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{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox Senator |name=James Abdnor
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
|nationality=American
{{Infobox officeholder
|image name=JamesAbdnor.jpg
|name = James Abdnor
|jr/sr=United States Senator
|image = JamesAbdnor.jpg
|state=[[South Dakota]]
|caption = Official portrait, 1983
|party=[[United States Republican Party|Republican]]
|office = 15th [[Administrator of the Small Business Administration]]
|term_start=January 3, 1981
|president = [[Ronald Reagan]]<br>[[George H. W. Bush]]
|term_end=January 3, 1987
|term_start = March 12, 1987
|preceded=[[George McGovern]]
|term_end = April 18, 1989
|succeeded=[[Tom Daschle]]
|predecessor = [[Charles Heatherly]] (acting)
|order2=[[Small Business Administration|Administrator of the United States Small Business Administration]]
|successor = [[Susan Engeleiter]]
|term_start2=1987
|jr/sr1 = United States Senator
|term_end2=1989
|president2=[[Ronald Reagan]]
|state1 = [[South Dakota]]
|term_start1 = January 3, 1981
|predecessor2=[[James C. Sanders]]
|term_end1 = January 3, 1987
|successor2=[[Susan Engeleiter]]
|predecessor1 = [[George McGovern]]
|order3=Member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from [[South Dakota]]'s [[South Dakota's 2nd congressional district|2nd]] district
|successor1 = [[Tom Daschle]]
|term_start3=January 3, 1973
|state2 = [[South Dakota]]
|term_end3=January 3, 1981
|district2 = {{ushr|SD|2|2nd}}
|predecessor3=[[James Abourezk]]
|term_start2 = January 3, 1973
|successor3=[[Clint Roberts]]
|term_end2 = January 3, 1981
|order4=30th [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]]
|predecessor2 = [[James Abourezk]]
|term_start4=1969
|successor2 = [[Clint Roberts (politician)|Clint Roberts]]
|term_end4=1971
|office3 = 30th [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]]
|governor4=[[Frank Farrar]]
|predecessor4=[[Lem Overpeck]]
|governor3 = [[Frank Farrar]]
|term_start3 = January 7, 1969
|successor4=[[William Dougherty]]
|term_end3 = January 5, 1971
|birth_date={{birth date|1923|2|13}}
|predecessor3 = [[Lem Overpeck]]
|birth_place=[[Kennebec, South Dakota]]
|successor3 = [[William Dougherty]]
|death_date= {{death date and age|2012|5|16|1923|2|13}}
|death_place= [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]
|office4 = Member of the [[South Dakota Senate]]
|term_start4 = 1957
|spouse=
|term_end4 = 1969
|religion= [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]
|birth_name = Ellis James Abdnor
|birth_date = {{birth date|1923|2|13}}
|birth_place = [[Kennebec, South Dakota]], U.S
|death_date = {{death date and age|2012|5|16|1923|2|13}}
|death_place = [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]], U.S
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|education = [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
|allegiance = United States
|branch = [[United States Army]]
|battles = [[World War II]]
}}
}}
'''Ellis James Abdnor''' (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a member of the [[United States Senate]] from [[South Dakota]]. He was also the 15th [[Administrator of the Small Business Administration]] under presidents [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]].


'''E. James Abdnor''' (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] from the [[U.S. state|state]] of [[South Dakota]].
Abdnor had previously represented [[South Dakota's 2nd congressional district]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] and served as the 30th [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]] and a member of the [[South Dakota Senate]].


