1/15/2009:
It was this date in 1859 that Elmore Yocum Sarles, the future governor of North Dakota, was born in Wonewoc, Wisconsin. The young Sarles did not stay long in Wonewoc, but attended school in Prescott, Wisconsin, where he graduated from high school with four other future state governors.
Following a single year at University, Sarles decided to start a new life out west, and moved to the small town of Hillsboro, Dakota Territory in 1881.
A perceptive businessman, Elmore Sarles succeeded in a number of ventures, quickly establishing himself as a successful Hillsboro businessman. He operated banks in both North Dakota and Minnesota, founded lumberyards, started investment businesses and owned vast acres of farmland throughout Traill County.
Sarles business and financial successes left a mark on the development of the Red River Valley, prompting many to believe his talents could be better utilized in the public sphere. In 1900, a group of Sarles' associates worked to nominate him for governor. Uninterested in such a high post, Sarles instead turned his attention towards smaller positions. He became mayor of Hillsboro and was made a member of the state normal school board.
Four years later, in 1904, Sarles' friends succeeded where they had failed in 1900. Elmore Sarles was successfully nominated by the Republican Party for governor, and in the general election received the highest percentage of votes any governor of North Dakota had yet received.
Throughout his tenure, Sarles operated the government as a businessman. Appropriately enough, his motto was, "more business in government," and his legislative energies were directed towards the material improvement of the state. His government passed legislation completing an irrigation code, organizing life insurance companies, regulating state banks, developing food and drug laws, regulating elections, and providing police for unorganized townships.
Sarles' governorship proved a fiscal success, and when he left office there remained a $200,000 surplus in the state treasury. However, even with his proven capabilities, the 1906 election was not kind. While he was again nominated by his party, a flurry of political forces conspired against his success in the general election. His appointment of John Knauf to the North Dakota Supreme Court proved a political disaster, and was strongly opposed by a number of influential lawyers. Additionally, John Burke, Sarles' opponent in the election, established himself as an adept challenger.
Burke worked closely with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and garnered support throughout the state on a generally progressive ticket. After a hard fought campaign, Governor Sarles came up short on votes. He handed over the reigns of government in January of 1907, following the end of his two-year term. After his governorship, Sarles returned to Hillsboro where he continued his banking and farming businesses before passing away in 1929.
Written by Lane Sunwall
Sources Lounsberry, Clement Augustus. North Dakota History and People: Outlines of American History. Vol. 2. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1917.
________. Early History of North Dakota: Essential Outlines of American History. Washington, D.C.: Liberty Press, 1919.
"North Dakota Governors", State Historical Society of North Dakota http://www.nd.gov/hist/ndgov2.htm (accessed January 5, 2008).