 1908) was an American politician who was the third

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 1893 to 1895. Shortridge was the first governor to live in the executive mansion.

Biography

Born Eli Charles Daniel Shortridge, he was the eighth of nine children born to Levi and Elizabeth Love Shortridge. Shortridge was born in Cabell County (in modern-day

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

; the county was still a part of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

at the time of his birth), and grew up in

Monroe County, Missouri Monroe County is a county in northeast Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,666. Its county seat is Paris. It is the birthplace of Mark Twain. History The county was organized January 6, 1831 and named for James Monroe, the f ...

. He completed his education at an academy located near

Paris, Missouri Paris is a city and county seat of Monroe County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,161 at the 2020 census. History Paris was platted in 1831, and named after Paris, Kentucky, the native home of one of the first settlers, Mrs. James ...

. He moved to Larimore,

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

with his family, second wife Anna Burton and twin daughters, in 1882.

Career

Shortridge ran for governor ten years later in 1893 on a fusion ticket composed of Populists, Democrats, and the

Farmers' Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance an ...

, who merged into a single Democratic-Independent Party. The new party was very successful, but very short-lived; the party dissolved soon after Shortridge's retirement. During his administration, Shortridge approved the issuance of $50,000 in bonds to construct the south wing of the

state capitol A capitol, or seat of government, is the building or complex of buildings from which a government such as that of a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or the organized territories of the United States, exercises its authority. Although m ...

and approved the purchase of an executive mansion for the governor's residence. He also supported an appropriation for a state elevator at

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

. An out-of-state terminal elevator was not constructed largely due to a provision requiring North Dakota sovereignty over any elevator site. The bill passed, but the provision that

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

would have to cede sovereignty over the site created an unacceptable situation for both states. Governor Shortridge retired from office after one term. He was appointed clerk of the

United States General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government responsible for Public domain (land), public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 ...

Devils Lake, North Dakota Devils Lake is a city in and the county seat of Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 7,192 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 7,314 in 2024. It is named after the nearby lake called Devils Lake. The first ho ...

. After the death of Anna, Shortridge married a third time to Dorcas Virginia Brady and they had five children.

Death

Shortridge died on February 4, 1908, and is interred at Devil's Lake Cemetery, Devil's Lake, North Dakota.

References

External links

Biography for Eli C. D. Shortridge
from th
State Historical Society of North Dakota website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shortridge, Eli C. D. Democratic Party governors of North Dakota People from Dakota Territory 1830 births 1908 deaths People from Cabell County, West Virginia People from Monroe County, Missouri People from Grand Forks County, North Dakota 19th-century North Dakota politicians