Politics and Government

Oscar G. Barnes Papers, 1891-1923 (Mss 443)
Cass County Sheriff from 1892-1897 as well as Chairman of the Cass County Board of Commissioners.

James A. Berg Legislative papers, 1988-1997 (Mss 277)
Active in the North Dakota Democratic Party, Berg served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1992 to 1994 and the Senate from 1996 until his death in 1997. His papers cover his legislative career.

Irma Callahan Papers, 1948-1968 (Mss 200)
Active in local and national politics and was a delegate to the National Democratic Primary in 1956.

Minnie D. Craig Papers, 1904-1955 (Mss 282)
Elected in 1923 to the North Dakota House of Representatives where she served for six terms, culminating in 1933, as the first woman speaker of a House of Representatives in the nation.

Ralph Diehl Papers, 1936-1993 (Mss 280)
Hillsboro, N.D. farmer, active in the Republican Party and served in the North Dakota Legislature in the 1960s.

Stephen Doyle Papers, 1890-1940  (Mss 998)
Massachusettes native who was active in the North Dakota Legislature and served as a U.S. Marshal.

Aloha Eagles Papers, 1966-1977 (Mss 251)
Distinguished career as a state legislator who introduced legislation that would have legalized North Dakota's abortion law in 1969.

Charles Fleming Papers, 1987-1992 (Mss 219)
Served as Gov. George Sinner's chief of staff from 1984 to 1992, after having been his 1984 campaign manager.

George Foster Papers, 1871-1883 (Mss 136)
From 1864 to 1874, he served as Clerk in the Territorial Legislature and also as clerk, for five years, of the Territorial Supreme Court.

G. Angus Fraser Papers, 1898-1953 (Mss 74)
From 1931 to 1933, General Fraser also served on the Board of State Capitol Commissioners which directed the construction of the new capitol in Bismarck.

Lynn J. Frazier Papers, 1887-1888, 1924-1945 (Mss 70)
North Dakota governor, 1916-1921 and United States senator, 1922-1940, with reputation of a progressive and later isolationist.

James Gill Papers, 1876-1897 (Mss 967)
He was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1891 and 1894, and was chosen speaker in 1895.  In 1897 he became Secretary of the State Senate.

Staale Hendrickson Papers, 1899-1944 (Mss 839)
Served in the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1909 and from 1913 to 1917 as a Republican and member of the Independent Voters Association.

Martin N. Johnson Family Papers, 1839-1954 (Mss 85)
Served as a delegate at the North Dakota Constitutional Convention in 1889 and U.S. Representative for North Dakota from 1890 to 1899.

Edwin Ladd Family Papers, 1890-1966 (Mss 90)
First chemistry professor at North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU), later president of NDAC, before becoming a U.S. Senator for North Dakota.

Henry R. Martinson Papers, 1902-1981 (Mss 30)
Socialist who joined the Nonpartisan League before beginning a career as a poet and movie consultant.

Sylvia Morgan Papers, 1964-1988 (Mss 286)
Ms. Morgan (aka Sylvia Kruger) was active in the Democratic Party, was a delegate to the 1968 National Convention, a supporter of Eugene McCarthy.

William W. Murrey Papers, 1935-1963 (Mss 60)
Labor supervisor on WPA projects and later head of the Fargo-Moorhead Trades and Labor Assembly.

Donna Nalewaja, (Acc. 2594, unprocessed)
State Senator Donna Nalewaja's papers document her sixteen years of North Dakota state legislative service. In addition the papers follow her active involvement in the Republican Party, being the 1984 Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and in 1998 the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. (ca. 7 linear ft.)

Theodore G. Nelson Papers, 1906-1960 (Mss 631)
Organized the Independent Voters Association and in 1921 helped to orchestrate the first recall in the nation of a governor.

Nonpartisan League Collection, 1916-1964 (Mss 51)
Political party founded by A.C. Townley whose objective was to protect the farmers through government intervention.

Hjalmar Nygaard Papers, 1954-1963 (bulk 1960-1963) (Mss 184)
U.S. Representative for North Dakota from 1961-1963.

S.A. Olsness Papers, 1883-1954 (Mss 220)
North Dakota's Insurance Commissioner from 1916 to 1934 when he was defeated by the supporters of William Langer.

Ole H. Olsen Papers, 1911-1952 (Mss 183, Ephemera Collection 1)
He was elected to the ND House of representatives in 1916, the State Senate in 1918 and Lt. Governor in 1932.  Olson also served as governor in 1934 after Governor Langer was convicted by a federal jury.

John D. Paulson Papers, 1981-1985 (Mss 198)
Retired editor of the Fargo Forum who wrote numerous essays on North Dakota's political figures in preparation for the state centennial.

Robert M. Pollock Papers, 1880-1914 (Mss 14)
Present at the Constitutional Convention in 1889 and authored the prohibition clause and helped to fight the Louisana Lottery.

Robert M. Pollock Family Papers, 1869-1960 (Mss 774)
A collection of his wife's and children's school work as well as several speeches given by his wife.

George Sinner, (Acc. 2614, unprocessed)
George Sinner was governor of North Dakota from 1984 to 1992. The collection documents his gubernatorial years through a rich collection of artifacts, as well as a series of scrapbooks compiled by Jane Sinner, and photographs. (ca. 14 linear ft.)

Martin O. Thompson Papers, 1906-1948 (Mss 123)
States Attorney (1915-1922) and Judge (1923-1948) of Ransom County, N.D. 

Treadwell and Luther Twichell Papers, 1884-1944 (Mss 40)
Brothers who both served in the North Dakota House of Representavies and Senate during the period 1895-1944.

Lois Vogel Papers, 1964-1972 (Mss 13)
Stenographer who became interested in the North Dakota Constitution and later attended the Constitution Convention held in 1972 as a delegate.

Edward P. Wells Papers, 1882-1941 (Mss 135)
Built the first house in Jamestown, ND and his scrapbooks nicely document the early political situation in North Dakota.
 

Manuscript Subject Listing