Minna "Minnie" (Clarke) Budlong was born in 1862 or 1863 in Iowa City, Iowa. She attended Iowa State University and graduated in the early 1880s. In 1882, she married Charles S. Budlong, and they had two children: Lester and Julia. In 1901, the Budlong family moved to North Dakota. Charles Budlong operated a ranch near Napoleon until his death in 1904. Minnie moved to Bismarck and served as a clerk in the State Land Department from 1905 to 1909. In 1907, the state legislature created the Public Library Commission, and Governor John Burke appointed Minnie to be a member. She graduated from a library science program in Wisconsin and was named State Librarian in 1909, following the resignation of Zana Miller. Under Budlong's leadership, the state library flourished, and the library's services and collections were expanded. In 1917, she authored the book "A Plan of Organization for Small Libraries: Methods of Work, Lists of Supplies and Aids." During World War I, she organized book drives for soldiers. Due to health reasons, she resigned in the summer of 1919 and moved to Berkley, California, where she became the house mother of a sorority. In 1922, she was ordained as a minister of the People's Unitarian Church in Michigan. By 1930, she had moved to Boston, serving as a pastor. That same year, she was a delegate to Iceland for a millennial celebration. She was joined by Sveinbjorn Johnson (former employee of the Public Library Commission, former N.D. Attorney General, and former N.D. Supreme Court Justice) and Olger B. Burtness (former state legislator and U.S. Representative). By 1940, Budlong was a resident of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York City. She died in 1948.
John H. Burkhart was born in 1872 in Missouri. He attended school there and received a teaching certificate from Stanbury College. He then lived in Oklahoma for a few years before moving to North Dakota in 1900, settling on a farm in Ward County. In 1904, he married Euphemia F. Beaton. In the 1910s, he turned his attention to politics and became involved with the Nonpartisan League (NPL). In 1918, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and served until 1930. He was the House's Minority Leader in 1925. He then served in the state senate from 1931 to 1934. During the 1919 special session of the legislature, Rep. Olger B. Burtness made a sensational speech in the House claiming the NPL, the Board of Administration (a newly formed product of the NPL), and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland (a consultant who was hired by the board to review the State Library Commission and its collections) were putting controversial books into the library (books that supported socialism and free love) and planned to circulate them to schools. Burkhart served on the House committee that was created to investigate this issue. The State Library Commission and Board of Administration were later exonerated. In 1936, during the Great Depression, the Burkhart family sold their farm and moved west to Washington (state). Burkhart died in 1950.
Olger B. Burtness was born on a farm near Mekinock in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, in 1884. He later attended the University of North Dakota, receiving degrees in 1906 and 1907. He was active in university affairs, serving as president of the A.D.T. literary and debating society, editor in chief of the "Dacotah" annual, and he was a member of the football team. He attended UND around the same time as J.F.T. O'Connor and William Langer, all of whom would have prominent roles to play in the future political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA). In 1907, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Grand Forks. In 1909, he married Zoe Ensign. He was elected State's Attorney of Grand Forks County and served in this role from 1911 to 1916. In 1916, he was a North Dakota delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 1917, he launched a campaign to be elected to Congress, following the death of Rep. Henry T. Helgesen, but he was unsuccessful. Burtness was one of the founders of the UND Alumni Association and served on its board for over thirty years. In 1918, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives, serving there from 1919 to 1920. Burtness was an opponent of the NPL and was associated with its opposition: the IVA. During the 1919 special legislative session, Burtness and the IVA used a book "scandal" with the State Library (or State Library Commission) to their political advantage by publicly challenging and smearing the NPL and the Board of Administration. The IVA accused the library, the Board of Administration, and the NPL of obtaining books related to free love, Bolshevism, socialism, and/or anarchism with the intent of circulating them to schools. The legislature formed a committee to investigate the issue, and the library and the Board of Administration would be exonerated. However, the book scandal did not completely go away after the committee published its report. The issue would continuously be brought up in anti-NPL circles for many more years. Burtness was lauded by some as a hero for instigating the whole issue. He used his notoriety from the book scandal to be successfully elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (defeating the NPL-incumbent, and NPL-cartoonist, Rep. John M. Baer) in the election of 1920. In served in Congress until 1933. Former NPL leader and Attorney General William Lemke would take his seat in Congress. In 1930, President Hoover appointed Burtness to be a member of the U.S. delegation to celebrate the anniversary of the Icelandic parliament. He served alongside Sveinbjorn Johnson (former N.D. Attorney General and former N.D. Supreme Court Justice) and Minnie Clarke Budlong (former State Librarian of the N.D. State Library Commission). Burtness was honored by the King of Denmark with an Order of the Falcon. After leaving Congress, he returned to Grand Forks and practiced law there for many years. He served as the city's attorney from 1936 to 1937. In 1950, Governor Fred G. Aandahl appointed him Judge of the First Judicial District. He served in this role until his death in 1960.
