James Abdnor

James Abdnor
United States Senator from South Dakota
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	George McGovern
Succeeded by	Tom Daschle
Administrator of the United States Small Business Administration
In office 1987–1989
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James C. Sanders
Succeeded by	Susan Engeleiter
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	James Abourezk
Succeeded by	Clint Roberts
30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
In office 1969–1971
Governor	Frank Farrar
Preceded by	Lem Overpeck
Succeeded by	William Dougherty
Personal details
Born	February 13, 1923 (1923-02-13) Kennebec, South Dakota
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican

James Abdnor (born February 13, 1923) is a Republican politician from the state of South Dakota.

Personal

He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1945 where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.^{[citation needed]} He served in the United States Army during World War II and from 1957 to 1969 was a member of the South Dakota Senate. A common, plain spoken man, he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator." He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way." Like his South Dakota Congressional colleague James Abourezk, he is a second-generation Lebanese-American.^{[citation needed]}

Politics

He was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota in 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for House of Representatives in 1970.^{[citation needed]} In 1972 he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican.

He ran in the 1980 election against George McGovern for the United States Senate. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state and he defeated McGovern by a large margin. In 1986, after winning a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor Bill Janklow, Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Congressman Tom Daschle. He served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for John Thune's successful campaign against Daschle in 2004.^{[citation needed]} Thune had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff.^{[citation needed]}

Other notable members of Abdnor's staff who went on to fill important public service roles include John Hamre, Undersecretary of Defense; Jeff Trandahl, Clerk of the House; Bruce Knight, Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI); Phil Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC); Vern Larson, South Dakota State Treasurer and Auditor; South Dakota State Senators Mike Vehle and Scott Heidepriem; South Dakota State Representatives Sean O'Brien and Lee Schoenbeck; and Charlotte Fischer, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissoner.

Accomplishments

Among Abdnor's accomplishments were authorization of the Grassropes irrigation project and the Walworth, Edmunds, Brown (WEB) rural water system, reauthorization of the Belle Fourche irrigation project, and the inclusion of oats (of which South Dakota is a major producer) in the farm program.

References

• James Abdnor at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Political offices
Preceded by Lem Overpeck	Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota 1969–1971	Succeeded by William Dougherty
Government offices
Preceded by James C. Sanders	Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration 1987–1989	Succeeded by Susan Engeleiter
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by James Abourezk	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's 2nd congressional district 1973–1981	Succeeded by Clint Roberts
United States Senate
Preceded by George McGovern	United States Senator (Class 3) from South Dakota 1981–1987 Served alongside: Larry Pressler	Succeeded by Tom Daschle