William Langer
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- For the Harvard University historian, see William L. Langer.
William "Wild Bill" Langer (September 30, 1886 – November 8, 1959) was a prominent American politician from North Dakota. Langer is one of the most colorful characters in North Dakota history, most famously bouncing back from a scandal that forced him out of office and into prison. He served as the Governor of North Dakota from 1933 to 1934 and from 1937 to 1939. Langer also served in the United States Senate from 1940 to 1959 when he died.
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[edit] Personal life
Langer was born near Casselton, North Dakota in Everest Township. He obtained a bachelor of laws from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, but was too young upon graduation to practice law. He therefore continued his undergraduate education at Columbia, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1910. Although he was offered a position at a prominent New York law firm, he elected to return to North Dakota, where he practiced law in the town of Mandan before starting his career in politics. He married Lydia Cady, the daughter of a New York architect, in 1918, and had four daughters, Emma, Lydia, Mary, and Cornelia.
[edit] Biography
A Non-Partisan League Republican, he lost the first time he ran for governor, as well as his first senatorial race. However, he was governor for two years and a senator for nearly twenty years[1].
During the Great Depression, he was removed from office by the state supreme court for allegedly pressuring recipients of governmental aid to donate money to his private newspaper and for allegedly forcing state employees to give funds to the state Republican party. He was found guilty of fraud in 1934. The North Dakota Supreme Court ordered him removed from office due to his conviction on a felony charge, and on July 17, 1934, the Court declared Lieutenant Governor Ole Olsen the legitimate governor. Langer gathered with about ten friends, declared North Dakota independent, declared martial law, and barricaded himself in the governor's mansion until the Supreme Court would meet with him. [2] Langer eventually relented, and Olson served the remainder of Langer's term as Governor.
Langer's wife Lydia ran for governor in 1934, but lost. [3]. However, Langer was acquitted of fraud charges after a new trial in 1935, and successfully ran for governor in 1936 and eventually was elected to the U.S. Senate[4].
Langer was an isolationist, wanting to minimize America’s involvement in World War II. At home, he concentrated on making life easier for the farmers of North Dakota by raising wheat prices and doling out government relief, although amidst rumors of great scandal. He was also very adamant about implementing affordable healthcare for everyone. As a senator, he served on the Post Office, Civil Service and Indian Affairs committees. He and Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota were the only Senators to vote against the United Nations Charter in 1945.[5].
Following the merger of the Non-Partisan League with the state Democratic party, Langer remained on the Republican ticket in the 1958 senate elections.
[edit] Political offices
- 1914-1916: State's Attorney for Morton County
- 1916-1920: Attorney General of North Dakota
- 1933-1934: Governor of North Dakota (removed from office)
- 1937-1939: Governor of North Dakota
- 1941-1959: United States Senate
[edit] External links
- William Langer Papers at the University of North Dakota
- North Dakota Governors - William Langer
- Entry on the secession of North Dakota
- Várdy, Steven Béla and Tooly, T. Hunt: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe Available as MS Word for Windows file (3.4 MB) (the result of the conference on Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth Century Europe held at Duquesne University in November 2000.) Sub-section by CHARLES M. BARBER, The Isolationist as Interventionist: Senator William Langer on the Subject of Ethnic Cleansing, March 29, l946 pp.244 - 262
| Preceded by Henry Linde |
Attorneys General of North Dakota 1917–1920 |
Succeeded by William Lemke |
| Preceded by George F. Shafer |
Governor of North Dakota 1933–1934 |
Succeeded by Ole H. Olson |
| Preceded by Walter Welford |
Governor of North Dakota 1937–1939 |
Succeeded by John Moses |
| Preceded by Lynn Frazier |
United States Senator (Class 1) from North Dakota 1941–1959 |
Succeeded by C. Norman Brunsdale |
| Governors of North Dakota |  |
|---|---|
| Miller • A. Burke • Shortridge • Allin • Briggs • Devine • Fancher • White • Sarles • J. Burke • Hanna • Frazier • Nestos • Sorlie • Maddock • Shafer • Langer • O. Olson • Moodie • Welford • Langer • Moses • Aandahl • Brunsdale • Davis • Guy • Link • A. Olson • Sinner • Schafer • Hoeven |