Board of Administration member, 1919-1921
Patrick M. Casey was born in Wisconsin in 1880 or 1881. Between 1909 and 1911, he moved to Lisbon, North Dakota, area. He farmed and raised hogs and cattle in Ransom County. He served as president of the Farmers Equity Elevator in Lisbon. He was also vice president of the North Dakota Union, which was an organization for farmers. In 1915, Casey married Elizabeth Cooper. Casey was further involved in local politics, serving as a school trustee and township assessor. In the 1910s, he became involved with the Nonpartisan League (NPL). In 1916, he ran as the NPL candidate for state treasurer on the Democratic ticket. However, he narrowly lost the election to incumbent John Steen. In late 1916, Casey was named president of the Equity Cooperative Packing Company outside of Fargo. He continued to live in Lisbon until April 1917 when he moved to Fargo. Casey's involvement with the NPL continued. Casey served as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the North Dakota House of Representatives during the 1917 legislative session. In December 1917, he was appointed by Governor Frazier to the state's Board of Control, serving until 1919. When the NPL-controlled legislature created the Board of Administration in 1919, the Board of Control dissolved. Casey's service in state government continued when Governor Frazier appointed him to the Board of Administration in the summer of 1919. He served on the board until his resignation in early 1921. Casey left the board to devote his full attention to the packing plant. However, the plant experienced financial troubles and Casey was ousted as president in early 1922. By 1930, he had moved to Edgeley, North Dakota, and worked as proprietor of a hardware store. By 1940, he had left the state, living in Colorado, and working as a salesman. Casey died in 1942.
Lynn Joseph Frazier was born in 1874 in Minnesota. A few years later, the Frazier family moved to North Dakota, near the town of Hoople. After graduating from Grafton High School, Frazier received a teaching certificate from Mayville Normal School. For the next few years, he worked as a teacher and farmer. He then attended the University of North Dakota (UND). He attended UND around the same time as P. E. Halldorson, William Lemke, Neil C. Macdonald, Robert T. Muir, William L. Nuessle, and Laureas J. Wehe, all of whom would have prominent roles to play in the future political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA). The early deaths of this father and brother brought him back to the family farm. In the 1910s, Frazier became involved with the NPL, a political party advocating for small farmers and small businesses that had risen to prominence in the state. Frazier was humble, down-to-earth, and well-liked by the citizens of North Dakota. The NPL chose him as their candidate for governor, and he was elected in a landslide in 1916. He was reelected again in 1918 and 1920. Under his leadership, and with the help of the NPL-controlled legislature, the state enacted many reforms, such as the establishment of the Bank of North Dakota, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, and the Industrial Commission. All of which still exist to this day. However, Frazier was governor during a turbulent time. The state was in an economic downturn following the end of World War I, and there was drought and declining grain prices. There was also a tremendous political battle between two opposing factions: the NPL and the IVA. Eventually, public support for the NPL declined, while support for the IVA increased. In 1921, the IVA held a recall election, and Lynn Frazier became the first governor in the United States to be successfully recalled from office. However, Frazier remained popular, and in the election of 1922, he was successfully elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating the IVA-endorsed James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor. He served in the Senate from 1923 to 1941, having been defeated in the 1940 primary election by William Langer. Frazier died a few years later in 1947.
John N. Hagan was born in 1873, near Arcola, Indiana. In 1900, he graduated from Valparaiso University. In the fall of 1900, Hagan moved to North Dakota, accepting a school administration job at St. John. He served in this role until 1903 when he moved to a homestead around Deering, North Dakota. In 1904, he married Rhea Smith. Hagan farmed for several years before getting involved in politics. In 1916, he joined the Nonpartisan League (NPL), becoming one of its earliest members. Also in 1916, Hagan received the endorsement of the NPL for North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor. Hagan won the election, and he would be reelected again in 1918 and 1920. As Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor, and under the state leadership of the NPL, Hagan served on many boards and commissions, including the newly formed Industrial Commission and the Board of Administration. In 1921, a special recall election, initiated by opponents of the NPL (the Independent Voters Association or IVA) successfully removed Hagan from office. He was replaced by Joseph A. Kitchen. The other two members of the Industrial Commission, Governor Lynn Frazier and Attorney General William Lemke, were also removed from office. The NPL's influence over North Dakota government had waned. However, the NPL saw a resurgence in the 1930s. Hagan was again elected Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor, serving one term from 1937 to 1938. In 1938, he unsuccessfully ran for North Dakota Governor but was defeated by John Moses. Hagan primarily retired from politics and returned to farming. He died on June 4, 1952.
