James Abdnor
| James Abdnor | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration | |
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In office March 12, 1987 – April 18, 1989 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | James C. Sanders |
| Succeeded by | Susan Engeleiter |
|
United States Senator from South Dakota |
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In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | George McGovern |
| Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's 2nd district | |
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In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981 |
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| Preceded by | James Abourezk |
| Succeeded by | Clint Roberts |
| 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota | |
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In office January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1971 |
|
| Governor | Frank Farrar |
| Preceded by | Lem Overpeck |
| Succeeded by | William Dougherty |
| Member of the South Dakota Senate | |
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In office January 9, 1957 – January 7, 1969 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ellis James Abdnor February 13, 1923 Kennebec, South Dakota |
| Died | May 16, 2012 (aged 89) Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
| Nationality | Lebanese-American |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Ellis James Abdnor (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was a Republican politician from the state of South Dakota.
Abdnor was born in Kennebec, South Dakota, the son of Mary (née Wehby) and Samuel J. Abdnor. Abdnor served in the United States Army during World War II and then graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1945 where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was a member of the South Dakota Senate from 1957 to 1969. A common, decent, plain spoken man," he was affectionately known as "the people's Senator." He was also described as a "nice-guy public servant" with a "down-home, warm and fuzzy way. His staff considered him to be a friend as well as an honorable mentor and public servant. Like his South Dakota Congressional colleague James Abourezk, he was a second-generation Lebanese-American and second U.S. Senator of Lebanese descent after Abourezk, as well.
Abdnor was chief clerk of the State Legislature in the early 1950s. Abdnor was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota from 1969 to 1971, and unsuccessfully sought the nomination for the House of Representatives in 1970. In 1972 he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican.
Abdnor ran in the 1980 election against three-term incumbent and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern for the United States Senate. Abdnor claimed McGovern was out of touch with the state and unseated him by a large margin. In 1986, after winning a bruising re-election primary campaign against then Governor Bill Janklow, Abdnor narrowly lost his Senate seat to then-Representative Tom Daschle. He served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 1987 to 1989, and served in an advisory capacity for John Thune's successful campaign against Daschle in 2004. Thune had been a member of Senator Abdnor's staff.
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