==Personal life==
==Early life and education==
Abdnor was born in Kennebec, South Dakota, the son of Mary (née Wehby) and Samuel J. Abdnor.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/us/james-abdnor-former-south-dakota-senator-dies-at-89.html</ref> Abdnor served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]] and then graduated from the [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]] in 1945 where he became a member of the [[Sigma Chi]] Fraternity.<ref name= "SDSHS">{{cite web |url= http://history.sd.gov/archives/forms/governmentguides/abdnor1.aspx |title= [[James Abdnor]] |publisher= [[South Dakota State Historical Society]] |location= [[Pierre, South Dakota]] |accessdate= May 16, 2012}}</ref> He was a member of the [[South Dakota Senate]] from 1957 to 1969. A common, plain spoken man, he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator."<ref>[http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_b139eeb4-33a8-11df-9b5d-001cc4c03286.html Jim Abdnor and his people], Kevin Woster, Rapid City Journal</ref> He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way."<ref>[http://ambur.net/KranzArticleOnAbdnor20030223.jpg Even at 80, former Sen. Jim Abdnor retains voting bloc], David Kranz, ''Sioux Falls Argus Leader''.</ref> Like his South Dakota Congressional colleague [[James Abourezk]], he was a second-generation [[Lebanese-American]].<ref name= "SDSHS"/>
Abdnor was born in [[Kennebec, South Dakota]], on February 13, 1923,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/james-abdnor-gop-congressman-and-senator-from-south-dakota-dies-at-89/2012/05/16/gIQAWMmoUU_story.html|title=James Abdnor, GOP congressman and senator from South Dakota, dies at 89|last=Schudel|first=Matt|date=16 May 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> the son of Mary (née Wehby) and Samuel J. Abdnor.<ref name=nytobit/> Abdnor served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]] and then graduated from the [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]] in 1945 where he became a member of the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity.<ref name= "SDSHS">{{cite web |url=http://history.sd.gov/archives/forms/governmentguides/abdnor1.aspx |title=James Abdnor |publisher=[[South Dakota State Historical Society]] |location=[[Pierre, South Dakota]] |access-date=May 16, 2012}}</ref>
He died on May 16th, 2012 at the age of 89.


==Politics==
== Career ==
From 1946 to 1948, James Abdnor worked as a teacher and coach.<ref name="nytobit" /> Abdnor was chief clerk of the [[South Dakota Legislature]] in the early-1950s.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news|last1=McFadden|first1=Robert |title=James Abdnor, Former South Dakota Senator, Dies at 89|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/us/james-abdnor-former-south-dakota-senator-dies-at-89.html|work=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2012}}</ref>
Abnor was the 30th [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]] in 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in 1970.<ref name= "SDSHS"/> In 1972 he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican.


He was a member of the [[South Dakota Senate]] from 1957 to 1969. A common, decent,<ref>[http://ambur.net/SJAEulogyBySJT.htm Eulogy for Senator Jim Abdnor], Senator John Thune, May 19, 2012</ref> plain spoken man,<ref>[http://ambur.net/POJ.htm Plain Old Jim: A Tribute to Jim Abdnor], Herb Sundall, May 19, 2012</ref> he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator."<ref>[http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_b139eeb4-33a8-11df-9b5d-001cc4c03286.html Jim Abdnor and his people], Kevin Woster, ''Rapid City Journal,'' May 21, 2010.</ref> He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way.<ref>[http://ambur.net/KranzArticleOnAbdnor20030223.jpg Even at 80, former Sen. Jim Abdnor retains voting bloc], David Kranz, ''Sioux Falls Argus Leader,'' February 23, 2003.</ref> His staff considered him to be a friend as well as an honorable mentor and public servant.<ref>[http://agri-pulse.com/OP-Ed-Knight-Abdnor-05252012.asp Farewell to a Public Servant and a Friend], Bruce Knight, ''Agri-Pulse''.</ref> Like his South Dakota congressional colleague [[James Abourezk]], he was a second-generation [[Lebanese American]] and second U.S. Senator of Lebanese descent after Abourezk, as well.<ref name="SDSHS" />
Abdnor ran in [[United States Senate election in South Dakota, 1980|the 1980 election]] against [[George McGovern]] for the [[United States Senate]]. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state and he defeated McGovern by a large margin. In 1986, after winning a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor [[Bill Janklow]], Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Congressman [[Tom Daschle]]. He served as the administrator of the [[Small Business Administration]] from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for [[John Thune]]'s successful campaign against Daschle in 2004.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Thune had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}


Abdnor was the 30th [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]] from 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in 1970.<ref name="SDSHS" />
Other notable members of Abdnor's staff who went on to fill important public service roles include [[John Hamre]], Undersecretary of Defense; [[Jeff Trandahl]], [[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|Clerk of the House]]; Bruce Knight, Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI); Phil Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC); [[Vern Larson]], South Dakota State Treasurer and Auditor; South Dakota State Senators Mike Vehle and [[Scott Heidepriem]]; South Dakota State Representatives Sean O'Brien and Lee Schoenbeck; and Charlotte Fischer, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissoner.


