Ralph Frederick Beermann (August 13, 1912 – February 17, 1977) was an American Republican politician and

US Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

for

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Early life

Born near

Dakota City, Nebraska Dakota City is a city in and the county seat of Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,919 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Tyson Foods' largest beef production plant is located in Dakota City. History Dako ...

, Beermann graduated from Morningside College in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

and then attended various army specialist schools.

Career

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 ...

, Beermann served in the African and European Theaters in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary 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 the United Stat ...

as part of the 601st Ordnance Battalion and the 301st Ordnance Regiment. After the war, he partnered with his six brothers (the Beermann Brothers) in farming,

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

dehydrating and cattle raising in

Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 21,582. Its county seat is Dakota City. Dakota County is part of the Sioux City metropolitan area. In the Nebraska license plate ...

. Beermann served as chairman of the Dakota County Republican Central Committee for ten years and organized the Dakota County

Young Republicans The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization ...

. He was elected to serve the 3rd district of Nebraska in the Eighty-seventh United States Congress from January 3, 1961 to January 3, 1963; and served the 1st district in the Eighty-eighth United States Congress from January 3, 1963 to January 3, 1965. He was narrowly defeated for re-election in 1964. After leaving Congress, Beermann returned to his business pursuits, but from 1972 to 1977, he served on the board of the

Nebraska Public Power District Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is the largest electric utility in the state of Nebraska, serving all or parts of 84 (of 93) counties. It was formed on January 1, 1970, when Consumers Public Power District, Platte Valley Public Power and Irri ...

Death

Beermann died in a

plane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...

when the single-engine plane that he was piloting crashed at Sioux City Municipal Airport in Iowa on February 17, 1977; his age was 64 years and 188 days. He is interred at the Dakota City Cemetery. He was a member of the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

and a member of the

Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), more informally called the American Farm Bureau (AFB) or simply the Farm Bureau, is a United States–based 501(c)(5) tax-exempt agricultural organization and lobbying group. Headquartered in Wash ...

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

and the

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization ...

. Beermann was survived by his wife, Marjorie Beermann, and four brothers.

References

External links

# # * * at the

Nebraska State Historical Society Nebraska State Historical Society, formerly History Nebraska, is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." It w ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beermann, Ralph Frederick Morningside University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II American Lutherans Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 1912 births 1977 deaths Accidental deaths in Iowa People from Dakota City, Nebraska Military personnel from Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century Lutherans Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives