Fred G. Aandahl Papers, 1917-1966

Fred G. Aandahl Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Fred G. Aandahl Papers, 1917-1966

ID: OGLMC0051

Primary Creator: Aandahl, Fred G. (1897-1966)

Extent: 11.5 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 07/01/1968. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Politics and Government - North Dakota Governor, Politics and Government - Republican Organizing Committee (ROC), Politics and Government - Republican Party, Politics and Government - United States House of Representatives, University of North Dakota - Alumni

Languages: English

Abstract

1897-1966; North Dakota State Senate, 1931-1932 and 1939-1942; Governor of North Dakota, 1945-1950; United States House of Representatives, 1951-1953; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, 1953-1961

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Fred G. Aandahl Papers date from 1917 to 1966 and have been divided into seven series as follows:

Series 1: Biographical Information

Series 2: Newspaper Clippings

Series 3: North Dakota State Senate

Series 4: North Dakota Governor

Series 5: United States House of Representatives

Series 6: Assistant Secretary of the Interior

Series 7: Photographs

Series 8: Oversized Materials

Collection Historical Note

Fred George Aandahl was born April 9, 1897, in Svea Township, near Litchville, North Dakota. He was the son of Soren "Sam" J. and Mamie C. (Lawry) Aandahl. Sam Aandahl came to Dakota Territory in 1881 with his parents, J.S. and Martine. The family was originally from Aandalsnes, Norway. Mamie Lawry arrived in Dakota Territory in 1879, and was of English descent. Sam and Mamie were married on March 28, 1896. Sam served in the North Dakota legislature in 1903, and was also a member of the North Dakota State Railroad Commission. Sam Aandahl died in 1922, preceding the death of Mamie in 1923.

Fred G. Aandahl attended elementary schools in Valley City and rural Svea, before attending Litchville High School for three years. He received the final year of his high school education from the Model High School at the University of North Dakota, graduating in 1917.

He attended the University of North Dakota, graduating in 1921 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts. His major was law, with history and economics being his minor. While at UND, Aandahl was active in Delta Sigma Rho, an honorary society for oratory, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a Greek social fraternity.

Following graduation, Aandahl farmed the family homestead following the death of his farmer. He also served as principal at the Svea Consolidated School (1922-24), before becoming Superintendent of Schools in Litchville in 1924. In 1927, he retired from his career in education to focus his energies on the administration of the family farm. He married Luella Brekke, a teacher from the Litchville Elementary School, on June 28, 1926 in Forman, North Dakota. The couple had three daughters: Louise, Margaret and Marilyn.

Fred Aandahl won a seat in the North Dakota Senate in 1930, returning in 1938 and 1940. In the State Senate, Aandahl served on the Appropriations Committee and was known for his strong support of education. From 1933-35, he was a member of the Barnes County Agricultural Adjustment Administration. He served on the state level of this entity from 1935-38.

Aandahl was a leading member of the Republican Organizing Committee (ROC). The ROC was created to unite all Republicans opposed to William Langer and the Nonpartisan League. Aandahl delivered the keynote address at its first convention, held in Bismarck in March 1944. Besides Aandahl, the other founding members included Rilie Morgan of Grafton, Milton Young of Berlin, and Joseph Bridston of Grand Forks. With the strong backing of the ROC, Aandahl won the Republican nomination for Governor in the June primary. In the November election, he defeated three-term Attorney General Alvin Strutz.

One of Aandahl's first major decisions in office was to appoint a replacement for the recently deceased John Moses to the United States Senate. On 12 March 1945, Aandahl named Milton Young as the replacement. Aandahl was Governor of North Dakota from 1945 to 1950, before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1950. He served one term in the House, before deciding to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S Senate seat held by William Langer. Langer used considerable Democratic and NPL support to defeat Aandahl.

Upon the recommendation of U.S. Senator Robert Taft of Ohio, Aandahl was named Assistant Secretary of the Interior, by President Dwight Eisenhower in February 1953. He served the Eisenhower administration in this capacity until 1961. When the Kennedy Administration took office in January 1961, Aandahl retired to his Litchville farm. He died April 7, 1966 in Fargo, and is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Valley City, North Dakota.

