Minnie J. Nielson

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Minnie J. Nielson
Minnie Nielson, ND Superintendent of Public Instruction.jpg
11th North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
In office
1919–1926
Preceded byNeil C. MacDonald
Succeeded byBertha R. Palmer
Personal details
Born
Minnie J. Nielson

(1874-01-18)January 18, 1874
Jackson, Michigan, US
DiedFebruary 27, 1958(1958-02-27) (aged 84)
Valley City, North Dakota, US

Minnie Jean Nielson (January 18, 1874 – February 27, 1958) was an American educator and literacy activist from North Dakota. She served as the eleventh North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1919 to 1926.

Early life

Nielson was born in Jackson, Michigan, on January 18, 1874,[1] to parents James Wylie Nelson and Mary Hallady Stewart.[2] In 1880, Wylie Nielson, with his wife and three children, relocated to Dakota Territory, settling in present-day Barnes County, North Dakota.[3]

Wylie Nielson had sold his hardware store in Jackson and opened an agricultural supplies store with James Baille. The Nielson family was among the earliest settlers of the Valley City area.[3]

Education

Nielson attended school in Valley City, North Dakota. After graduating high school there, she attended the University of North Dakota, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago.[2][4]

Early career

Nielson taught physics and chemistry at Valley City High School.[4] She also had experience with rural schools and grade schools.[2][5]

In 1906, she was elected Superintendent of Barnes County Schools and served in this role for twelve years.[2][4][6]

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Minnie J. Nielson served as the eleventh North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1919 to 1926. She was the third woman to be elected to the office. The last woman to serve as state superintendent was Emma F. Bates in 1896.

1918 campaign and election

The months preceding the election of 1918 came at a turbulent time in the United States. The influenza pandemic was spreading, and World War I was still being fought in Europe.

Politically, it was also a fluctuating time for the state of North Dakota. The Nonpartisan League (NPL) had risen to prominence in the state. In the 1916 gubernatorial election, Lynn Frazier, the NPL candidate, won in a landslide.[7] The party’s candidate for Attorney General, William Langer, was also elected with a vast majority of the votes.[7] By 1918, the NPL had majority control of both houses of the state legislature.[8]

During this period, Nielson decided to run for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which was the only state office open to women at the time.[4] She ran as the Lincoln Republican candidate, and she also received the endorsement of the Democrats.[9]

After a tough campaign, Nielson defeated incumbent Neil C. Macdonald, the NPL-endorsed candidate, by more than 5,500 votes.[10] With this victory, Nielson was the only candidate to win a statewide position who was not endorsed by the NPL.[4]

Clash with the NPL

During the campaign season leading up to the 1918 election, Nielson was attacked by the NPL, especially by their candidate and Nielson’s opponent Macdonald. Articles began appearing in the North Dakota Leader, the NPL's newspaper, questioning her legal qualifications for the position.[11]

Nielson turned to an unlikely ally: William Langer, the NPL Attorney General. A rift had been forming between Langer and the NPL.[12] Langer began distancing himself from the party, criticizing party leaders, and even running against Lynn Frazier in the 1920 gubernatorial election, but he narrowly lost in the primaries.[13][14] He also began siding against the NPL in his role as Attorney General, especially when it came to Minnie J. Nielson.

About two weeks before the election, Nielson traveled to Bismarck and asked Langer to issue an opinion on whether she met the legal qualifications to serve as the state superintendent or not.[15] On October 29, 1918, Langer issued a statement validating her as a legitimate candidate, having met all of the necessary criteria.[16]

The trouble, however, continued. In early January 1919, Nielson and her staff arrived in Bismarck at the Capitol to move into the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Outgoing state superintendent Macdonald and his deputy Katherine Macdonald, who also happened to be his wife, refused to leave the office and relinquish their duties.[17]

Nielson again turned to Langer, who brought the matter before the North Dakota Supreme Court. On January 9, 1919, the Supreme Court heard the case and issued their ruling in favor of Nielson.[18]

Macdonald continued to challenge Nielson’s legitimacy, but with Langer’s support, Nielson was able to keep winning the legal battles.[19]

1919 legislative session

Around the same time of Nielson’s trouble with Macdonald, the Sixteenth Legislative Assembly convened. There had been growing speculation prior to the start of the legislative session that Governor Frazier and the NPL would push to overhaul the state’s boards and departments for education. This would include the duties of Nielson as Superintendent of Public Instruction, who has just defeated Frazier’s friend Macdonald in the election.[20]

On January 8, 1919, this speculation was essentially confirmed when Governor Frazier addressed the legislature and recommended the Board of Regents and Board of Education be abolished. He also recommended the responsibilities of these boards and certain powers from the state superintendent should be transferred to a new, consolidated board consisting of five or fewer members.[21]

With full control of the house, senate, and governor’s office, the NPL began passing sweeping reforms during the 1919 legislative session.[8] Laws were passed creating the Bank of North Dakota, Mill and Elevator Association, Home Building Association, and the Industrial Commission to oversee these state-run intuitions.[22]