Thomas Hall was born in 1869 in Michigan. In the early 1880s, he moved with his family to Dakota Territory (North Dakota), settling near Jamestown. Hall worked in the railroad business for several years and then entered the newspaper industry as a reporter. He also served in the National Guard. He served on the board of railroad commissioners and moved to Bismarck. In 1912, he was elected North Dakota Secretary of State. Hall served as Secretary of State during the Nonpartisan League (NPL) years. Hall was not actively involved with the NPL, but he did receive its endorsement in the elections of 1916 and 1918. Initially, Hall seemed supportive of the NPL and its programs. However, he (along with William Langer, Attorney General, and Carl Kositzky, State Auditor) later grew dissatisfied with the NPL and its leadership. By the fall of 1919, Langer, Hall, and Kositzky openly defected and denounced the NPL, and the three men were welcomed with open arms by the anti-NPL group: the Independent Voters Association (IVA). The trio used the power of their offices to undermine the NPL whenever possible. Most notably, Hall and Langer (making up a majority of the State Banking Board) temporarily closed the Scandinavian American Bank in Fargo, which was owned by the NPL, in the fall of 1919. The bank would later reopen, but its closure created a banking scandal that lasted multiple years. Additionally, in December 1919, Hall, Langer, and Kositzky from the Board of Administration to purchase books for the State Library Commission. The NPL-controlled Board of Administration oversaw the library. The trio voted to refuse to pay the bill because the books were deemed too controversial. During the special session of 1919, there were calls for impeachment of the trio by the NPL-controlled state legislature. They backed off from this idea and retaliated instead by slashing the appropriations of their respective departments. The State Auditor and the Secretary of State were also both removed from the State Auditing Board. However, Hall persevered through the NPL's attempts to unseat him, and he was re-elected in 1920 and 1922. As Secretary of State, Hall was instrumental in setting a special recall election, after the IVA had met all of the necessary criteria. The special recall election in October 1921 successfully removed from office the NPL governor (Lynn Frazier), NPL Attorney General (William Lemke), and NPL Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor (John N. Hagan). Taking their places were candidates endorsed by the IVA (R. A. Nestos, Sveinbjorn Johnson, and Joseph A. Kitchen). In 1924, Hall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the vacancy following the resignation of George M. Young. Hall served in Congress until 1933 after losing his re-election bid. He engaged in farming and ranching in Oliver County until he was called back to public service. He again served as North Dakota Secretary of State from 1943 until his retirement in 1954. Hall died in Bismarck in 1958.
Sheldon W. Johnson was born in Illinois in 1855. He attended school and college in Illinois and lived many years on a farm there. His foray into politics began in Illinois, serving as a highway commissioner. In 1879, he married Margaret A. Wagner, and they would have four children. In 1906, he moved to North Dakota, settling on a farm near Colgate in Steele County. He helped organize the Colgate Presbyterian Church and the Sunday school, earning him the nickname "Sunday School Johnson." In the 1910s, he became involved in the Nonpartisan League (NPL). In 1918, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives, serving from 1919 to 1922. During the 1919 special session of the legislature, Rep. Olger B. Burtness made a sensational speech in the House claiming the NPL, the Board of Administration (a newly formed product of the NPL), and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland (a consultant who was hired by the board to review the State Library Commission and its collections) were putting controversial books in the State Library Commission (books that supported socialism and free love) and planned to circulate them to schools. Johnson served on the House committee that was created to investigate this issue. The library and Board of Administration were later exonerated. After state politics, he returned to his farm. He later served as a county commissioner in Steele County. Johnson died in 1931.
