Nils A. Boe papers

Nils Andreas Boe was born in Baltic, South Dakota in 1913. He received both his B.A. and LL.B. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, after which he practiced law in Sioux Falls. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, returning to his law practice when the war ended. He was a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1950 to 1958, serving for a time as both Speaker Pro Tem and Speaker. He was then Lieutenant Governor from 1962 to 1964, and Governor from January 1965 to January 1969. During Boe’s two terms as governor, he prioritized education by supporting the creation of four technical institutes, the establishment of S.D. Public Broadcasting, and the reorganization of rural school districts. He also emphasized efficient management and modernization in state government, moving to annual budgeting, adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, and many government efficiency measures, enacted a retirement program for state employees, and begun a worker training program in an effort to attract new industry to South Dakota. The legislature also passed laws prohibiting employment discrimination against women and guaranteeing women equal wages for equal work. After leaving office, Boe served as director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Executive Office of the President of the United States from 1969 to 1971, and as a judge in the U.S. Customs Court from 1971 to 1984. He died in 1992.