- Walter Welford
Infobox Governor
name = Walter Welford
order = 20th
office = Governor of North Dakota
term_start = 1935
term_end = 1937
lieutenant =
predecessor =Thomas H. Moodie
successor =William Langer
birth_date =May 21 ,1868
birth_place =Yorkshire ,England
death_date =June 28 ,1952
death_place =Pembina County, North Dakota (disputed)
party = Republican
spouse =
profession =
religion =Walter Welford (
May 21 ,1868 –June 28 ,1952 ) was born in Bellery,Yorkshire ,England . He was inaugurated as the twentiethGovernor of North Dakota onFebruary 2 ,1935 after Thomas H. Moodie was removed from office after it was determined he was ineligible to hold the office. He served until 1936 when he lost the race to former governorWilliam Langer .Biography
Walter Welford served as township clerk at Pembina for twenty years. He also served in the
North Dakota House of Representatives and Senate. AsLieutenant Governor of North Dakota , Welford became governor afterThomas H. Moodie was disqualified. Welford was a staunch supporter of the Nonpartisan League (NPL), a farmers' political group. During Welford's administration the state was caught in the grip of theGreat Depression . The 1936 crop yield was disastrously low because of drought. Welford met with PresidentFranklin Roosevelt and obtained federal aid for drought-stricken farmers. In 1936, Welford decided to run for office again. He beat former GovernorWilliam Langer for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, but Langer refused to drop out, and entered the general election as an independent. Welford lost the three-way governor's election to Langer. (The third-place candidate was DemocratJohn Moses , who became North Dakota's twenty-second governor, following Langer's second term.) Welford died in Altona,Manitoba , Canada (or inPembina County, North Dakota } onJune 28 ,1952 at the age of 84. [http://www.state.nd.us/hist/ndgov4.htm#welford] [https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/doh/certificates/deathCertSearch.htm]
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