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Ben Meier

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Ben Meier
12th North Dakota Secretary of State
In office
January 1, 1955 – December 31, 1988
GovernorNorman Brunsdale
John E. Davis
William L. Guy
Art Link
Allen I. Olson
George A. Sinner
Preceded byThomas Hall
Succeeded byJim Kusler
Personal details
BornAugust 1, 1918
Napoleon, North Dakota
DiedOctober 2, 1995 (1995-10-03) (aged 77)
Bismarck, North Dakota
Political partyRepublican

Ben Meier (August 1, 1918 – October 2, 1995) was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota for a record tenure of 34 years from January 1, 1955, to December 31, 1988.[1] This tenure makes him the second longest serving state level Secretary of State in United States history. Bill Gardner of New Hampshire, who served for 54 years, from 1976 to 2022, surpassed Meier's record on December 9, 2010.

Biography

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Ben Meier was born in Napoleon, North Dakota on August 1, 1918. He was educated in Logan County rural schools, and he received his high school education by correspondence. He attended Dakota Business College, and the School of Banking of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He worked at banks in Napoleon, Gackle, and Hazelton from 1943 until 1950. While working in Hazelton, he was the owner of the bank. He moved to Bismarck in the early 1950s and worked with insurance, banking, and real estate. He also became involved in state politics when he was first elected as the North Dakota Secretary of State in 1954. Until his departure from office on December 31, 1988, he served a total of 34 years in the position which made him the longest serving state official in North Dakota's history. This record was later broken by Bruce Hagen, who served 39 years as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner. His tenure made him the longest serving state level Secretary of State in United States history.

He was married to Clara Kaczyinski in 1944, who was a teacher.[2] They had two sons; Lynn, who died while a medical student at the University of North Dakota in 1974, and Bernie. Meier died in Bismarck on October 2, 1995, at age 77, and his wife Clara is still residing in Bismarck.

Notes

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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for North Dakota Secretary of State
1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984
Succeeded by
Dave Koland
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of North Dakota
1955–1988
Succeeded by