Lorna Buntrock Herseth | |
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Born | April 5, 1909 Columbia, South Dakota |
Died | September 8, 1994 |
Occupation | Secretary of State of South Dakota |
Spouse | Ralph Herseth |
Children | Karen, Connie, Ralph Lars |
Lorna Buntrock Herseth (April 5, 1909 – September 8, 1994) was the Secretary of State of South Dakota from 1973 to 1979.
Herseth was born in Columbia, South Dakota on April 5, 1909. [1] [2] Her parents, Albert and Ida Yeske Buntrock, were German immigrants. [3] She was the youngest of 11 children. [3] Herseth attended Northern State Teacher's College and earned a teaching credential after two years of study. [4] [2]
She married Ralph Herseth, who served as Governor of South Dakota from 1959 to 1961, on December 23, 1937. [1] [2] They had dated for nine years prior to getting married. [4] Together they had three children, Karen, Connie, and Ralph Lars. [2]
Their son, Ralph Lars Herseth, served in the South Dakota State Legislature. [1] Their granddaughter, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, served in the United States House of Representatives. [1] Herseth served as mentor to Sandlin. [4] During her life, Herseth lived in Houghton, South Dakota and in Pierre, South Dakota. [1] [2] She was a Lutheran. [1] She died on September 8, 1994, and was buried in Houghton Cemetery. [1]
After college, Herseth taught in the Brown County public schools as well as in urban schools. [2] [4] In 1936, Herseth was elected as Brown County Superintendent of Schools. [5] [4] [2] For seven years, she served on Brown County's Reorganization School Board. [2] She later served on the Selby School Board. [2]
Four years after Ralph's death, activists approached Herseth about running for state office herself. [4] She twice was elected Secretary of State of South Dakota, and served from 1973 to 1979. [5]
Herseth served on the board of directors for the Brown County Red Cross and as the state director of the Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and Adults. [2]