Nils Boe

Nils Andreas Boe (September 10, 1913 – July 30, 1992) was an American attorney who served as the 23rd Governor of South Dakota from 1965 to 1969. He served as a Judge for the United States Customs Court, later the United States Court of International Trade.

Biography

Nils Andreas Boe was born in Baltic in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. He was the youngest son of Lutheran minister Nils N. Boe (1861-1938) and Sissel Catherine Finseth (1874-1960), both immigrants from Norway. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1935), where he was a member of the track team, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School (1937). Boe served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Career

Boe was later elected to the state legislature representing Sioux Falls from 1953 to 1958. He was the 28th Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1965 and Governor from 1965 to 1969. Boe, who was unmarried, was South Dakota's only bachelor governor. His sister, Borghild Marie Boe (1906-1994), served as the state's official hostess during his term in office.