Bob Bergland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20thUnited States Secretary of Agriculture | |
| In office January 23, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | John Knebel |
| Succeeded by | John Block |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's7th district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 22, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Odin Langen |
| Succeeded by | Arlan Stangeland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Selmer Bergland (1928-07-22)July 22, 1928 Roseau, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2018(2018-12-09) (aged 90) Roseau, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | University of Minnesota |
Robert Selmer Bergland (July 22, 1928 – December 9, 2018) was an American politician. He served as a member of theHouse of Representatives fromMinnesota's 7th congressional district from 1971 to 1977. He also served asU.S. Secretary of Agriculture during theJimmy Carter administration from 1977 to 1981.
Bergland was born nearRoseau, Minnesota, the son of Mabel (Evans) and Selmer Bennett Bergland, a garage mechanic.[1][2] He studied agriculture at theUniversity of Minnesota in a two-year program.[3] A farmer, he became an official of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service for theDepartment of Agriculture from 1963 to 1968.[4][3]
Bergland was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 as a member of theDemocratic-Farmer-Labor Party, entering the House by defeatingU.S. Republican incumbentOdin Langen in 1970.[1][5] He was elected to the92nd,93rd,94th, and95th Congresses.[6] In Congress, he served on the House Committee on Agriculture's subcommittees for Conservation and Credit, and Livestock, Grains, Dairy, and Poultry.[6]
On January 22, 1977, Bergland resigned from the House shortly after the beginning of a new term, and was appointed byPresidentJimmy Carter asSecretary of Agriculture and served from January 23, 1977, until January 20, 1981.[6]
A minor but much-celebrated struggle between theUnited States Department of Agriculture and theGeneral Services Administration occurred during his tenure, resulting in the ironic dedication of the USDA executive cafeteria in honor ofAlfred Packer in order to shame the General Services Administration into terminating the Nixon-era cafeteria services contract.[4][7]
Following the end of the Carter administration in 1981, Bergland became the chairman of Farmland World Trade until 1982, when he became the vice president and general manager of theNational Rural Electric Cooperative Association.[1] In the latter capacity, Bergland lobbied both Congress and the regulatory agencies on behalf of theCooperative's electricity business.[3]
After retiring in 1994, Bergland was elected by theMinnesota State Legislature to a term on theUniversity of Minnesota Board of Regents.[8] Bergland retired after the one term and owned a 600-acre (2.4 km2) farm in Minnesota.[9][4]
He married Helen Elaine Grahn in 1950.[10] They had seven children.[10] Bergland died on December 9, 2018, at a nursing home in Roseau at the age of 90.[1][11]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 7th congressional district 1971–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Agriculture 1977–1981 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
