Richard F. Kneip papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-081

Staff Only

Content Description

Most of this collection is correspondence, state agency files, and regional and/or federal files from Richard Kneip's terms as South Dakota governor.

The collection contains material on constitutional revision, environmental conservation, the Democratic party, education, energy, health, highways, Indian affairs, Missouri River, taxation, status of women, the 1972 Rapid City flood, and the 1973 conflict at Wounded Knee.

Dates

1970 - 1978

Creator

Kneip, Richard F. (Richard Francis), 1933-1987 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research without restriction. Researchers are advised to contact the Archives and Special Collections prior to visiting. Advance notice may be needed to retrieve items for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers must obtain a signed Permission to Publish Form if they wish to reproduce, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate information from published and unpublished works held by ASC. Permission to reproduce, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate information materials from ASC does not constitute permission from the holder of copyright or literary rights. The researcher is responsible for securing permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce content from materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Richard Francis Kneip was born in Tyler, Minnesota. After military service and college, he operated a dairy business in Salem, McCook County, South Dakota. He served in the South Dakota Senate from 1965 to 1970, holding the position of Minority Leader for the last four years of his tenure. He was elected governor in November 1970. Priorities during his gubernatorial terms were tax reform and executive branch reorganization, resulting in 160 state agencies, boards, and departments consolidated into 16. He was involved in the Old West Regional Commission, the Missouri Basin Commission, which are regional planning commissions. He chaired the Midwestern Governors' Conference and the Democratic Governors' Association and was also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association from 1972 to 1973. In July 1978, he resigned as governor when he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. He died at the age of fifty-four.