Sources:

Current Biography. v19, no8: September 1958, pp 3-4. "Fred Aandahl" in Barnes County History. Dallas: Taylor Publishing, 1976.

Robinson, Elwyn. History of North Dakota. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1966.

Subject/Index Terms

Politics and Government - North Dakota Governor
Politics and Government - Republican Organizing Committee (ROC)
Politics and Government - Republican Party
Politics and Government - United States House of Representatives
University of North Dakota - Alumni

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals:

Louise Aandahl Stockman, Fargo, North Dakota, donated additional materials: April 18, 1996 (Acc.96-2064), 1998 (Acc.98-2203), May 20, 1999 (Acc.99-2244) October 9, 2002 (Acc.2002-2582).

Material was also transferred from the North Dakota Biographical File in 1981 (Acc.81-901).

Access Restrictions: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Aandahl Family

Acquisition Method: Donation

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Fred G. Aandahl Papers. OGLMC 51, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in November 2015.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Biographical Information],
[Series 2: Newspaper Clippings],
[Series 3: North Dakota State Senate],
[Series 4: North Dakota Governor],
[Series 5: United States House of Representatives],
[Series 6: Assistant Secretary of the Interior],
[Series 7: Photographs],
[Series 8: Oversized Materials],
[All]

Series 4: North Dakota Governor

Aandahl was elected Governor of North Dakota in 1944 and served until 1950.

Box 6

Folder 1: Speeches: 1944—1946

Item 1: First Keynote Address. March 1944
Item 2: R.O.C. Radio Address. May 1944
Item 3: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 1944
Item 4: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 1944
Item 5: Radio Address. September 27, 1944
Item 6: General Election Radio Address. October 30, 1944
Item 7: General Election Address. November 1, 1944
Item 8: Radio Address. November 6, 1944
Item 9: General Election Radio Address. November 6, 1944
Item 10: R.O.C. Radio Address. February 13, 1946
Item 11: The R.O.C. Convention. 1946
Item 12: R.O.C. Radio Address, Jamestown. May 21, 1946
Item 13: R.O.C. Radio Address. May 22, 1946
Item 14: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 7, 1946
Item 15: 75% Tax Base Measure Radio Address. June 19, 1946
Item 16: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 21, 1946
Item 17: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 24, 1946
Item 18: 1946 Primary Campaign Address. June 24, 1946
Item 19: Radio Address. June 24, 1946
Item 20: R.O.C. Radio Broadcast. November 1, 1946

Folder 2: Speeches: 1945

Item 1: North Dakota Victory Garden Proclamation. April 17, 1945
Item 2: Broadcast on Salvage. April 27, 1945
Item 3: V. J. Day Radio Address. August 14, 1945
Item 4: National War Fund Address. September 27, 1945
Item 5: Victory Loan Drive Address. October 27, 1945
Item 6: Armistice Day Address, Jamestown. November 12, 1945

Folder 3: Speeches: 1945-1950

Item 1: Missouri River Development. September 1945
Item 2: Garrison Dam Statement Before House Subcommittee. Jan. 17, 1946
Item 3: Missouri River Basin Development, House Subcommittee May 26, 1947
Item 4: Missouri River Basin Development (N.D.A.C.). February 17, 1948
Item 5: Water Development Projects in North Dakota. July 6, 1948
Item 6: Water Development in North Dakota, Bowbells. October 22, 1948
Item 7: Trend in the Missouri Basin, Minot. April 27—29, 1950
Item 8: Importance of Missouri Basin Program to North Dakota. Oct. 6, 1950
Item 9: The Missouri Basin Inter—Agency Committee. December 1, 1950

