George Sinner

Infobox Governor
name= George Sinner


caption=
order=29^th
office= Governor of North Dakota
term_start= January 1, 1985
term_end= December 15, 1992
lieutenant= Ruth Meiers
1985-1987
Lloyd Omdahl
1987-1992
predecessor= Allen I. Olson
successor= Ed Schafer
birth_date= birth date|1928|8|8|mf=y
birth_place= Fargo, North Dakota
death_date=
death_place=
spouse= Elizabeth "Jane" Sinner
religion=Catholic
party= Democratic-NPL
footnotes=

George A. Sinner, (born 1928) in Fargo, North Dakota was a Democratic-NPL politician who served as governor of North Dakota from 1985 through 1992. He served two 4-year terms as governor.

Biography

George Sinner was born in Fargo, North Dakota on May 29, 1928, and was raised in Casselton, North Dakota. In 1950, Sinner received a degree in philosophy from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He served in the United States Air National Guard from 1950 to 1951, and pursued a career in politics in the late 1950s. He was elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1962. He served one four-year term until 1966, and failed to win re-election. Coming from a background of farming, Sinner served as president of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Board from 1975 to 1979. During that time, he chaired an ad hoc farm commodity group which was responsible for funding and construction of the greenhouse complex and the Northern Crops Institute at North Dakota State University in Fargo. He served as a member of many other boards and organizations, including the North Dakota Broadcasting Council, the State Board of Higher Education and more. During his time on the State Board of Higher Education, Sinner helped craft the "Tri-college" system currently used by NDSU, MSUM and Concordia Moorhead colleges. It is a program that allows students attending one of the schools to take classes not offered there at one of the other universities.

Governor years

George Sinner was elected to serve as the Governor of North Dakota beginning in 1985 and served two four-year terms. The starting date of Sinner's first term was disputed with defeated and outgoing Gov. Allen Olson. Sinner held that the term started January 1^st and Olson held that the term began on January 6^th, four years after his own term began. At that time, the specific date was not clearly set forth in state law nor the state constitution. The North Dakota Supreme Court settled the issue in favor of Sinner on January 5^th, 1985, one day before Olson would have vacated office anyway. Olson did not comply with the decision and did not vacate the governor's office until the following day but Sinner's term was retroactively recognized to have begun on January 1^st. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE0D61E38F930A35752C0A963948260] [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00813FB345C0C768CDDA80894DD484D81]

During these years, North Dakota suffered through the 1980s farm crisis and celebrated its 100th anniversary. The North Dakota National Guard was also called to serve during his second term in the Gulf War in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. Sinner did not seek a third term. He was succeeded in office by Ed Schafer.

During his term as Governor, Senator Quentin Burdick died. He encouraged Senator Kent Conrad to run for the remainder of his term.

Sinner received honorary doctorate degrees from North Dakota State University, University of North Dakota, and St. John's University.

External links

* [http://www.library.und.edu/Collections/og269.html George Sinner Papers at The University of North Dakota]
* [http://www.library.und.edu/Collections/og1267.html Jane Sinner Papers at The University of North Dakota]