Warren Everett Green (March 10, 1869 – April 27, 1945) was an American politician who served as the 13th governor of

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 ...

. Green, a Republican from

Hazel, South Dakota Hazel is a town in Hamlin County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Watertown, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 102 at the 2020 census. The town is named for Hazel Bowley, the daughter of the original ...

, served from 1931 to 1933. He was also a state senator from 1913 through 1915, and again from 1923 to 1927.

Early life

Green was born in

Jackson County, Wisconsin Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,145. Its county seat is Black River Falls. Jackson County was formed from Crawford County in 1853. It was named for President Andr ...

, the oldest of eight children. His family emigrated to

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 ...

and settled in Hamlin County in the spring of 1881. Green grew up there and went into the farming business. He served in several local offices including twelve years as president of the local school board. He married Elizabeth Jane Parliament in 1899. They had four children.

Career

Green served three terms in the state senate,

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 ...

. He was elected in 1906, 1922 and 1924. He served on the

Board of Charities and Corrections from 1913 to 1920. Green was elected

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in 1930 and took office at the beginning of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He inherited a massive state debt that he met with tax reform, budget reductions and the reorganization of the state's relief agencies. He reduced salaries from 10 to 20 percent and also had to deal with drought, a grasshopper plague, a crop failure and an exceptionally hard failure. He sought re-election in 1932 but was defeated by Tom Berry. Green went back to his farm at Hazel. He was a delegate to the 1936

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

Death

Green moved to Watertown, where he died on April 27, 1945.''Biographical Directory of the South Dakota Legislature, 1889-1989'' (1989), p. 385 He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Watertown, Codington County, South Dakota.

References

External links

National Governors Association
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Warren 1869 births 1945 deaths People from Jackson County, Wisconsin Republican Party governors of South Dakota Republican Party South Dakota state senators Candidates in the 1936 United States presidential election People from Hamlin County, South Dakota People from Watertown, South Dakota 20th-century members of the South Dakota Legislature