Allen I. Olson

Allen I. Olson
Allen Olson in 1981
28th Governor of North Dakota
In officeJanuary 6, 1981 – January 1, 1985
Lieutenant	Ernest Sands
Preceded by	Art Link
Succeeded by	George Sinner
25th Attorney General of North Dakota
In office1973–1980
Governor	Art Link
Preceded by	Helgi Johanneson
Succeeded by	Robert Wefald
Personal details
Born	Allen Ingvar Olson(1938-11-05)November 5, 1938 Rolla, North Dakota, U.S.
Died	December 26, 2025(2025-12-26) (aged 87)
Party	Republican
Spouse	Barbara Benner Olson
Children	3
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Service years	1963–1967
Unit	U.S. Army JAG Corps

Allen Ingvar Olson (November 5, 1938 – December 26, 2025) was an American Republican politician and attorney who served from 1981 to 1985 as the 28th governor of North Dakota. He defeated incumbent Arthur A. Link in the 1980 election and served one term.^[1]

Education, military service and legal career

Olson was born on November 5, 1938, in Rolla, North Dakota. He received a law degree from the University of North Dakota, where he joined Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and served in the United States Army as a judge advocate general's corps lawyer. In 1967 he served as Chief of Military Justice in Munich. From 1967 to 1969 he served as the assistant director of the Legislative Research Committee, which directed the state's first study of surface mining, soil banks, and land reclamation. He entered private practice as an attorney in 1969 with the law firm of Conmy, Rosenberg, Lucas, and Olson. He ran for attorney general of North Dakota in 1972 and served two terms in that position.

Governor of North Dakota

In 1980, Olson sought the governor's office and defeated the incumbent, Arthur A. Link. His achievements during his term include creating the Department of Human Services and converting the Cross-Ranch into a state park. He also worked with the Task Force on drunk driving and supported the Garrison Diversion program. A controversial lawsuit against the state by the Association of Retarded Citizens was also filed during his years as governor. He ran for reelection in 1984 and lost to Democratic nominee George A. Sinner, 55% to 45%.

Later professional career

After leaving office, Olson returned to private law practice in Bismarck for a year before leaving for Minneapolis to join the law firm of Fredrikson and Byron. In 1987, he left the firm to become co-owner of a die casting company based in New Hope, Minnesota. He also ran a community bank association for many years. He served as a commissioner of the International Joint Commission of Canada and the United States, having been appointed to the position by President George W. Bush in 2002.^[2]

On October 4, 2010, Olson announced that he supported Independence-Alliance Party candidate Tom Horner in the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election.^[3]

Personal life

Olson was married to Barbara Benner Olson. They had three children.

He died on December 26, 2025, at the age of 87.^[4]

References

1. "Allen Olson". Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010.
2. Allen Ingvar Olson (North Dakota Historical Society)
3. Ex-North Dakota governor adds name to Horner supporter list (Capitol Chatter)Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine October 4, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
4. Segal, Edward (December 26, 2025). "Former North Dakota governor Allen I. Olson passes away at 87". KXMB-TV. Retrieved December 26, 2025.