==Tenure in Congress==
==Accomplishments==
In 1972, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican.<ref name=":0" />


Abdnor ran in [[United States Senate election in South Dakota, 1980|the 1980 election]] against three-term incumbent and [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nominee [[George McGovern]] for the [[United States Senate]]. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state<ref name=":0" /> and unseated him by a large margin. During his term as a senator, Abdnor served on the Appropriations Committee and chaired three subcommittees, including the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee.<ref name=":0" />
Among Abdnor's accomplishments included authorization of the Grassropes irrigation project and the Walworth, Edmunds, Brown (WEB) rural water system,<ref>Abdnor's role in authorizing the WEB rural water system is highlighted in [http://books.google.com/books?id=kpYhfBr5CzYC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=Ambur+Oahe+Carrells&source=bl&ots=s__qxdPqKR&sig=x_HzSzDbneF6DfFG5STkJDzWSHA&hl=en&ei=wUH7S8z6H4nKlAfH-9XACA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Uphill Against Water: The Great Water War], by Peter Carrels</ref> reauthorization of the [[Belle Fourche]] irrigation project, and the inclusion of [[oats]] (of which South Dakota is a major producer) in the farm program.

<ref>A [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/searchresults.action?st=collection%3Acri+title%3A(james+abdnor complete listing] of the bills, resolutions, and amendments sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the Senate is available in the Government Printing Office's (GPO) online Congressional Record Index (CRI)</ref>
In 1986, after winning by a wide margin a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor [[Bill Janklow]], Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Representative [[Tom Daschle]]. He served as the administrator of the [[Small Business Administration]] from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for [[John Thune]]'s successful campaign against Daschle in 2004.<ref name=":0" />
<ref>Bills sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the U.S. House of Representatives from the [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=93 93rd] through the [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=96 96th] Congress (1973 - 1982) can be discovered using the Library of Congress' (LOC) Thomas system</ref>

===Legislation===
Abdnor's accomplishments included authorization of the Grassropes irrigation project and the Walworth, Edmunds, Brown (WEB) rural water system,<ref>Abdnor's role in authorizing the WEB rural water system is highlighted in [https://books.google.com/books?id=kpYhfBr5CzYC&pg=PA197 Uphill Against Water: The Great Water War], by Peter Carrels</ref> reauthorization of the [[Belle Fourche]] irrigation project, and the inclusion of [[oats]] (of which South Dakota is a major producer) in the farm program.<ref>A [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/searchresults.action?st=collection%3Acri+title%3A(james+abdnor complete listing] of the bills, resolutions, and amendments sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the Senate is available in the Government Printing Office's (GPO) online Congressional Record Index (CRI)</ref><ref>Bills sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the U.S. House of Representatives from the [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=93 93rd] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206182941/http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=93 |date=December 6, 2014 }} through the [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=96 96th] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206182751/http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ViewList.php?n=Member&c=96 |date=December 6, 2014 }} Congress (1973 - 1982) can be discovered using the Library of Congress' (LOC) Thomas system</ref>

As a fiscal conservative, on April 2, 1984, he introduced S. 2516, the Deficit Reduction Act, a forerunner to the [[Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act]]. As chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water Resources, he exerted leadership in passage of legislation requiring cost-sharing for Federal water development projects.<ref>President Reagan's [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/092986c.htm remarks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901121607/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/092986c.htm |date=September 1, 2011 }} in support of Senator Abdnor's reelection, September 29, 1986</ref><ref>[[Water Resources Development Act of 1986]]</ref><ref>[http://publications.usace.army.mil/publications/misc/IWR_91_PS-1/c-4.pdf Sharing the Burden]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] publication</ref> His interest in chairing the subcommittee was spawned by the importance of water to South Dakota's primary industry, agriculture, and the fact the state had been promised irrigation development in trade for inundation of its Missouri River bottom land behind massive dams in order to provide flood control and navigation benefits to downstream states.<ref>[http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/70600/ Oahe irrigation potential remains untapped] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130629213213/http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/70600/ |date=June 29, 2013 }}, The Daily Republic, September 29, 2012</ref><ref>[[Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program]]</ref>

===Notable Abdnor staffers===
United States Senator [[John Thune]] had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff.<ref>[[John Thune#Early life, education, and early political career]]</ref>

Other notable members of Abdnor's staff who went on to fill important public service roles include:[[John Hamre]], Undersecretary of Defense; [[Jeff Trandahl]], [[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|Clerk of the House]]; Bruce Knight, Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Director, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); Phil Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC); [[Vern Larson]], South Dakota State Treasurer and Auditor; South Dakota State Senators [[Walter Conahan]], Mike Vehle, Lee Schoenbeck and [[Scott Heidepriem]]; South Dakota State Representative Sean O'Brien; Charlotte Fischer, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner; Roland Dolly, Commissioner of Economic Development for the State Of South Dakota; and [[Stephen Censky]], Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, CEO of the American Soybean Association, and [[United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture]].


