Ole H. Olson


Ole H. Olson was the 16th Lieutenant Governor and the 18th Governor of North Dakota.

Biography

Olson was born in Mondovi, Wisconsin. He was the oldest child of nine from parents who had emigrated from Sogn, Norway. After graduating from Concordia College, in Moorhead, Minnesota, Olson moved to Eddy County, North Dakota, and established a successful farm. He married Julia Ramberget on December 12, 1912, and they had four sons and six daughters.

Career

Elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives Olson served two years from 1917 through 1919. Later he was elected to the North Dakota State Senate, an office he held from 1919 to 1931, during which he was president pro tempore in 1929. Olson was elected the 16th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. In 1934, governor William Langer was removed from office following a scandal, and Olson was sworn in as the 18th Governor of North Dakota. Olson served the remainder of the term of his predecessor, William Langer, when Langer was removed from office and sentenced to prison. During his brief tenure, demonstrators marched on the state capitol and the National Guard was called in.

Death

Olson died in New Rockford, North Dakota, on January 29, 1954, at the age of 81. He is buried at Grandfield Lutheran Cemetery in rural Sheyenne, Eddy County, North Dakota.