Wayne Stenehjem, North Dakota’s longest-serving AG, dead at 68

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Legal professional Normal Wayne Stenehjem, a former legislator and the state’s longest-serving legal professional basic, died at age 68, his workplace introduced Friday, simply hours after he was taken to a hospital.

Stenehjem died about 6:20 p.m. at a Bismarck hospital, his spokeswoman Liz Brocker stated. She stated she couldn’t present further particulars, together with his reason for loss of life.

Stenehjem’s brother, Allan, informed KFYR-TV that Stenehjem had been taken to a hospital Friday morning after a medical name to his house.

Allan Stenehjem informed KFYR that his brother had been coping with an ulcer which will have turn into infected, however he later informed the Bismarck Tribune that his brother had no recognized well being points that may have prompted his hospitalization, and that his brother’s situation was not associated to COVID-19.

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Stenehjem spent 24 years within the Legislature earlier than being elected legal professional basic in 2000, then profitable 5 extra instances. In that lengthy profession, he supported an overhaul of North Dakota’s court docket system, legal guidelines towards home violence, client safety measures and laws to maintain North Dakota’s authorities conferences and information open to the general public.

Gov. Doug Burgum stated his fellow Republican “embodied public service” each as a legislator and because the longest-serving legal professional basic within the state.

“Like so many North Dakotans who treasured his friendship and admired him for his greater than 4 a long time of outstanding service to our state.”

Stenehjem had introduced final month he wouldn’t search one other time period. He stated he needed to spend extra time touring and together with his household. He echoed issues from a number of different retiring politicians about a rise in vitriolic social media criticism of politicians.

Stenehjem informed the Tribune on the time that combating unlawful medicine was a prime problem of his tenure. Amongst his proudest accomplishments, he cited getting a $30 million settlement following a diesel spill in Mandan in 1985, establishing a 24/7 sobriety program for individuals convicted of subsequent DUIs, establishing the state crime lab and enhancing the coaching of state crime bureau brokers.

Stenehjem ran for governor in 2016 and was his occasion’s selection to exchange Jack Dalrymple, who didn’t search a second time period. However Burgum, a rich former Microsoft government, bucked occasion custom to problem him and gained the first simply, then went on to win the final election.

The intraparty battle between Burgum and Stenehjem featured a spirited and costly debate about which candidate was higher suited to revive a state economic system that was slumping on account of depressed oil and crop costs.

Burgum tried to color Stenehjem as a part of an institution that had finished a poor job at managing cash and put the state’s future unsure. Stenehjem argued that North Dakota was well-positioned to deal with the downturn in oil and farm costs and the state wanted an skilled hand on the helm.

Stenehjem was born in Mohall. He attended highschool in Bismarck and graduated from the College of North Dakota and obtained his regulation diploma from the UND College of Regulation in 1977.

Survivors embrace his wife, Beth Bakke Stenehjem, and a son, Andrew. Funeral preparations have been pending at Bismarck Funeral Residence.