Merrell Q. Sharpe

Merrell Quentin Sharpe (born January 11, 1888 in Marysville , Kansas , †  January 22, 1962 in Kennebec , South Dakota ) was an American politician and from 1943 to 1947 the 17th governor of the state of South Dakota.

Early years

Merrell Sharpe attended the public schools in Axtell . He then spent two years as a teacher before he during the First World War in the US Navy served. After his military service, he studied law and practiced as a lawyer in Oacoma, South Dakota after his admission . There he also worked as a farmer. Sharpe was a member of the Republican Party . Until 1920 he served as the prosecutor in Lyman County . Between 1929 and 1933 he was Attorney General of his state; from 1937 to 1939 he was a member of a commission that revised the legislation of South Dakota. In 1942 he was elected the new governor.

South Dakota Governor

Sharpe's term began on January 5, 1943 and ended after re-election in 1944 on January 7, 1947. The first half of this period was overshadowed by the events of World War II . The governor supported the federal government's war effort. After the end of the war, industrial production in South Dakota had to be converted back to civilian needs and the returning soldiers had to be reintegrated into social life.

Domestically, Sharpe campaigned for the expansion of the education system. He promoted tourism and supported environmental protection. He was also involved in the regulation of the Missouri as a member of a planning commission. The plan drawn up by the US Congress envisaged the construction of four dams in South Dakota along this river. Construction of the first dam began in 1948 and in the 1960s the project was completed with the completion of the fourth dam. Since hydropower plants were also built in the course of the dams, the state's energy supply was secured in the long term.

Another résumé

In 1946, he got stuck in the gubernatorial area code and was forced to leave office in January 1947. Then he worked as a lawyer again. Among other things, he represented the interests of the Indian tribes based in South Dakota and a large electricity company. In 1959 he was a member of a South Dakota tax committee. Merrell Sharpe was married to Emily Auld. The couple had a child.

Web links

• Merrell Sharpe at the National Governors Association (English)
• Merrell Q. Sharpe in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Merrell Q. Sharpe in the nndb (English)