Ellis James Abdnor (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a member of 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 ...

from

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 ...

. He was also the 15th

Administrator of the Small Business Administration The administrator of the Small Business Administration is the head of the Small Business Administration of the United States. The administrator is responsible for managing and the day-to-day operations of the agency. The administrator is nominat ...

under presidents

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. Abdnor had previously represented

South Dakota's 2nd congressional district South Dakota's 2nd congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created after the 1910 United States census, 1910 census and was eliminated as a result of the 1980 United States redistricting cycle, redistricting cycle after the 1980 U ...

in the

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

and served as the 30th

Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, security services and police forces. The rank i ...

and a member of the

South Dakota Senate The South Dakota Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district. It meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''99th Legislature (2025)' ...

Early life and education

Abdnor was born in

Kennebec, South Dakota Kennebec is a town in and the county seat of Lyman County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census. History Kennebec was laid out in 1905. Kennebec has served as county seat of Lyman County since 1922. The courth ...

, on February 13, 1923, the son of Mary (née Wehby) and Samuel J. Abdnor. Abdnor served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and then graduated from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

in 1945 where he became a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...

fraternity.

Career

From 1946 to 1948, James Abdnor worked as a teacher and coach. Abdnor was chief clerk of the

South Dakota Legislature The South Dakota Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, which has 7 ...

in the early-1950s. He was a member of the

from 1957 to 1969. A common, decent, plain spoken man, he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator." He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way. His staff considered him to be a friend as well as an honorable mentor and public servant. Like his South Dakota congressional colleague

James Abourezk James George Abourezk ( ; February 24, 1931February 24, 2023) was an American attorney and politician from South Dakota. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both chambers of the United States Congress for one term each, and was the fi ...

, he was a second-generation

Lebanese American Lebanese Americans () are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States of America, as well as immigrants from Lebanon and Latin America. Lebanese Americans comprise 0.79% of the American populatio ...

and second U.S. Senator of Lebanese descent after Abourezk, as well. Abdnor was the 30th

from 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in 1970.

Tenure in Congress

In 1972, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican. Abdnor ran in the 1980 election against three-term incumbent and

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

Democratic presidential nominee

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

for the

. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state and unseated him by a large margin. During his term as a senator, Abdnor served on the Appropriations Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee, and chaired three subcommittees, including the Environment and Public Works Water Resources Subcommittee. In 1986, after winning by a wide margin a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor

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 ...

, Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Representative

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the ...

. He served as the administrator of the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...

from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for

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 ...

's successful campaign against Daschle in 2004.

Legislation

Abdnor's accomplishments included authorization of the Grassropes irrigation project and the Walworth, Edmunds, Brown (WEB) rural water system, reauthorization of the

Belle Fourche Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 5,617 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 5,873 in 2023, making it the 18th most populous city in South Dakota. It is ...

irrigation project, and the inclusion of

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seed ...

(of which South Dakota is a major producer) in the farm program. As a fiscal conservative, on April 2, 1984, he introduced S. 2516, the Deficit Reduction Act, a forerunner to the

Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act The Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Reaffirmation Act of 1987 (both often known as Gramm–Rudman) were the first binding spending constrai ...

. As chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water Resources, he exerted leadership in passage of legislation requiring cost-sharing for Federal water development projects. His interest in chairing the subcommittee was spawned by the importance of water to South Dakota's primary industry, agriculture, and the fact the state had been promised irrigation development in trade for inundation of its Missouri River bottom land behind massive dams in order to provide flood control and navigation benefits to downstream states.

Notable Abdnor staffers

United States Senator

had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff. John Thune#Early life, education, and early political career Other notable members of Abdnor's staff who went on to fill important public service roles include:

John Hamre John Julian Hamre (born July 3, 1950) is an American international relations scholar and former senior defense official. He is the president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a position he has held with since 2000. ...

, Undersecretary of Defense; Jeff Trandahl,

Clerk of the House The clerk, chief clerk, secretary, or secretary general (British English: ; American English: ) of a legislative chamber is the senior administrative officer responsible for ensuring that its business runs smoothly. This may encompass keeping ...

; Bruce Knight, Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Director, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); Phil Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC); Vern Larson, South Dakota State Treasurer and Auditor; South Dakota State Senators Walter Conahan, Mike Vehle, Lee Schoenbeck and

Scott Heidepriem Scott N. Heidepriem (born June 25, 1956) is an American attorney and former South Dakota state legislator. Early life, education, and career Heidepriem graduated with his bachelors, masters, and juris doctor from the University of South Dakota. ...

; South Dakota State Representative Sean O'Brien; Charlotte Fischer, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner; Roland Dolly, Commissioner of Economic Development for the State Of South Dakota; and Stephen Censky, Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, CEO of the American Soybean Association, and

United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture The United States deputy secretary of agriculture is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The deputy secretary becomes acting ...

Death

Abdnor died on May 16, 2012, at the age of 89.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdnor, James 1923 births 2012 deaths People from Lyman County, South Dakota American politicians of Lebanese descent Middle Eastern Christians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota Republican Party United States senators from South Dakota Administrators of the Small Business Administration Reagan administration personnel Lieutenant governors of South Dakota Republican Party South Dakota state senators University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni United States Army soldiers Military personnel from South Dakota United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century United States senators 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the South Dakota Legislature