Seasons Pass Me By

As we write this, a hearty wind is blowing, gusty and damp, as if saying, “get ready, something stronger is right around the corner.” We leave behind the summer season of growth. The more I age the more I appreciate the summer hatches of geese, the flowering plants, the rustling leaves, the gentle breezes combing the grass. But with that cycle completed the earth has started to rest and will soon pull a blanket of snow over itself to sleep. 

Quite a few seasons have passed me by, and when I stop to look back I can add some memories up as lists. For instance, fifteen different men have held the office of president in my lifetime. Franklyn Delano Roosevelt was the first for me, although I do not remember anything about him. I’ve read many history books about that time, so it seems I have some false memories of him. I do remember his successor in real time, Harry Truman, who took office upon the death of FDR. 

The closer we get to the present day, the more clearly they appear. After FDR and Truman came Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, Trump, and Biden. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln's favorite saying “This too shall pass”

after I look at the list and realize its reality.

Thirteen governors of North Dakota have served the state in my lifetime, beginning with John Moses, the twenty-second governor.  He was born in Strand, Norway on June 12, 1885. His education was attained in Norway, where he attended high school and junior college. After moving to the United States, he continued his education at the University of North Dakota, earning both an undergraduate degree and law degree. Moses was a popular governor who connected with constituents by giving speeches in English, German, or Norwegian depending on the audience. Elected to the U. S. Senate, he served only three months before dying while in office.

If we look at the state’s first governor, John Miller was a bonanza farmer and business man in North Dakota. He served from 1889 to 1891, after it was admitted as a state to the union.

Born of Scotch ancestors in New York state, Miller had moved to Dakota Territory in 1878. With a partner, J. W. Dwight, they bought thousands of acres of land in Richland County.

We can travel back to the first Dakota Territorial governor, William A. Jayne, a medical doctor and  Abraham Lincoln's personal physician. He set up the first territorial government in Yankton. Ten other men followed him in the territorial governor’s chair prior to statehood.

One other group interests me, and I am sorry to say no women have yet appeared as “movers and shakers” in North Dakota’s politics. The group is made up as representatives to North Dakota’s Constitutional Convention in 1889. While in session woman suffrage concerns were led by a historic lady in state politics named Linda Warfel Slaughter. When all was said and done, North Dakota gave women the right to vote on school issues only. Unfortunately for them, women did not receive full suffrage rights until the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

In order for the convention to function, delegates were chosen to help draw up the constitution that had to be adopted before the state could achieve official statehood. Delegates came from predetermined districts. While looking at the background of the six men representing this area, including Cass County, something interesting reveals itself. They all came from somewhere else. Andrew Sandager of Lisbon, from Iowa; Reuben Stevens, Lisbon, from New York; Samuel Moer, LaMoure, from Iowa; Eben Chaffee, Amenia, from Connecticut; Enos Gray, Embden, from Maine; William Clapp, Tower City, from Massachusetts.

When you look at the complete roll of all 75 delegates, almost all of them came to Dakota Territory to make their home. The same can be said for the other states that wrote their constitutions at the same time, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington, 136 years ago.

Now plans are being made for The United States Semiquincentennial, a fancy term for this country’s 250th birthday on July 4, which is only about eight months from now. 

I liked the way the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute anticipates this anniversary when they said it isn’t just about dates and documents. It’s about people, places, and stories—millions of them. It’s about how a group of colonies came together in 1776 to declare independence and how that moment set the course for the country we live in now. 

Reaching 250 years is a significant event for any nation. It offers a chance to learn more about how the United States began, how it grew, and how it has changed over time. Every era of American history has shaped the present in some way, from early settlements to westward expansion, from war and invention to civic achievements and cultural growth.

Ms. O’Connor herself represented a step forward when she claimed the distinction of being the first woman seated on the United States Supreme Court. It was a giant leap forward considering the 1889 constitution in North Dakota only gave women the right to vote for school affairs. Justice O'Connor championed civility as a cornerstone of a civil society. The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute's three pillars include civic education, civic engagement, and civil discourse. All are crucial in our current moment, but especially civil discourse, which has rarely been more important and is foundational to our constitutional republic.