10/16/2015:
The city of Casselton has a great claim to fame in North Dakota with five of its residents going on to become governor. One of them, current governor Jack Dalrymple, was born on this date in 1948 in Minneapolis. He was raised on his great-grandfather’s farm near Casselton, an operation with roots that extended back to the days of the Bonanza farms. The future governor graduated from Yale in 1970 with a bachelor’s in American Studies. He then returned to his North Dakota farming roots. He married Betsy Wood in 1971, and the couple raised four daughters.
Dalrymple got started in state politics in 1985, representing a rural district of Cass County in the legislature. In 1990, he helped found the Dakota Growers Pasta Company in Carrington, North Dakota.
Dalrymple served 15 years in the North Dakota House before becoming lieutenant governor under John Hoeven. The two served North Dakota together for ten years until Hoeven’s election to the US Senate in 2010. Dalrymple succeeded Hoven, becoming the 32nd governor of the state. He won reelection in 2012.
In his time as governor, North Dakota saw extensive tax relief, totaling over $1 billion. He also worked to build and save funds for the future. Over 70,000 jobs were created during his tenure, a time when North Dakota had the fastest growing economy in America.
The state’s oil industry swelled during Dalrymple’s watch, rising to become the second largest oil producing state in the nation. As head of the three-person North Dakota Industrial Commission, Dalrymple championed improved infrastructure and helped implement stricter regulations on oil recovery and transportation. He advocated for pipelining in response to concerns over flaring natural gas, and supported regulations to make crude oil safer for rail transportation.
Well before the end of his second term, Dalrymple announced he would not seek reelection, expressing a desire to spend more time with family. The success of the state during Governor Dalrymple’s watch has not gone unnoticed nationally. A New York financial news outlet called North Dakota the best run state in the nation for three consecutive years.
Dakota Datebook written by Jack Dura
Sources
"http://governor.nd.gov/governor-jack-dalrymple" http://governor.nd.gov/governor-jack-dalrymple
"http://history.nd.gov/exhibits/governors/governors32.html" http://history.nd.gov/exhibits/governors/governors32.html
"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jack-dalrymple-reelection_55db55a3e4b0a40aa3ab94a4" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jack-dalrymple-reelection_55db55a3e4b0a40aa3ab94a4
://247wallst.com/special-report/2014/12/03/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-50-3/