North Dakota recall election, 1921

North Dakota gubernatorial recall election

October 28, 1921
Nominee Ragnvald A. Nestos Lynn Frazier Party Republican/IVA Republican/NPL Popular vote 111,425 107,332 Percentage 50.94% 49.06%
Results by county Nestos:          Frazier:
Governor before election Lynn Frazier Republican/NPL Elected Governor Ragnvald A. Nestos Republican/IVA

Nestos:         

Lynn Frazier
Republican/NPL

Ragnvald A. Nestos
Republican/IVA

The North Dakota recall election was a recall election of North Dakota Governor Lynn Frazier in 1921. Frazier was the first American governor ever successfully recalled from office; there would not be another successful recall of a governor until California Governor Gray Davis was recalled in 2003. In 2012, Scott Walker of Wisconsin was the third US Governor to face a recall, and the first to survive a recall vote.

The recall stemmed from the conflict between the socialist-leaning Nonpartisan League, of which Governor Frazier was a member, and the Independent Voters Association, a conservative and pro-capitalist faction. Frazier and his party supported state ownership of industries, while the IVA opposed it. A dispute broke out specifically over government ownership of the Bank of North Dakota and State Mill and Elevator.