South Dakota is proud to have a part-time, citizen legislature. Legislators meet in Pierre for a few weeks each winter, and then return home to their families an, in most cases, their full-time jobs. It has been observed in recent years that there are far fewer farmers and ranchers in the State Legislature than there used to be. I thought it would be interesting to see how the occupations of legislators have changed over time.
The South Dakota Legislative Manual, or “Blue Book,” is published every other year by the Secretary of State’s office. In the days before the internet, it was a primary source of directory information about South Dakota’s state government. Today, it continues to be a valuable resource for historical research.
One valuable aspect of the Blue Book is a brief biographical sketch of each legislator from that term. (Plans are underway to digitize these sketches and make them available online, as part of the commemoration of the 100th Legislative Session in 2025). Here is an example, using the sketch of this blogger’s grandfather, Henry A. Poppen, from 1977:
Note that he listed his occupation, simply, as “farmer.” Each legislator offers a self-description of his or her occupation. For my purposes, I decided to compare the 1973 Legislature, the first session with 105 members, to fifty years later in the 2023 Legislature. I categorized the occupations into obvious categories, for example a “farmer/rancher” category that also includes ag-related businesses, or a “business” category that includes occupations such as banking, insurance, or retail. Here is what I found:
| Occupation category | 1973 Senate | 1973 House | 1973 Total | 2023 Senate | 2023 House | 2023 Total | Change it Total, 1973-2023 |
| Accountant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Attorney | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +1 |
| Business | 10 | 23 | 33 | 15 | 35 | 50 | +17 |
| Economic Development | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | +3 |
| Educator | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –6 |
| Energy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 |
| Farmer/Rancher | 16 | 30 | 46 | 2 | 8 | 10 | –36 |
| Government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +5 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | +4 |
| Homemaker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +2 |
| Nonprofit | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +3 |
| Public Relations | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Public Safety | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 |
| Railroad | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –2 |
| Tribal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +3 |
| Writer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 |
The big takeaway from this analysis is a marked drop in the number of farmers and ranchers serving in the legislature. In 1973, 46 legislators – more than one third – were in farming and ranching. Fifty years later, than had fallen to 10. There has been a sizable increase in legislators working in business, from 33 to 50, and a drop in the number of educators, from 10 to 4. Beyond that, the changes are small, although the 2023 Legislature overall has more variety, with a notable increase in healthcare workers.
It should be said that my categorization is a bit subjective. In some cases, legislators listed a couple different occupations. I only counted each legislator once, and so in these cases I had to make a judgment about which occupation was primary. I also did not include a category for “retired.” In the cases where a legislator listed “retired” as an occupation, I used my own independent knowledge to assign a category based on that legislator’s work experience.
For full disclosure, I have included the list of legislators from 1973 and 2023 below, with their Blue Book occupation listing, and my categorization. (If any legislator feels that I have miscategorized them, I’d be happy to revise a listing. The purpose here is to identify overall trends.)
| 1973 SENATE | DISTRICT | PARTY | LISTED OCCUPATION | CATEGORY |
| Anderson, Harold | 12 | REP | Farmer-Feeder | Farmer/Rancher |
| Anderson, Holger | 11 | REP | Petroleum Distributor, Truck Stop Operator | Business |
| Austad, Oscar | 11 | REP | Self-employed wholesaler | Business |
| Bierle, Don | 15 | REP | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Brown, Paul | 6 | REP | General livestock, grain farming, mink ranching | Farmer/Rancher |
| Donnelly, Charles | 27 | DEM | Publisher | Business |
| Dunn, Jim | 26 | REP | Asst Director, Public Relations, Homestake Mining Col | Public Relations |
| Grams, William | 21 | REP | Lumberman | Business |
| Hall, Rodney | 9 | DEM | Farmer/Teacher | Educator |
