Joseph McMurray Devine (March 15, 1861August 31, 1938) was an American politician who was the sixth

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 1898 to 1899. He served as governor for less than one year as he finished the term after Governor Frank A. Briggs died in office.

Biography

Joseph M. Devine was born in Wheeling (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 ...

; located in

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). He was educated in the public schools. He received a B.A. degree from the

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

in 1881. He married Ida Frances Holloway in 1891 and they had one daughter. He was again married, in 1900, to Mary Bernadine Hascom; and had a son, Douglas, and two daughters, Helen and Bernadine. He moved to

LaMoure County LaMoure County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,093. Its county seat is LaMoure. History The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with Grand Rapids as t ...

, Dakota Territory in 1884 and was superintendent of schools for ten years. In 1892 he lost an election for state superintendent of public education to Laura J. Eisenhuth, the first woman elected to state office in the United States.

Career

He first entered politics as Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota in 1897. When Governor Frank A. Briggs died on August 9, 1898, Devine, assumed the duties of governorship for the remainder of the term. He won reelection as Lieutenant Governor from 1899 through 1901 He continued to be active in educational issues, serving as the

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction The North Dakota superintendent of public instruction oversees the operations of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The superintendent enforces state and federal statutes and regulations regarding public schools and related program ...

from 1901 to 1902. In 1914, he became executive head of the State Training School in Mandan. The last position he held was as State Immigration Commissioner from 1923 to 1933.

Death

Devine died of heart failure on August 31, 1938, and is interred in Mandan Union Cemetery in

Mandan, North Dakota Mandan is a city on the eastern border of Morton County, North Dakota, Morton County and the List of cities in North Dakota, eighth-most populous city in North Dakota. Founded in 1879 on the west side of the upper Missouri River, it was designat ...

References

External links

*
Biography for Joseph M. Devine
from th
State Historical Society of North Dakota website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Joseph M. Devine Joseph M. Devine Joseph M. Devine Joseph M. Devine Joseph M. North Dakota superintendents of public instruction American Presbyterians North Dakota Republicans Republican Party governors of North Dakota Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia People from LaMoure County, North Dakota 19th-century North Dakota politicians 20th-century North Dakota politicians West Virginia University alumni