The legislature also created the Board of Administration. The board consisted of five members: the Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and three members appointment by the governor.[23] This new board would administer all penal institutions, charitable and educational institutions, and oversee the public and common schools for the state.[23] The law also stripped away many duties of the state superintendent. Nielson now had a statewide office but little authority.[4] The NPL-created Board of Administration would last until 1969 when it was replaced by the Director of Institutions.[24]

Board of Administration

On July 26, 1919, the Board of Administration formally organized. Gov. Frazier appointed George A. Totten, a former member of the Board of Regents; Robert Muir, a former member of the Board of Regents; and Patrick M. Casey, a former member of the Board of Control. The other two members were John N. Hagan, Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor, and Minnie Nielson, as Superintendent of Public Instruction.[25]

To some, the creation of the Board of Administration was viewed as a way for the state to increase efficiency and save money by consolidation. However, others viewed the board as a political power grab of the NPL.[26] Upon its creation, a majority of the board, four of the five members, had ties to the NPL.[27][28][29][30][26] The board named Charles Liessman, former secretary for the Board of Regents, as their executive secretary.[31] Liessman was also connected to the NPL.[32] The board appointed Neil C. Macdonald, the former state superintendent, to serve as educational advisor and general school inspector. However, he did not serve in that in that role very long.[33][34]

Nielson and Langer asked the Supreme Court to clarify if the legislature had the authority to remove duties of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In October 1919, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the legislature and the Board of Administration.[35][36]

On November 1, 1919, George A. Totten, Chairman of the Board of Administration, submitted the entity’s first annual report to the governor. In this report, the board submitted a recommendation to abolish the office of the state superintendent or make it a board-appointed position instead of an elected one.[37] However, nothing came of this recommendation.[38]

At the same time North Dakota was voting to support the women’s suffrage movement by ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution during the special legislative session of 1919,[39] it was made known that the Board of Administration was excluding Nielson, its only female member, from meetings and not providing her with meeting minutes. In December 1919, Nielson, as a member of the Board of Administration, made statements related to this[40][41] when called to testify before the House’s committee investigating the state library for controversial items within their collections.[42] During the backdrop of the First Red Scare, and a growing concern that the NPL socialist leanings, accusations that items within the traveling collection were related to Bolshevism, socialism, and/or anarchism.[42][43][26] The Independent Voters Association (IVA) used this to their advantage by publicly challenging and smearing the NPL and the Board of Administration.[26] The Board of Administration and the State Library Commission were later exonerated once the investigation concluded. One positive outcome of the uproar was the Board of Administration adopting better procedures and backing away from its plan to eliminate the state superintendent position.[26]

The NPL took a hit from this political battle.

Decline of the NPL and the election of 1920

By late 1918 and into the early 1920s, the NPL began to decline. Factors such as accusations of socialism, political infighting, drought, declining grain prices, and economic hardship contributed to the decline of public support for the party.[8]

Opponents of the NPL formed the Independent Voters Association (IVA) in 1918. The IVA slow gained traction, taking control of one legislative house in 1920 and successfully holding a recall election that deposed Governor Frazier in 1921.[8] John N. Hagan, the NPL Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor, was also removed from office.[44] Olger B. Burtness, the IVA, state legislator who instigated the library scandal during the 1919 special session, received enough notoriety to help boost his successful congressional campaign in 1920, defeating NPL incumbent John M. Baer.[26][45]

Nielson outlasted the NPL’s control over state government and was reelected in 1920. An initiated measure was also approved by voters during the 1920 election which transferred some powers back to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. This included teacher certification, standardization of schools, and examinations for eighth grade and high school students.[46][47]

Remaining years in office

Nielson would be reelected again in 1922 and 1924. She decided to step down when her term ended in 1926.

Nielson was a champion of literacy. Throughout her life, she made it her mission to fight illiteracy in children and adults.[48] During her time as state superintendent, she sponsored a night school program for adults in counties across the country, teaching them to read and write. Hazel Nielson, Minnie's sister and deputy superintendent, was also heavily involved in this initiative.[2]

Later career

After leaving office, Nielson moved to Washington, D.C., and was involved with the National Illiteracy Crusade from 1929 to 1931. From 1931 to 1938, she worked across the country with various state departments of education to fight illiteracy. In 1938, she came back to North Dakota and served in a leading role for the Teachers' Insurance and Retirement Fund from that year until 1950.[49]

Personal life

Minnie Nielson never married.

Nielson was active in the North Dakota Federation of Women’s Clubs, North Dakota Education Association, National Education Association, P.E.O. Sisterhood, American Legion Auxiliary, Congregational Church, and the Girl Scouts.[2][6]

Nielson had an interest in singing and music, encouraging them during her roles as county and state superintendent. In 1926, she requested poet James Foley to write a song about North Dakota. Foley wrote a song that would eventually be adopted as the hymn for the state of North Dakota.[50]

Death

Nielson died on February 27, 1958. She is buried at Woodbine Cemetery in Valley City, North Dakota.