==Death==
==Death==
Abdnor died on May 16, 2012, at the age of 89.<ref name=nytobit/>


==See also==
Abdnor died on May 16, 2012, at the age of 89<ref>http://www.aberdeennews.com/news/aan-former-sen-james-abdnor-dies-20120516,0,2199556.story</ref>.
*[[List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<references/>


==External links==
{{CongBio|A000009}}
{{CongBio|A000009}}
* {{C-SPAN|61162}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lem Overpeck]]}}
{{succession box |title=[[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]] | before=[[Lem Overpeck]] | after=[[William Dougherty]] | years=1969–1971}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota]]|years=1969–1971}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Dougherty]]}}
{{succession box|title=Administrator of the U.S. [[Small Business Administration]] | before=[[James C. Sanders]] | after=[[Susan Engeleiter]] | years=1987–1989}}
|-
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{{George McGovern}}
{{USSenSD}}
{{USSenSD}}
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{{SouthDakotaUSRepresentatives}}
{{Governors of South Dakota |expanded=Lt. Governors}}
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{{Persondata
| NAME = Abdnor, James
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American congressman for South Dakota
| DATE OF BIRTH = February 13, 1923
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Kennebec, South Dakota]]
| DATE OF DEATH = May 16, 2012
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdnor, James}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdnor, James}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Administrators of the Small Business Administration]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American politicians of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:Lieutenant Governors of South Dakota]]
[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota]]
[[Category:People from Lyman County, South Dakota]]
[[Category:People from Lyman County, South Dakota]]
[[Category:Reagan Administration personnel]]
[[Category:American politicians of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:Republican Party United States Senators]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern Christians]]
[[Category:South Dakota Republicans]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota]]
[[Category:South Dakota State Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party United States senators from South Dakota]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel]]
[[Category:Administrators of the Small Business Administration]]
[[Category:United States Senators from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Reagan administration personnel]]
[[Category:Lieutenant governors of South Dakota]]
[[Category:Republican Party South Dakota state senators]]
[[Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni]]
[[Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]

[[Category:Military personnel from South Dakota]]
[[de:James Abdnor]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[nl:James Abdnor]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[pl:James Abdnor]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]
[[fi:James Abdnor]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the South Dakota Legislature]]
[[sv:James Abdnor]]

Latest revision as of 15:28, 22 December 2024

James Abdnor
Official portrait, 1983
15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration
In office
March 12, 1987 – April 18, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded byCharles Heatherly (acting)
Succeeded bySusan Engeleiter
United States Senator
from South Dakota
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byGeorge McGovern
Succeeded byTom Daschle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Dakota's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981
Preceded byJames Abourezk
Succeeded byClint Roberts
30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
In office
January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1971
GovernorFrank Farrar
Preceded byLem Overpeck
Succeeded byWilliam Dougherty
Member of the South Dakota Senate
In office
1957–1969
Personal details
Born
Ellis James Abdnor

(1923-02-13)February 13, 1923
Kennebec, South Dakota, U.S
DiedMay 16, 2012(2012-05-16) (aged 89)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Battles/warsWorld War II

Ellis James Abdnor (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States Senate from South Dakota. He was also the 15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

Abdnor had previously represented South Dakota's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and served as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota and a member of the South Dakota Senate.

Early life and education

[edit]

Abdnor was born in Kennebec, South Dakota, on February 13, 1923,[1] the son of Mary (née Wehby) and Samuel J. Abdnor.[2] Abdnor served in the United States Army during World War II and then graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1945 where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.[3]

Career

[edit]

From 1946 to 1948, James Abdnor worked as a teacher and coach.[2] Abdnor was chief clerk of the South Dakota Legislature in the early-1950s.[2]

He was a member of the South Dakota Senate from 1957 to 1969. A common, decent,[4] plain spoken man,[5] he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator."[6] He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way.[7] His staff considered him to be a friend as well as an honorable mentor and public servant.[8] Like his South Dakota congressional colleague James Abourezk, he was a second-generation Lebanese American and second U.S. Senator of Lebanese descent after Abourezk, as well.[3]