Carl R. Kositzky was born in 1890 in Yankton, South Dakota. After living in South Dakota and Nebraska, Kositzky moved to North Dakota in 1901, settling on a farm near Sterling. In 1902, Kositzky married Estelle Gaskill. In 1903, he moved to Bismarck and worked for two lumber companies until he entered local politics. Kositzky was outspoken and reportedly got into multiple fights during his career in public service. In 1908, he was elected Treasurer of Burleigh County. In 1912, as treasurer, Kositzky got into a fight with Commissioner E. G. Patterson. In 1913, Kositzky, despite the objection of Patterson, joined the Burleigh County Commission. His hand-picked successor, W. J. Prater, became county treasurer. In 1916, Kositzky decided to run for the office of State Auditor, and he received the endorsement of the Nonpartisan League (NPL). He defeated incumbent Carl O. Jorgenson in the June primary election, and then he won the general election in November. He was re-elected in 1918, again with the NPL's endorsement. By early 1919, Kositzky had grown dissatisfied with the NPL and began speaking out against some of its initiatives. Kositzky, banding together with William Langer (Attorney General) and Thomas Hall (Secretary of State), became a key figure in the political battle between the NPL and its opposition: the Independent Voters Association (IVA). By this point, Kositzky's relationship with his friend Prater, who was a prominent member of the NPL, had become strained. In the summer of 1919, Kositzky (along with Langer, Hall, and Minnie J. Nielson) voted to replace Prater as Land Commissioner, a role he had held since 1917. In September 1919, Kositzky reportedly spanked (or attempted to spank) C. K. Gummerson, a reporter for the NPL newspaper "Courier-News." Later, a jury would be unable to reach a verdict, and the charges were dismissed. By the fall of 1919, Kositzky, along with Langer and Hall, openly denounced the NPL. The trio used their offices to undermine certain initiatives of the NPL. For their defection, the NPL labeled the three as traitors, and the NPL-controlled state legislature retaliated by slashing the appropriations of their respective departments. The State Auditor was also removed from the State Board of Equalization and the Emergency Commission. The State Auditor and the Secretary of State were both removed from the State Auditing Board. Undeterred, Kositzky and others banded together in the fall of 1919 and began publishing a vicious anti-NPL magazine called "The Red Flame," which continued until October 1920. During the 1919 special legislative session, Kositzky helped instigate a book scandal for the NPL, the Board of Administration, and the State Library Commission by calling the legislature's attention to recently ordered books that seemingly promoted free love and socialism. At the end of the session, Kositzky got into a fight with NPL Senator A. A. Liederbach. In the 1920 election, Kositzky received the endorsement of the IVA, but he was defeated by the NPL's David C. Poindexter. After leaving office, Kositzky worked for a while in the Bank of North Dakota's Farm Loan Department, serving under bank manager Caleb R. Green; and he also got back into the publishing business. In March 1921, multiple fights broke out in the state legislature. Kositzky, attending the session as a "civilian" got into a fight with Floyd Lofthus, the son of O. E. Lofthus (State Examiner). In the spring of 1922, the new IVA administration appointed Kositzky as Land Commissioner, replacing Prater who had been reappointed in 1921. Prater refused to give up the office and took to the courts to keep his seat. However, the courts ruled in favor of Kositzky, and Prater was forced out. Kositzky served as Land Commissioner until 1927. He then served as Deputy Land Commissioner until 1932. In 1935, he became Deputy Sheriff of Burleigh County, serving in this role until 1939. In 1940, Kositzky died in Bismarck.
[Biography unavailable]
William "Wild Bill" Langer was a prominent lawyer and politician from North Dakota. Langer was born in 1886 near Casselton, Dakota Territory (North Dakota). He attended school there, and he would later receive degrees from the University of North Dakota and Columbia University. In the 1910s, he was appointed state's attorney of Morton County, North Dakota. Langer was elected North Dakota Attorney General in 1916, with the endorsement of the Nonpartisan League (NPL). However, a few years later, a rift had formed between Langer and the NPL. He began distancing himself from the party and criticizing its leaders. He still supported the farmers and the initial measures of the NPL, but he claimed the NPL's leaders were becoming misguided. He also accused some, especially A. C. Townley of being a socialist. The turning point for Langer's relationship with the NPL started in late 1918 and early 1919 when he supported the candidacy of Minnie Nielson for Superintendent of Public Instruction, who had defeated the NPL's candidate in the election. In early 1919, during the regular session of the state legislature, Langer (and several others in state government) spoke out against certain NPL bills, including the Board of Administration bill and State Publication and Printing Commission bills. By the fall of 1919, Langer defected and it was open warfare against the NPL. As Attorney General, Langer used the power of his office to undermine certain initiatives of the NPL. He was aided by Thomas Hall, Secretary of State, and Carl Kositzky, State Auditor, who were also unhappy with the NPL's leadership. Langer and Hall, making up a majority of the State Banking Board, were growing suspicious of the NPL's banking practices and how it was purchasing banks. This eventually lead to Langer and Hall, over the objections of Governor Lynn Frazier, who was the third member of the banking board, to temporarily close the Scandinavian American Bank in Fargo in early October 1919. The Scandinavian American Bank was a prominent NPL bank. This bank scandal also created problems for the newly created Bank of North Dakota, which was a product of the NPL. In December 1919, as members of the State Auditing Board, Langer, Hall, and Kositzky rejected an invoice for books that were to be purchased for the State Library Commission. The Board of Administration and the library had recently been exonerated by a N.D. House committee investigating a "scandal" of seemingly controversial books. The trio used this invoice rejection to take another jab at the NPL. During the special session of the state legislature in late 1919, there were calls to impeach Langer and demands for his resignation among the NPL-controlled legislature. Langer hung on, although temporarily. The legislature did retaliate by slashing the appropriations for Langer, Hall, and Kositzky's departments. Langer stepped down as Attorney General and ran against Lynn Frazier in the 1920 gubernatorial election, but he narrowly lost in the primaries. Langer would later make amends with the NPL and was elected Governor of North Dakota in the early 1930s. However, a scandal forced him out of office. Langer remained popular and was again elected governor in the late 1930s. Langer served as a United States Senator for North Dakota from 1941 until his death in 1959.