Folder 4: Speeches: 1945-1950

Item 1: Memorial Address at John Moses Funeral. March 7, 1945
Item 2: Memorial Resolution for Kenneth W. Simons. April 1948
Item 3: Memorial Address at George F. Shafer Funeral. August 16, 1948
Item 4: Radio Address — W.D.A.Y. 25th Anniversary. May 22, 1947
Item 5: Dedication of K.N.O.X., Grand Forks. September 15, 1947
Item 6: Dedication of K.F.G.O., Fargo. January 3, 1948
Item 7: Transcription for K.B.M.W., Wahpeton—Breckenridge. August 27, 1948
Item 8: Transcription for K.G.C.X., Williston. November 19, 1948
Item 9: Congratulation to Bismarck. June 4, 1947
Item 10: Congratulations to K.F.Y.R., Bismarck. April 28, 1949
Item 11: Dedication Address, St. George’s Episcopal Church, September 10, 1949
Item 12: Dedication Address, Soldiers Home. June 7, 1950

Folder 5: Speeches: 1946-1948

Item 1: Better Roads Address. September 11, 1946
Item 2: Radio Address — Better Roads Bill. October 26, 1946
Item 3: Highway Problem. March 13, 1948
Item 4: The North Dakota Road Program. October 28, 1948

Folder 6: Speeches: 1946-1950

Item 1: Queen for a Day Program at Minot. May 24, 1946
Item 2: Acceptance of National Guard Colors, Bismarck. November 11, 1946
Item 3: Welcome “The Man on the Street”— W.D.A.Y. February 3, 1947
Item 4: Assessed Property Valuations Address, Jamestown. March 1, 1947
Item 5: Remarks at Farm Bureau Convention, Bismarck. Nov. 18, 1947
Item 6: Thrift Week Program — W.D.A.Y. February 9, 1948
Item 7: The Governor’s Most Important Duty. February 27, 1948
Item 8: Address at Bond Sales Dinner. April 19, 1949
Item 9: Hospital Address, Mohall, North Dakota. August 21, 1949
Item 10: Address at Northwest Shippers Advisory Board, Minot. November 3, 1949
Item 11: Rural Life Sunday. May 7, 1950

Folder 7: Speeches: 1946-1950

Item 1: R.O.C. Radio Broadcast. November 4, 1946
Item 2: Remarks at Jamestown R.O.C. Meeting. October 13, 1947
Item 3: Address at R.O.C. Rally at Devils Lake. February 20, 1948
Item 4: Keynote Address — R.O.C. Convention. March 22, 1948
Item 5: R.O.C. Opening Rally Remarks, Minot. June 1, 1948
Item 6: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 4, 1948
Item 7: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 18, 1948
Item 8: R.O.C. Radio Address. June 28, 1948
Item 9: G.O.P. Address. October 7, 1948
Item 10: “The Issue Before the People on November 2nd”. October 19, 1948
Item 11: Republican Thinking. October 27, 1948
Item 12: Three Election Address. November 1, 1948
Item 13: Talk Given at Political Rally at LaMoure. December 15, 1949
Item 14: 1950 Political Issues. May 24, 1950
Item 15: 1950 Political Issues. May 24, 1950
Item 16: National Questions. June 14, 1950
Item 17: Closing Campaign Remarks. June 26, 1950
Item 18: Republican Campaign. October 3, 1950
Item 19: Republican Address. October 20, 1950
Item 20: Republican Address. November 1, 1950
Item 21: Republican Address. November 6, 1950

Folder 8: Messages to Legislature: 1945 – 1951

Folder 9: Speeches: 1951

Folder 10: Speeches: 1952

Box 8

Folder 24: "This is Aandahl's Record Which Affects the Public Welfare." Pamphlet published by the Nonpartisan League, 1944
Folder 25: "The Missouri Basin Inter-Agency Committee: What It Done and What It Can Do." Text of Speech Delivered by Aandahl in December 1950
Folder 26: "Governors of the American States and Territories." 1950: Contains information regarding the Governors' Conference and biographical information about each state governor
Folder 27: "Message to the Legislature by Fred G. Aandahl, Retiring Governor." 1951
Folder 29: Campain Materials, 1944, 1946

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