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Jim Abdnor

James Abdnor
JamesAbdnor.jpg
15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration
In office
March 12, 1987 – April 18, 1989
President Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded by Charles Heatherly (Acting)
Succeeded by Susan Engeleiter
United States Senator
from South Dakota
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by George McGovern
Succeeded by Tom Daschle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Dakota's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by James Abourezk
Succeeded by Clint Roberts
30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
In office
January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1971
Governor Frank Farrar
Preceded by Lem Overpeck
Succeeded by William Dougherty
Personal details
Born Ellis James Abdnor
(1923-02-13)February 13, 1923
Kennebec, South Dakota, U.S
Died May 16, 2012(2012-05-16) (aged 89)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S
Political party Republican
Education University of Nebraska, Lincoln (BA)
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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