Peter McLachlin was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1864. In 1882, he immigrated to the United States, settling near Gardner, Dakota Territory (North Dakota). He later moved to a farm near the Hunter, N.D., area. In 1892, he married Mary A. Cameron, and they would have seven children. His foray into politics began locally, serving as school director, clerk, treasurer, and city commissioner. In 1918, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives, serving one term (1919-1920). He was a member of the minority in the House and was not affiliated with the Nonpartisan League (NPL). During the 1919 special session of the legislature, Rep. Olger B. Burtness made a sensational speech in the House claiming the NPL, the Board of Administration (a newly formed product of the NPL), and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland (a consultant who was hired by the board to review the State Library Commission and its collections) were putting controversial books in the State Library Commission (books that supported socialism and free love) and planned to circulate them to schools. McLachlin served on the House committee that was created to investigate this issue. The library and Board of Administration were later exonerated. In 1920, McLachlin was elected to the state senate, serving multiple years (1921-1928). McLachlin died in 1940.
Board of Administration member, 1919-1923 (chair, 1921-1922)
Robert T. Muir was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1875. His parents were Joseph and Janet (Burns) Muir. In 1880, the Muir family immigrated to the United States, settling in North Dakota. Robert Muir later attended the University of North Dakota (UND). He attended UND around the same time as Lynn J. Frazier, P. E. Halldorson, William Lemke, Neil C. Macdonald, William L. Nuessle, and Laureas J. Wehe, all of which would have prominent roles to play in the future political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA). He lived in Bowesmont, Reynolds, Bisbee, and New Rockford, before settling in Sarles to take up farming. In 1902, Robert Muir married Isabella J. Lemke, who was the sister of William Lemke (the future "political bishop" of the NPL). In the 1910s, Muir became involved with the NPL. In 1917, Muir was appointed to serve on the State Board of Regents. In 1919, the NPL-controlled legislature created the Board of Administration, which replaced the Board of Regents, and Governor Lynn Frazier appointed Muir to be a member. He was a member of the Board of Administration until his term ended in the summer of 1923, serving as chair of the board from the summer of 1921 to December 1922. In the fall of 1921, the NPL's opposition, the IVA, held a special recall election that removed the three NPL members on the Industrial Commission. IVA candidates took their place. In early 1922, the new governor, R. A. Nestos, considered demanding the resignation of Muir from the board. However, the governor backed off from this and waited for Muir's term to end. When Muir left the board, he was replaced by Frisby E. Diehl. Muir later farmed near Waubon, Minnesota, and also lived in Idaho. Muir later moved to Washington. He died on May 15, 1942, in Spokane.
Minnie J. Nielson was born in Michigan in 1874. In 1880, she moved with her family to Dakota Territory, settling in Barnes County. After graduating high school from Valley City, she attended the University of North Dakota, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago. Nielson taught physics and chemistry at Valley City High School. She also had experience with rural schools and grade schools. In 1906, she was elected superintendent of Barnes County Schools and served in this role for twelve years. In 1918, she turned her sights on North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. The 1910s was a time of great change for the political landscape of North Dakota. The Nonpartisan League (NPL) had risen to prominence in the state. Nielson, who was not associated with the NPL, would go head-to-head with the NPL-endorsed candidate, and incumbent, Neil C. Macdonald. Nielson's qualifications were called into question prior to the election. Nielson turned to an unlikely ally: William Langer, NPL-endorsed Attorney General. Nielson asked Langer to issue an opinion on her qualifications for state superintendent. At that time, Langer was becoming dissatisfied with the NPL, and he sided with Nielson and validated her as a candidate. On election day, Nielson would win by more than 5,000 votes. With this victory, Nielson was the only candidate not endorsed by the NPL to win a state office during the election of 1918. In early January 1919, Nielson and her staff arrived in Bismarck to assume her office and duties. However, outgoing state superintendent Neil C. Macdonald refused to leave the office and relinquish the duties. Nielson again turned to Langer for help, and they brought the matter before the North Dakota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard the case and issued their ruling in favor of Nielson. Macdonald was forced to leave. Also around this time, the NPL-controlled legislature created the Board of Administration, which stripped away many of Nielson's duties. The Board of Administration quickly got busy, and within a few months, submitted its first annual report to the governor. In the report, the board boldly recommended abolishing the Superintendent of Public Instruction position, or at least making it a position this NPL-controlled board could appoint. It was also made known that the board was excluding Nielson (its only non-NPL member) from meetings and not providing her with meeting minutes. Nielson persevered, and she survived the upcoming political battle between the NPL and the Independent Voters Association (IVA). The NPL's influence was waning, and an initiated measure approved by voters during the 1920 election transferred some powers back to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Nielson resigned in 1926. After politics, Nielson campaigned for literacy across the county and served in a leading role for the North Dakota Teachers' Insurance and Retirement Fund. Nielson died on February 27, 1958.