| Harding, Homer | 22 | REP | Car Dealer | Business |
| Jackson, Jack | 8 | DEM | Conductor | Railroad |
| Jones, Curtis | 1 | DEM | Engageed in farming | Farmer/Rancher |
| Kandaras, Homer | 27 | DEM | Attorney | Attorney |
| Krull, Jacob | 4 | DEM | Insurance | Business |
| Leddy, Arlo | 3 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Lerew, Theodore | 19 | DEM | Farmer and contractor | Farmer/Rancher |
| Mahan, Eugene | 13 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Mayer, Jerome | 11 | DEM | School administration (asst principal) | Educator |
| Mickelson, Grace | 27 | DEM | Teacher of Mathematics | Educator |
| Miller, Bob | 18 | REP | Farmer-Feeder | Farmer/Rancher |
| Mills, Thomas | 11 | REP | Pharmacist | Healthcare |
| Novotny, Frank | 16 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| O’Connor, Mike | 11 | DEM | Printing executive | Business |
| Pieplow, E. C. | 2 | REP | Vice President, First National Bank of Aberdeen | Business |
| Poppen, Henry | 7 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Quintal, Joe | 17 | REP | Real Esate | Business |
| Riedy, John R. | 28 | DEM | Farmer/Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Ripp, William R. | 14 | REP | Dairy farming | Farmer/Rancher |
| Roberts, Clint | 23 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Schreier, Harold | 10 | DEM | Engageed in farming | Farmer/Rancher |
| Sperry, Allen | 2 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Spiry, Arthur | 20 | REP | Physician and Surgeon | Healthcare |
| Sutton, Billie | 24 | DEM | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Trask, Kenneth | 25 | REP | Automobile Agency | Business |
| Wollman, Harvey | 5 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| 1973 HOUSE | DISTRICT | PARTY | LISTED OCCUPATION | CATEGORY |
| Anderson, Burton | 18 | DEM | Business | Business |
| Anderson, Larry | 12 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Barkley, Edwin | 25 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Barnes, Richard | 11 | DEM | College Professor | Educator |
| Barnett, Joseph | 2 | REP | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Bibby, John | 6 | REP | Dairy Food Processing Executive | Business |
| Cheney, Julilan | 27 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Clay, Eddie | 25 | REP | Realtor, Abstractor | Business |
| Curran, Michael | 13 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Danekas, Willis | 5 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Edelen, Mary | 13 | REP | Lecturer, USD Department of History | Educator |
| Ellingson, Bertrum | 1 | DEM | Farming | Farmer/Rancher |
| Endres, James | 4 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Groseth, Joe | 12 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Gross, Benny | 22 | REP | Farming and Ranching | Farmer/Rancher |
| Gunderson, Albert | 15 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Halling, Beverly | 26 | REP | Motel co-owner and operator | Business |
| Hansen, Lowell | 11 | REP | Transportation | Business |
| Hauschild, Wayne | 6 | DEM | Instructor, Brookings High School Government | Educator |
| Hersrud, James | 27 | DEM | Businessman | Business |
| Hogen, Marvis | 23 | REP | Retail merchant | Business |
| Hunking, Loila | 11 | DEM | Teacher | Educator |
| Jelbert, James | 26 | REP | Vice President and Manager, First National Bank of the Black Hills | Business |
| Jensen, Ingeman | 3 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Jensen, William | 23 | REP | Rancher-Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Johnson, Roy | 10 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Johnson, Stanley | 17 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Jorgenson, Donald | 24 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Kaufman, Fred | 14 | REP | Retired farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Kaufman, Leory | 14 | REP | Optometrist | Healthcare |
| Kauth, Kenneth | 8 | DEM | Tire Business | Business |
| Kelly, Robert | 27 | DEM | Insurance supervisor and business | Business |
| Kessling, James | 19 | REP | Pilot (Civil) Business Man | Business |
| Kleven, Leslie | 21 | REP | Radio station owner | Business |
| Knudsen, Henry | 1 | DEM | Farmer and feeder | Farmer/Rancher |
| Knutson, Robert | 27 | DEM | Teacher | Educator |
| Kolbo, Jack | 4 | DEM | High School Teacher | Educator |
| Kolker, Richard | 2 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Kopecky, Bernie | 2 | DEM | Real estate | Business |
| Lebrun, Gene | 27 | DEM | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Lovell, Gordon | 11 | DEM | Welder and businessman | Business |
| Lyons, Robert | 16 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| McFarland, Dennis | 11 | DEM | Attorney | Attorney |
