George S. Mickelson

George S. Mickelson (1989)

George Speaker Mickelson (born January 31, 1941 in Mobridge , Walworth County , South Dakota , † April 19, 1993 in Dubuque , Iowa ) was an American politician and from 1987 to 1993 the 28th governor of the state of South Dakota.

Early years and political advancement

George S. Mickelson was the son of George Theodore Mickelson , who served as governor of South Dakota between 1947 and 1951. The younger Mickelson studied law at the University of South Dakota until 1965 . During the Vietnam War he served as a captain in the US Army . From 1969 until his death he was a lawyer in Brookings alongside his respective political offices .

Like his father, the son was a member of the Republican Party . During his political career, he was a special attorney for the South Dakota Department of Justice and a district attorney in Brookings County . Between 1975 and 1980 he was an MP in the South Dakota House of Representatives . In 1979 he became the successor of Lowell C. Hansen of the Speaker of the Parliament chamber. In 1986 he was elected the new governor of his state, where he prevailed with 52:48 percent of the vote against the Democrat Lars Herseth.

South Dakota Governor and End of Life

Mickelson took up his new office on January 6, 1987 and was re-elected in 1990. During his tenure, he worked to improve education. In addition, the minimum wages were raised and the health system reformed. A state lottery was also introduced in South Dakota. In 1989 the governor opened the state's 100th anniversary celebrations. George Mickelson died on April 19, 1993 in a plane crash. He was married to Linda McCahren, with whom he had three children. Like his father , Mark Mickelson , born in 1966, became Speaker of the House of Representatives from South Dakota.

Web links

• George S. Mickelson in the National Governors Association (English)
• George S. Mickelson in the nndb (English)

• George S. Mickelson in the database of Find a Grave (English)