J.F.T. (James Francis Thaddeus) O'Connor was born in the 1880s. He attended the University of North Dakota and Yale, receiving degrees from both. He was a gifted speaker, winning several debates and oratorical contests. He served as an instructor at Yale for a couple of years before opening up a law practice in Grand Forks, North Dakota. In 1916, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and served from 1917 to 1920. O'Connor was an opponent of the Nonpartisan League (NPL), and, at the very least, had the support of the Independent Voters Association (IVA). During the 1919 special session of the state legislature, Rep. Olger B. Burtness made a sensational speech in the House claiming the NPL, the Board of Administration (a newly formed product of the NPL), and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland (a consultant who was hired by the board to review the State Library Commission and its collections) were putting controversial books in the State Library Commission (books that supported socialism and free love) and planned to circulate them to schools. O'Connor served on the House committee that was created to investigate this issue. The State Library Commission and Board of Administration would be exonerated. However, the incident served as another public relations mishap for the NPL, and the anti-NPL press lauded O'Connor and Burtness as heroes. They both used their newfound notoriety from this book "scandal" to their advantage and ran for higher offices. In 1920, O'Connor ran for governor against incumbent Lynn Frazier. He ran as a Democrat and also had the backing of the IVA. O'Connor lost and Frazier was re-elected. However, a year later, Frazier would be removed from office during the IVA's special recall election of 1921. Around 1920, O'Connor and Sveinbjorn Johnson were the early lawyers for the Farmers Grain Company of Embden challenging the state's grain grading law, which had been enacted by the NPL legislature. The case may have started small, but it eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declared the law invalid in early 1922. In 1922, Frazier and O'Connor were again battling each other, but this time it was for United States Senator. Again, Frazier defeated O'Connor. A couple of years later, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and opened up a private practice. In the 1930s, he was appointed Comptroller of the Currency by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served in that role from 1933 to 1938. In 1940, President Roosevelt appointed him a U.S. District Judge in California. He served in this role until his death in 1949.
Anne E. Peterson was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, in 1891. Peterson became a librarian and worked at the New York Public Library for several years. In November 1919, she was hired by the newly created Board of Administration to serve as Deputy Librarian (essentially acting state librarian) of the North Dakota State Library Commission. After a couple of weeks on the job, she found herself caught in the middle of a political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and its opponents, particularly the Independent Voters Association (IVA). During the 1919 special session of the state legislature, before a bill introduced by the IVA minority to replace the already controversial Board of Administration could be voted down, Rep. Olger B. Burtnes gave a sensational speech in the House chamber. He claimed the NPL's Board of Administration and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland, a consultant for the board who some sources claimed was running the state library, for filling the library's shelves with books on socialism and free love. He said the books were ready to circulate to schools. The IVA pounced on the opportunity and used these books to their advantage by publicly challenging and smearing the NPL and the Board of Administration. The speech by Burtness caused a stir. A House committee was created to investigate. Peterson, not on the job for a month, was one of the many called to testify. She had to endure tireless questioning from the committee, especially from Rep. J.F.T. O'Connor. After a few days, the committee published its report. Stangeland was ultimately made a scapegoat for the whole incident and was dismissed from the board's service. The State Library Commission and the Board of Administration were exonerated. Peterson endured, although not completely unscathed. She resigned a few months later in June 1920 and moved back to New York. In the subsequent years, anti-NPL books, referring to her as "Anna Peterson," held onto the claim that she was an ardent socialist, which is why she was hired in the first place by the NPL's Board of Administration. They also claimed she, and Stangeland, were brought to North Dakota on the recommendation of Dr. Charles A. Beard, a controversial professor, historian, and author. For Peterson, her life moved on, but presumably without libraries. Seemingly, she did this for one of two reasons: to raise her family as a stay-at-home mom, or because her experience with the NPL-IVA political battle in North Dakota and the book scandal soiled librarianship for her. On August 6, 1920, she married James V. Clarke, and they would later have three children: James, Donald, and Suzane. By 1930, the Clarke family had moved to Nashville, Tennessee. By 1940, the Clarke family had moved back to New York. By 1950, the Clarke family had moved again to Sudlersville, Maryland, where Anne worked as a storekeeper. Anne E. (Peterson) Clarke died in Maryland in 1975.