| Mehlhaff, Dean | 20 | REP | Engaged in banking | Business |
| Mensch, Lyle | 16 | DEM | Greenhouse owner | Business |
| Miller, Linda Lea | 11 | DEM | Teacher | Educator |
| Miller, Walter D. | 21 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Millett, Harold | 28 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Mortimer, George | 28 | REP | Real estate salesman | Business |
| Nelson, James | 27 | REP | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Nepstad, Dorothy | 17 | REP | Business-Professional Woman | Business |
| Olson, Maurice | 5 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Piersol, Larry | 11 | DEM | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Pommer, Merle | 7 | REP | Business Farmer and Cattle Feeder | Farmer/Rancher |
| Radack, Jerome | 15 | DEM | Retail | Business |
| Robbennolt, Gene | 19 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Rothstein, James | 20 | REP | Insurance and real estate investments | Business |
| Sieh, Harold | 24 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Sivertson, Robert | 11 | DEM | Fire Dept. Captain | Public Safety |
| Songstad, Sheldon | 11 | REP | Advertising executive | Business |
| Stalheim, Lawrence | 7 | REP | Director auto dealers association | Business |
| Stoesser, Bernard | 22 | DEM | Farmer/Rancher/Businessman | Farmer/Rancher |
| Swenson, Duaine V. | 9 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Testerman, Philip | 18 | DEM | Insurance agent | Business |
| Tschetter, Menno | 8 | DEM | Chicago & Northwestern Railroad employee | Railroad |
| Vigen, David | 11 | DEM | Area director, Luthern Social Services of South Dakota | Nonprofit |
| Walter, Merwyn | 9 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Weber, Robert | 3 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Wiese, Andrew | 10 | DEM | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Wood, Bud | 2 | REP | Auctioneer, Grain and livestock farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| 2023 SENATE | DISTRICT | PARTY | LISTED OCCUPATION | CATEGORY |
| Beal, Arch | 12 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Bolin, Jim | 16 | REP | Retired educator | Educator |
| Bordeaux, Shawn | 26 | DEM | Director, Institute of Tribal Lands | Tribal |
| Breitling, Bryan | 23 | REP | Healthcare administrator | Healthcare |
| Castleberry, Jessica | 35 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Crabtree, Casey | 8 | REP | Dir. of Economic Development, Heartland Consumer Power District | Economic Development |
| Davis, Sydney | 17 | REP | CRNA/Cattle Producer | Healthcare |
| Deibert, Randy | 31 | REP | Professional Land Surveyor | Business |
| Diedrich, Mike | 34 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Duhamel, Helene | 32 | REP | Law Enforcement/Business Owner | Public Relations |
| Foster, Red Dawn | 27 | DEM | Tribal Economic Development Consulting | Tribal |
| Frye-Mueller, Julie | 30 | REP | Family retail business | Business |
| Hoffman, Brent | 9 | REP | Writer | Writer |
| Hunhoff, Jean | 18 | REP | Registered Nurse/Small Business Owner | Business |
| Johnson, David | 33 | REP | Arborist/Tree Nurseryman/Commerical Pilot | Business |
| Klumb, Joshua | 20 | REP | Farmer/Technical Director | Farmer/Rancher |
| Kolbeck, Jack | 13 | REP | KAM-Beal Dist. Inc. | Business |
| Kolbeck, Steve | 2 | REP | Principal Manager – Xcel Energy | Business |
| Larson, Liz | 10 | DEM | Independent Consultant/Economic Development | Economic Development |
| Maher, Ryan | 28 | REP | Insurance Agent/District Owner | Business |
| Mehlhaff, Jim | 24 | REP | Retired | Government |
| Nesiba, Reynold | 15 | DEM | Economics professor | Educator |
| Novstrup, Al | 3 | REP | Family entertainment center manager | Business |
| Otten, Herman | 6 | REP | Construction | Business |
| Pischke, Tom | 25 | REP | Insurance | Business |
| Reed, Tim | 7 | REP | Former Mayor of Brookings/Economic Development CEO | Economic Development |
| Rohl, Michael | 1 | REP | General Manager | Business |
| Schoenbeck, Lee | 5 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Schoenfish, Kyle | 19 | REP | Certified Public Accountant | Accountant |
| Stalzer, Jim | 11 | REP | Retired | Business |
| Tobin, Erin | 21 | REP | Nurse Practioner/Rancher | Healthcare |
| Wheeler, David | 22 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Wiik, John | 4 | REP | Parts Manager | Business |
| Wink, Dean | 29 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Zikmund, Larry | 14 | REP | Retired | Public Relations |
| 2023 HOUSE | DISTRICT | PARTY | LISTED OCCUPATION | CATEGORY |
| Arlint, Amber | 12 | REP | Insurance Agency Owner | Business |
| Auch, Julie | 18 | REP | Farmer/Business Owner | Business |
