Harvey L. Wollman

Harvey L. Wollman (born May 14, 1935) was the twenty-sixth Governor of South Dakota. He was the first Lieutenant Governor in the history of South Dakota to move into the Governor's office.

Wollman was born in Frankfort, South Dakota. In 1953, he graduated from Doland High School. From 1954 to 1955, he attended Bethel College at St. Paul, Minnesota. From 1956 to 1957, he attended Huron College before serving in the U. S. Army from 1958 to 1960. In 1961, he obtained a B. A. degree from Huron College. From 1961 to 1965, he served as a teacher at Doland High School. In 1965, he completed a graduate work at the University of South Dakota before becoming a farmer.

Wollman, a Democrat from Hitchcock, South Dakota, was elected to represent Spink, Hand, and Hyde counties in the South Dakota State Senate in 1968 and re-elected in 1970. He was first elected Lt. Governor in 1974, on a ticket with Governor Richard F. Kneip.

In 1978, Wollman was narrowly defeated in a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor. However, Wollman succeeded to the governorship on July 24, 1978, when Governor Kneip was appointed United States Ambassador to Singapore. Wollman was sworn in as governor by his brother, Roger Wollman, who was serving at the time as Chief Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court.

Wollman's family originates from Russia and is of German descent. [cite web |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Famous Germans from Russia |work= |publisher= |date= |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~steeles/gerrus/ |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] He is a member of the Ebenezer Mennonite Brethren Church. [South Dakota Legislative Manual, 1975]

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