Dr. Charles Emil Stangeland was born in Iowa in 1881. He later worked as a teacher before attending Columbia University. In 1904, he received a PhD in political economy. He traveled extensively across Europe and attended the University of Berlin. He became a scholar and intellectual of some renown and was featured in "Who's Who in America." He spent several years in the United States diplomatic service, working in Bolivia and London. In 1912, in New York, he married Danish author Karin Michaëlis. The couple would separate a few years later and finally divorce in 1930. By the late 1910s, Stangeland was working as a statistician in Pennsylvania and New York City. In his political beliefs, he was progressive and liberal, and he found himself in trouble with the authorities on more than one occasion because of this. In 1918, he was arrested in Pennsylvania for violating the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917. He was bailed out by Dr. Charles A. Beard, a controversial author, historian, and professor at Columbia University. The charges were later dismissed. In the late 1910s, Stangeland was recruited to North Dakota by the Nonpartisan League (NPL). In early 1919, there were rumors that he would serve as a professor at the University of North Dakota or a top bank official. By September 1919, he was employed by the newly formed Board of Administration. George A. Totten, Sr., chair of the board, directed him to review the State Library and provide a report of his findings. At the time, the State Library (or State Library Commission) was overseen by the Board of Administration. By October 1919, there were claims that Stangeland was running the State Library. The previous state librarian, Minnie Clarke Budlong, had resigned in the summer of 1919 due to health reasons, and a replacement, Anne E. Peterson (who served as acting state librarian or "Deputy Librarian"), was not hired until November 1919. Stangeland was already a complex individual, and he would become one of the many casualties in the political battle between the NPL and their opponents, particularly the Independent Voters Association (IVA). Pro-NPL papers called him a scholar and diplomat. Anti-NPL papers referred to him as a criminal and radical. He described himself in his State Library Commission review as "not a librarian but an educator and economist." Stangeland's report was submitted at the end of September 1919, but it was not published until it was included in the Board of Administration's first annual report in November 1919. In his report, Stangeland provided several criticisms and recommendations for the State Library. He said the State Library needed to expand and diversify its collections and provided a list of many items the library should obtain. He provided a list of recommended items for the State Library to obtain and add to its collections. Stangeland recommended adding many items, including those from "the various nonconformist groups, such as the single taxers, the I.W.W., the anarchists and socialists," and this is what would help catch the attention of the IVA. In early December 1919, during the special legislative session, Rep. Olger B. Burtness gave a passionate speech in the House chamber. He said he had seen a list of radical books that had recently been ordered for the State Library. Burtness also stated he had gone to the State Library and was appalled to discover books relating to socialism and free love ready to circulate to schools. The IVA used this as a way to publicly challenge and smear the NPL and the Board of Administration. A bipartisan House committee was created to investigate this book "scandal." Several people testified. Some of the more heated back-and-forths came when Burtness and Stangeland testified. Eventually, the committee published its findings and exonerated the State Library Commission and the Board of Administration. The situation had been blown out of proportion, but anti-NPL publications would continue to bring up the issue for several more years. Much of the blame fell on Stangeland. He was ultimately made a scapegoat and was dismissed from the board's service. In his resignation letter, he wrote, "I believe the time will come when a clearer vision will make the controversy which has centered around me and my efforts in a different light, and that light will reveal the truth which the passions and fears of the day are making obscure." He eventually left the country and became a lecturer at the University of Berlin in Germany. Stangeland died in 1942.
Board of Administration member, 1919-1922 (chair, 1919-1921)
George A. Totten, Sr. was born in England in 1870. In 1884, the family immigrated to Ontario, Canada. Totten received a mix of private and public education in England and Canada. He was also educated for the ministry, following in his father's footsteps. In 1890, Totten married Mary H. Bryne. In 1899, the Tottens immigrated to the United States. He was then involved in missionary work in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. In 1906, Totten moved to North Dakota, and he was ordained a Congregational minister in 1907. He served several churches in the state (including Tolna, Lawton, and Lakota) before moving to Bowman, North Dakota. After serving a couple of years as a minister in Bowman, he resigned and became editor of a local newspaper, the "Bowman Citizen," from 1909 to 1912. In Bowman, the Totten brothers (George and Edward) became engrossed in a political battle with a local banker and rancher, James E. Phelan. The Tottens used their newspaper against Phelan, which resulted in multiple libel lawsuits. George was eventually forced out and he turned the newspaper over to his son, George A. Totten, Jr. Totten became active in the Nonpartisan League (NPL) in the late 1910s. In 1917, Totten was appointed by NPL Governor Lynn Frazier to the State Board of Regents, serving until 1919 when he was appointed, again by Governor Frazier, to serve on the newly created Board of Administration. Totten was named chair. As chair, Totten, already a complicated figure and openly labeled as "socialist" and "radical" by his opponents, oversaw several controversial aspects of the new Board of Administration: excluding Minnie Nielson, non-NPL member and newly-elected state superintendent, from meetings; appointing Neil C. Macdonald, the outgoing state superintendent and NPL member, to serve as Educational Advisor and General School Inspector with a salary equal to Nielson's; attempting to remove Thomas F. Kane as the president of the University of North Dakota; and the hiring of Dr. Charles E. Stangeland to serve as a consultant and provide an overview of the State Library Commission, which resulted in several books being added to the library's collections that were deemed provocative by the NPL's opponents, especially the Independent Voters Association (IVA). In February 1922, recently elected Governor R. A. Nestos, who was part of the IVA, demanded Totten's resignation. Totten complied a few days later. Totten later moved to Fargo and lived there for several years. He became an active minister again, serving parishes in Minnesota (including Graceville and Ortonville) until his retirement in 1937. Totten died in Minneapolis in 1955.
