Math Dahl

Mathias Dahl (January 6, 1884 – August 3, 1976) was a North Dakota politician who was well known for his tenure as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor from 1939 to 1964. His long tenure in the office ended a period of instability in the department when the three previous commissioners only served one two-year term. He re-elected a total of twelve times, and was one of the most prominent Republican/Non-Partisan League (NPL) politicians in the state.

Biography

Mathias Dahl was born on January 6, 1884 in Norway. He came to America in 1902, and homesteaded in Emmons County, North Dakota in 1904.^[1] He served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1931 to 1937, and was the Speaker of the House in 1937. He was elected as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor in 1938, and he served until 1965 when he retired. Dahl was one of the most prominent Republican/NPL politicians in the state. When the NPL dissolved, he joined the North Dakota Republican Party. During his life, Dahl was a member of the Lutheran Church, the Farmers Union, Sons of Norway, and the Masonic Order. He was married to Ragna Madland of Wing, North Dakota.^[2] Dahl died at the age of 92 in 1976.

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