Ragnvald A. Nestos

Ragnvald A. Nestos

Ragnvald Anderson Nestos (born April 12, 1877 in Voss , Norway , † July 15, 1942 in Minot , North Dakota ) was an American politician and from 1921 to 1925 the 13th governor of the state of North Dakota.

Early years and political advancement

At a young age, Nestos and his parents came to Buxton in North Dakota from Norway . There he first had to learn English. He then attended the local schools and earned his living as a laborer in various professions. Among other things, he was also a woodcutter. He later continued his education at the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Dakota . At the latter university he took his law exam in 1904. He then began a successful career as a lawyer in Minot.

Between 1911 and 1913, Nestos was an MP in the North Dakota House of Representatives . From 1913 to 1917 he served as the district attorney in Ward County . In the meantime, Nestos, who originally belonged to the Republican Party , had joined the Independent Voters Association (IVA) and was elected as its candidate in an extraordinary gubernatorial election for the new governor of North Dakota. The special election had become necessary because the opposition to incumbent Governor Lynn Frazier had grown stronger. A constitutional amendment that came into force shortly before made this special election possible. The background to this was tough political disputes between the two newly formed parties, NPL and IVA (see below). The opposition IVA saw the industrial commission and the founding of state-owned companies under Governor Frazier as a reason for the economic crisis that had arisen at the time and successfully dismissed the governor through a recall . Frazier was the first governor of a US state to lose his office in this way. Overall, this process has only been repeated once in California in 2003, when Governor Gray Davis was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger .

New parties in North Dakota

In the years after 1915, the two traditional parties, the Republicans and the Democrats , had faded a little in North Dakota. The Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA) had temporarily taken their place. Both were in sharp opposition to one another. The NPL, which represented more socialist positions, was briefly organized nationwide, but achieved its greatest successes in North Dakota. With Lynn Frazier and Walter Maddock , she put two governors in this state between 1917 and 1929. The IVA was founded as an opposition to the NPL by conservative and capitalist forces whose interests it represented. With Ragnvald Nestos and George F. Shafer , she also provided two governors in the 1920s. Since 1933, neither party played a major role in North Dakota. The Republicans and Democrats restored the old balance of power.

North Dakota Governor

After winning the special election, Nestos took up his new office on November 23, 1921. After he had won the regular elections in 1922, he was able to serve as governor until January 7, 1925. During this time, the position of state health director was created, which roughly corresponds to a health minister. In addition, the state banking system was reformed. It was also around this time that North Dakota adopted the nationwide registration system for births and deaths. Nestos also promoted school policy and, above all, fought illiteracy. In 1924, Nestos tried unsuccessfully for a third term.

After the end of his governorship, Nestos returned to work as a lawyer. In 1932, after turning back to the Republicans, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago . Ragnvald Nestos, who remained unmarried all his life, died in 1942.

Remarks

1. ↑ Some sources also gave his first name with "Ragnvold".

Web links

• Ragnvald Nestos in the National Governors Association (English)
• North Dakota Historical Society (English)
• Ragnvald A. Nestos in the database of Find a Grave (English)