Richard H. "Dad" Walker was born in Wisconsin in 1866. He attended schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In 1894, he married Leora Waring, and they had many children. In 1895 or 1896, the family moved to North Dakota, Walker operated a co-op cheese factory in the late 1890s. In 1899, the family moved to a farm near Yucca in Oliver County, roughly ten miles southeast of Center. Walker operated a large farm and served as a county commissioner in the early 1900s. Initially, he became involved with the Socialist Party in the state. But the Nonpartisan League (NPL) came along in the 1910s, Walker became an active member. He was one of the earliest members of the NPL, and he drove around the state in his Ford Model T to help recruit more farmers to the NPL. He had a team of organizers assisting him who took to calling him "Dad," and the name stuck. In 1918, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and served one term (1919-1920). During the 1919 special session of the legislature, Rep. Olger B. Burtness made a sensational speech in the House claiming the NPL, the Board of Administration (a newly formed product of the NPL), and Dr. Charles E. Stangeland (a consultant who was hired by the board to review the State Library Commission and its collections) were putting controversial books in the State Library Commission (books that supported socialism and free love) and planned to circulate them to schools. Walker was the chair of the House committee that was created to investigate this issue. The library and Board of Administration were later exonerated. In 1920, Walker was endorsed by the NPL for State Treasurer, but he was narrowly defeated in the primary election by John Steen. In early April 1921, he served on the state's executive committee of the NPL, under Chairman A. A. Liederbach. In 1922, Walker was again elected to the House, serving another term (1923-1924). In the late 1920s, he found himself in financial trouble and the Bank of North Dakota, which was a product of the NPL and something Walker had helped come to fruition, foreclosed on the Walker farm. In 1932, Walker's wife, Leora, died. From the late 1920s to the early 1930s, he worked as a Deputy U.S. Marshall in Fargo. In 1938, he married Johanna Whitmer. In 1933, Walker was appointed to the state Workmen's Compensation Bureau and he served until his death in 1945.
Laureas J. Wehe was born in Chicago in 1873. In the early 1880s, the Wehe family moved to Ramsey County, North Dakota (Dakota Territory at the time). Wehe attended a school opened by W. H. Standish, and future Congressman Patrick D. Norton was a classmate. He later went into business in Grand Forks. He studied law and received his degree from the University of North Dakota (UND). He attended UND around the same time as Lynn J. Frazier, P. E. Halldorson, William Lemke, Neil C. Macdonald, Robert T. Muir, and William L. Nuessle, all of which would have prominent roles to play in the future political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA). After graduation, he practiced law in Grand Forks and Edmore, before moving to Devils Lake. In 1911, he was hired to assist the prosecution during the impeachment trial of North Dakota District Judge John F. Cowan. During the mid to late 1910s, Wehe became involved with the NPL. In 1919, he was appointed a commissioner on the newly created Workmen's Compensation Bureau, which was a product of the NPL. During the special session of the state legislature in 1919, a House committee was formed to investigate accusations that the NPL and its newly created Board of Administration were obtaining controversial books about socialism and free love, adding them to the State Library's collections, and circulating them to schools. Initially, the hearings began informally, but the committee soon formalized and added Wehe as their legal counsel. Wehe took the lead on questioning and had many sharp exchanges with those called to testify, especially with Rep. Olger B. Burtness, who, being affiliated with the IVA, was the main instigator of the book "scandal." After a few days of investigating and hearing testimony, the committee would eventually submit their report exonerating the State Library and its oversight entity, the Board of Administration. In April 1920, Governor Frazier removed Wehe from the Workmen's Compensation Bureau. Wehe was accused of continuing to engage in his private practice, which the workmen's compensation law did not allow, and his demeanor caused friction in the Bureau. Wehe, a combative man, took to the press and wrote several articles denouncing Frazier and defending his actions. He also took the matter to court and eventually won back his seat. He served until 1922. Afterward, he lived and practiced law in Bismarck. Wehe died in 1948.
Board of Administration
Governor
House Book and Library Investigating Committee
House of Representatives
State Auditing Board
State Library Commission
Witnesses called during the investigation
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