Abdnor was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota from 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for the House of Representatives in 1970.[3]

Tenure in Congress

[edit]

In 1972, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican.[1]

Abdnor ran in the 1980 election against three-term incumbent and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern for the United States Senate. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state[1] and unseated him by a large margin. During his term as a senator, Abdnor served on the Appropriations Committee and chaired three subcommittees, including the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee.[1]

In 1986, after winning by a wide margin a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor Bill Janklow, Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Representative Tom Daschle. He served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for John Thune's successful campaign against Daschle in 2004.[1]

Legislation

[edit]

Abdnor's accomplishments included authorization of the Grassropes irrigation project and the Walworth, Edmunds, Brown (WEB) rural water system,[9] reauthorization of the Belle Fourche irrigation project, and the inclusion of oats (of which South Dakota is a major producer) in the farm program.[10][11]

As a fiscal conservative, on April 2, 1984, he introduced S. 2516, the Deficit Reduction Act, a forerunner to the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act. As chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water Resources, he exerted leadership in passage of legislation requiring cost-sharing for Federal water development projects.[12][13][14] His interest in chairing the subcommittee was spawned by the importance of water to South Dakota's primary industry, agriculture, and the fact the state had been promised irrigation development in trade for inundation of its Missouri River bottom land behind massive dams in order to provide flood control and navigation benefits to downstream states.[15][16]

Notable Abdnor staffers

[edit]

United States Senator John Thune had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff.[17]

Other notable members of Abdnor's staff who went on to fill important public service roles include:John Hamre, Undersecretary of Defense; Jeff Trandahl, Clerk of the House; Bruce Knight, Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Director, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); Phil Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC); Vern Larson, South Dakota State Treasurer and Auditor; South Dakota State Senators Walter Conahan, Mike Vehle, Lee Schoenbeck and Scott Heidepriem; South Dakota State Representative Sean O'Brien; Charlotte Fischer, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner; Roland Dolly, Commissioner of Economic Development for the State Of South Dakota; and Stephen Censky, Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, CEO of the American Soybean Association, and United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

Death

[edit]

Abdnor died on May 16, 2012, at the age of 89.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Schudel, Matt (May 16, 2012). "James Abdnor, GOP congressman and senator from South Dakota, dies at 89". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b c d McFadden, Robert (May 16, 2012). "James Abdnor, Former South Dakota Senator, Dies at 89". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c "James Abdnor". Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  4. ^ Eulogy for Senator Jim Abdnor, Senator John Thune, May 19, 2012
  5. ^ Plain Old Jim: A Tribute to Jim Abdnor, Herb Sundall, May 19, 2012
  6. ^ Jim Abdnor and his people, Kevin Woster, Rapid City Journal, May 21, 2010.
  7. ^ Even at 80, former Sen. Jim Abdnor retains voting bloc, David Kranz, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, February 23, 2003.
  8. ^ Farewell to a Public Servant and a Friend, Bruce Knight, Agri-Pulse.
  9. ^ Abdnor's role in authorizing the WEB rural water system is highlighted in Uphill Against Water: The Great Water War, by Peter Carrels
  10. ^ A complete listing of the bills, resolutions, and amendments sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the Senate is available in the Government Printing Office's (GPO) online Congressional Record Index (CRI)
  11. ^ Bills sponsored and co-sponsored by Abdnor in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 93rd Archived December 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine through the 96th Archived December 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Congress (1973 - 1982) can be discovered using the Library of Congress' (LOC) Thomas system
  12. ^ President Reagan's remarks Archived September 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine in support of Senator Abdnor's reelection, September 29, 1986
  13. ^ Water Resources Development Act of 1986
  14. ^ Sharing the Burden[permanent dead link‍], United States Army Corps of Engineers publication
  15. ^ Oahe irrigation potential remains untapped Archived June 29, 2013, at archive.today, The Daily Republic, September 29, 2012
  16. ^ Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program
  17. ^ John Thune#Early life, education, and early political career
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
1969–1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Administrator of the Small Business Administration
1987–1989 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Dakota's 2nd congressional district
1973–1981 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
1968 		Succeeded by
Neal Strand
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from South Dakota
(Class 3)
1980, 1986 		Succeeded by
Charlene Haar
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
George McGovern
 U.S. Senator (Class 3) from South Dakota
1981–1987
Served alongside: Larry Pressler 		Succeeded by
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