North Dakota’s political history is marked by several people who left their legacy on the state and the nation through years of service in elected office. Quentin Burdick and Mark Andrews are two such examples, but serving between them was Hjalmar Nygaard, whose legacy was cut short before he could achieve similar status.
Nygaard was born in 1906 on a farm near Sharon, North Dakota. He attended Mayville State Teacher’s College and the University of North Dakota, then taught for a time in rural schools in Emmons and Steele Counties. He would later work in the grocery and hardware businesses in Sharon and Enderlin. He also began a political career, serving on the local school board and as mayor of Sharon before his election to the North Dakota House of Representatives, a post he held from 1949 to 1960. He rose to majority leader in 1955 and 1957 and finally as Speaker of the House in 1959.
In 1960 he was elected to the U-S Congress, succeeding Quentin Burdick in one of North Dakota’s two at-large Districts. Burdick had resigned upon his election to the Senate. Nygaard also served on the National Monument Commission during his time in Washington.
Nygaard was reelected to Congress in 1962, but his second term was cut short. On July 18th, he entered the office of Dr. George Calver, physician to Congress, complaining of chest pains. He died there from a heart attack at age 57. He was succeeded by Mark Andrews.
The Enderlin Independent summed up Nygaard’s service, stating, “During his service in Washington, representative Nygaard became known for his hard work, sincerity and determination to serve North Dakota and the nation to the best of his ability.” The paper expressed the grief of the community by reprinting past articles on him and a stirring obituary on the front page.
Nygaard’s untimely death represented a turning point, as it coincided with a shift in the political geography of the state, as North Dakota moved from at-large districts to two separate districts, one eastern and one western, a change that lasted until the 1970 census when the state lost its second seat in Congress.
Nygaard served between two political giants, and we can only wonder what he might he have achieved had his life not been cut short.
Dakota Datebook by Daniel Sauerwein
Sources:
- “Collection: Hjalmar Nygaard Papers | Special Collections Finding Aids.” n.d. Library.ndsu.edu. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://library.ndsu.edu/AS2.pub/repositories/3/resources/396.
- NYGAARD, Hjalmar Carl 1906–1963.” n.d. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/N000178.
- The Enderlin Independent. 1963, July 25, 1963.
