Ragnvald Anderson Nestos (April 12, 1877July 15, 1942) was a

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

politician who served as the 13th

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 1921 to 1925.

Early life

Ragnvold Anderson Nestos was a native of

Voss Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. He was the son of Andres R. Nestos and Herborg Saue. One of ten children, he was sixteen and spoke no English when he came to the United States to live with his aunt and uncle at

Buxton, North Dakota Buxton is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 348 at the 2020 census. Buxton was founded in 1880. History Buxton was founded in 1880 in Buxton Township as a townsite along the Great Northern Railroad in 1 ...

. He entered the first grade at Buxton and attended school in between working odd jobs and working at

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

camps out of state. Four years later, in 1897, he passed the

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

examinations An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

and taught in a country school. He completed his studies at

Mayville State University Mayville State University (MSU or MaSU) is a public university in Mayville, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the North Dakota University System. History Founded as a normal school by provision of the North Dakota Constitution in 1 ...

, a teachers' college, while

homesteading Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. H ...

in Pierce County. In 1904, he graduated from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

and moved to

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

, where he began practicing

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

with a partner, attorney C. A. Johnson.

Political career

Nestos was a member of the

Independent Voters Association The Independent Voters Association, or IVA, was a North Dakota, United States, political organization. It formed on May 1, 1918, at the height of the Nonpartisan League's influence on the North Dakota Republican Party. The IVA was a conservative ...

, running on the Republican ticket. He was a member of North Dakota State House of Representatives, 1911–12; Ward County State's Attorney, 1913–16; and a primary candidate for

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 North Dakota, 1916. He gained office when Governor

Lynn Frazier Lynn Joseph Frazier (December 21, 1874January 11, 1947) was an American educator and politician who served as the 12th governor of North Dakota from 1917 until being 1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election, recalled in 1921 and later serv ...

was defeated in the first successful attempt to recall a state governor in U.S. history. Frazier's term was plagued with controversy and a grassroots movement was started to press for his recall. The

recall election A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of office has ended. Recalls ...

that removed Governor Frazier had also removed two other members of the state's

Industrial Commission The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902, to recommend changes in national industrial and economic policy and programs. The commission was established by an act of Congress and was composed of mem ...

from office. It was a time of bitter political discontent between the NPL (Nonpartisan League, which supported state-owned industry) and the IVA (Independent Voters Association, which opposed state ownership of industries). Nestos worked hard to make the new state-owned businesses ( State Mill and Elevator and the

Bank of North Dakota The Bank of North Dakota (BND) is a State-owned enterprise, state-owned, state-run financial institution based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota. It is the only government-owned general-service bank in the United States. It is th ...

) a success. He also campaigned against illiteracy. During his administration, North Dakota came into national compliance for registering births and deaths, and the state had a full-time health officer for the first time. He ran for, and completed, a second term of office.

Legacy and death

Nestos never married. He received national recognition for his work on behalf of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. He was a "Silver Buffalo Award" winner (1942). He was active within the

Norwegian Lutheran Church of America The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) was a Lutheran denomination that existed from 1917, when it was founded as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA), until 1960, when it joined two other church bodies to form the second American Luthe ...

. Nestos died of a stroke on July 15, 1942. He is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

References

External links

Biography of Ragnvold A. Nestos
from the Historical Society of North Dakota website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nestos, Ragnvald 1877 births 1942 deaths Republican Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives Republican Party governors of North Dakota University of North Dakota alumni North Dakota lawyers American Lutherans Norwegian emigrants to the United States People from Voss People from Traill County, North Dakota People from Ward County, North Dakota Mayville State University alumni Norwegian Lutherans Independent Voters Association state governors of the United States 20th-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly Independent Voters Association politicians Phi Delta Theta members

Early life

Political career

Legacy and death

See also

References

Further reading

External links