| Aylward, Aaron | 6 | REP | Recruiter for Raven/CHNI | Business |
| Bahmuller, Jessica | 19 | REP | Municipal Finance Officer | Government |
| Bartels, Hugh | 5 | REP | Retired Community Banker | Business |
| Blare, Rocky | 21 | REP | Retired | Business |
| Callies, Byron | 5 | REP | Retired Military/Retired Energy Industry | Energy |
| Cammack, Gary | 29 | REP | Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Chaffee, Kirk | 29 | REP | Retired | Government |
| Chase, Roger | 22 | REP | Farmer/Real Estate Broker | Farmer/Rancher |
| DeGroot, Roger | 7 | REP | Retired educator | Educator |
| Derby, Mike | 34 | REP | Commercial real estate broker associate | Business |
| Deutsch, Fred | 4 | REP | Retired | Healthcare |
| Donnell, Joe | 1 | REP | Business owner/College outreach coordinator | Business |
| Drury, Becky | 32 | REP | Retired | Public Relations |
| Duba, Linda | 15 | DEM | Retired | Business |
| Duffy, Steve | 32 | REP | Property management | Business |
| Emery, Eric | 26A | DEM | Paramedic, Rosebud Ambulance Service Program Director | Healthcare |
| Fitzgerald, Mary | 31 | REP | Self employed | Business |
| Gross, Randy | 25 | REP | Dairy Farmer/Retired Banker | Farmer/Rancher |
| Hansen, Jon | 25 | REP | Lawyer | Attorney |
| Healy, Erin | 10 | DEM | Patient Experience Strategist | Healthcare |
| Heermann, Mellissa | 7 | REP | Revenue Cycle Director | Business |
| Jamison, Greg | 12 | REP | Real Estate Broker Associate | Business |
| Jensen, Kevin | 16 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Jensen, Phil | 33 | REP | Small business owner | Business |
| Karr, Chris | 11 | REP | Self employed | Business |
| Kassin, Chris | 17 | REP | Nonprofit administration | Nonprofit |
| Koth, Lance | 20 | REP | Retired banker | Business |
| Krohmer, Ben | 20 | REP | Business owner/Plumbing and heating contractor | Business |
| Krull, Dennis | 30 | REP | Retired businessman | Business |
| Kull, David | 2 | REP | Retired law enforcement/City council member | Public Safety |
| Ladner, Trish | 30 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Lems, Karla | 16 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Lesmeister, Oren | 28A | DEM | Farmer/Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Massie, Curt | 33 | REP | SD state and local tax consultant | Business |
| May, Liz | 28 | REP | Rancher/Small business owner | Business |
| Mills, John | 4 | REP | Construction/Real estate agent | Business |
| Moore, Scott | 23 | REP | Manager/CEO FEM Electric Association | Business |
| Mortenson, Will | 24 | REP | Attorney/Cow Hand | Attorney |
| Mulally, Tina | 35 | REP | Homemaker/Small Business Owner | Homemaker |
| Mulder, Brian | 11 | REP | Nonprofit leader | Nonprofit |
| Nelson, Kameron | 10 | DEM | Philanthropy | Nonprofit |
| Odenbach, Scott | 31 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Olson, Jess | 34 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Otten, Ernie | 6 | REP | Carpenter/Retired | Business |
| Overweg, Marty | 19 | REP | Ag businessman/Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Perry, Carl | 3 | REP | Retired education/collection management | Business |
| Peterson, Drew | 19 | REP | Farmer/Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Peterson, Sue | 13 | REP | Former banker/track coach | Business |
| Pinnow, Neal | 28B | REP | Owner/Operator of Hasauer Seamless Products LLC | Business |
| Pourier, Peri | 28 | DEM | Small business owner | Business |
| Randolph, Tony | 35 | REP | Electrical contractor | Business |
| Rehfeldt, Taylor | 14 | REP | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist | Healthcare |
| Reimer, Rebecca | 26B | REP | Business owner/Financial services | Business |
| Reisch, Tim | 8 | REP | Retired sheriff/corrections/National Guard | Public Safety |
| Sauder, Stephanie | 4 | REP | Ag producer/Retired K-12 Educator | Educator |
| Schaefbauer, Brandei | 3 | REP | Wife/Mother | Homemaker |
| Schneider, Lynn | 22 | REP | Retired Community Banker | Business |
| Shorma, William | 16 | REP | Business owner | Business |
| Sjaarda, John | 2 | REP | Farmer | Farmer/Rancher |
| Soye, Bethany | 9 | REP | Mother/Attorney/Banking | Attorney |
| St. John, Tamara | 1 | REP | Archivist | Tribal |
| Stevens, Mike | 18 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Teunissen, Kenneth | 9 | REP | Retired | Government |
| Tordsen, Tyler | 14 | REP | SE Regional Director, Office of US Senator Mike Rounds | Government |
| Venhuizen, Tony | 13 | REP | Attorney | Attorney |
| Wangsness, James | 23 | REP | Farmer/Rancher | Farmer/Rancher |
| Weisgram, Mike | 24 | REP | Retired retailer/business owner | Business |
| Wittman, Kadyn | 10 | DEM | Development director | Nonprofit |
SoDak Governors 