See also

Political offices
Preceded by
Neil C. MacDonald
 North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
1919–1926 		Succeeded by
Bertha R. Palmer

References

  1. ^ "Death Records - State Archives - State Historical Society of North Dakota". statemuseum.nd.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f North Dakota (1932). "Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction". Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 1888/90-1918/20: Public document: 50–52.
  3. ^ a b State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Nielson Family Papers". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Thomas, Lucid (2015-10-29). "Not Very Minnie". Prairie Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  5. ^ Barnes County Historical Society. "Teachers of the Public Schools, Valley City, N.D." Digital Horizons. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  6. ^ a b Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  7. ^ a b North Dakota Secretary of State (1916). "Party Votes, General Election, November 7, 1916" (PDF). North Dakota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  8. ^ a b c d State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Nonpartisan League - Summary of North Dakota History". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  9. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  10. ^ North Dakota Secretary of State (1918). "Party Votes, General Election, November 5, 1918" (PDF). North Dakota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  11. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  12. ^ North Dakota Studies. "Section 3: William Langer". North Dakota Studies. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  13. ^ Mandan Historical Society. "William "Wild Bill" Langer (1886-1959)". www.mandanhistory.org. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  14. ^ North Dakota Secretary of State (1920). "Republican Votes, Primary Election, June 30, 1920" (PDF). North Dakota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  15. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  16. ^ Langer, William (1920). The Nonpartisan League: Its Birth, Activities and Leaders. Morton County farmers Press. pp. 197–198.
  17. ^ Chronicling America (1919-01-06). "Incumbents in State Job are Loath to Quit". The Bismarck tribune. p. 1. ISSN 2330-5967. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  18. ^ Chronicling America (1919-01-10). "Macs Ousted; Neilson Wins; Truth Triumphs". The Bismarck tribune. p. 1. ISSN 2330-5967. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  19. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. pp. 221–222. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  20. ^ Chronicling America (1919-01-03). "Changes to be asked in realm of education". The Bismarck tribune. p. 1. ISSN 2330-5967. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  21. ^ "Message of Governor Lynn J. Frazier delivered to the Sixteenth Legislative Assembly of the State of North Dakota, January 8, 1919". Digital Horizons. 1919-01-08. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  22. ^ 16th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota (1919). "1919 Session Laws: Industry-State (Chapters 147-154)" (PDF). North Dakota Legislative Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  23. ^ a b 16th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota (1919). "1919 Session Laws: Boards of Administration (Chapter 71)" (PDF). North Dakota Legislative Council. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  24. ^ State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Director of Institutions - State Agencies - Archives". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  25. ^ North Dakota Board of Administration (1919). Annual report. Bismarck.: North Dakota. p. 35.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Remele, Larry (1977). "The North Dakota State Library Scandal of 1919". North Dakota History. 44 (1): 21–29.
  27. ^ Eriksmoen, Curt (2011-02-27). "Political battle heated up 1920s Bowman, ND". InForum. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  28. ^ Chronicling America (1917-12-03). "Regents tangle climax likely in session at Forks Tuesday". The Fargo forum and daily republican. p. 1. ISSN 2688-9447. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  29. ^ Tittemore, James N.; Vissers, Aloysius Anthony (1922). The Non-partisan League vs. the home. The Library of Congress. [Milwaukee, Burdick-Allen Co., printers]. p. 36.
  30. ^ Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections. "John N. Hagan Papers, 1897-1960". University of North Dakota. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  31. ^ North Dakota Board of Administration (1919). Annual report. Bismarck.: North Dakota. p. 35.
  32. ^ State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Charles and Viola Liessman Collection". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  33. ^ North Dakota Board of Administration (1919). Annual report. Bismarck.: North Dakota. p. 49.
  34. ^ Myrdal, Mark Kristian (2017). "Laying Aside Vanities: Neil C. Macdonald and the Nonpartisan League". Liberty University. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
  35. ^ North Dakota (1919). "Reports of cases decided in the Supreme Court of the State of North Dakota". North Dakota reports. 44: 557–571.
  36. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  37. ^ North Dakota Board of Administration (1919). Annual report. Bismarck.: North Dakota. p. 34.
  38. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  39. ^ North Dakota Legislative Assembly (1919). "Woman Suffrage (Chapter 72)" (PDF). North Dakota Legislative Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  40. ^ North Dakota (1919). "Journal of the House of the ... session of the Legislative Assembly". Journal of the House: 336–340.
  41. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  42. ^ a b North Dakota (1919). "Journal of the House of the ... session of the Legislative Assembly". Journal of the House: 252–341.
  43. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. pp. 227–228. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  44. ^ North Dakota Studies. "Section 3: Recall". North Dakota Studies Grade 4 Curriculum. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  45. ^ "Party Votes, General Election, Nov. 2, 1920" (PDF). North Dakota Secretary of State. 1920. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  46. ^ State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Department of Public Instruction - State Agencies - Archives". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  47. ^ Davis, Jim (2012-12-06). "Miss Minnie Nielson". Prairie Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  48. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. pp. 232–233. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
  49. ^ State Historical Society of North Dakota. "Nielson Family". www.history.nd.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  50. ^ Wefald, Susan (2014). Important voices : North Dakota's women elected state officials share their stories, 1893-2013. Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-911042-79-5. OCLC 900649209.
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