Thomas S. Kleppe

Thomas S. Kleppe
41st United States Secretary of the Interior
In office October 17, 1975 – January 20, 1977
President	Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Stanley K. Hathaway
Succeeded by	Cecil D. Andrus
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971
Preceded by	Rolland W. Redlin
Succeeded by	Arthur A. Link
Personal details
Born	July 1, 1919(1919-07-01) Emmons County, North Dakota
Died	March 2, 2007(2007-03-02) (aged 87) Bethesda, Maryland
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Valley City State University
Religion	Lutheran
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1942-1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Thomas Savig Kleppe (July 1, 1919 – March 2, 2007) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from North Dakota and as United States Secretary of the Interior.

Kleppe, the son of homesteaders, was born in Kintyre in Emmons County, North Dakota. He graduated in 1936 from Valley City High School in Valley City in Barnes County in eastern North Dakota. In 1937, he attended Valley City State University, then Valley City Teachers College. During World War II, from 1942 to 1946 he was a Warrant Officer.

From 1950 to 1954, he was the mayor of Bismarck, North Dakota. From 1946 to 1964, he was the president and treasurer of the Gold Seal Company.

In 1964, he was the Republican nominee for United States Senate but lost to the popular incumbent Democrat Quentin N. Burdick. In 1966 he was elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth United States Congress, and he was reelected in 1968 to the Ninety-first United States Congress (January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1971). In 1970 he was again an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Senate.

From 1971 to 1975, he was the administrator of the Small Business Administration. From 1975 to 1977, he was the Secretary of the Interior under Gerald Ford. In 1977, he joined the faculty of the University of Wyoming.

In his capacity as Secretary of the Interior, he was the appellant in the Supreme Court case Kleppe v. New Mexico (1976), in which it was decided that a state could not challenge the authority of the federal government to regulate federal lands within its borders.

Kleppe died of Alzheimer's disease in Bethesda, Maryland.

See also

• North Dakota United States Senate election, 1970
• North Dakota United States Senate election, 1964

References

• Thomas S. Kleppe at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Rolland W. Redlin	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 2nd congressional district 1967 – 1971	Succeeded by Arthur A. Link
Political offices
Preceded by Stanley K. Hathaway	United States Secretary of the Interior Served under: Gerald Ford 1975–1977	Succeeded by Cecil D. Andrus