Thomas Kleppe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait of Kleppe as Interior Secretary, 1975 | |
| 41stUnited States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office October 17, 1975 – January 20, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Stanley K. Hathaway |
| Succeeded by | Cecil Andrus |
| 10thAdministrator of the Small Business Administration | |
| In office January 18, 1971 – October 12, 1975 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Hilary J. Sandoval Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Mitchell P. Kobelinski |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Rolland W. Redlin |
| Succeeded by | Art Link |
| Mayor of Bismarck | |
| In office April 1950 – April 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Amil Lenhart |
| Succeeded by | Evan Lips |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1919-07-01)July 1, 1919 Kintyre,North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 2007(2007-03-02) (aged 87) Bethesda,Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Glen Loew Gompf |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Valley City State University (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Thomas Savig Kleppe (July 1, 1919 – March 2, 2007) was anAmerican politician who served as theRepresentative fromNorth Dakota. He was also theAdministrator of the Small Business Administration and theU.S. Secretary of the Interior.[1][2]
Kleppe was born on July 1, 1919, inKintyre, North Dakota, the son of Lars O. Kleppe and his wife Hannah Savig Kleppe. He graduated fromValley City High School inValley City, North Dakota in 1936. Kleppe graduated fromValley City State University, (then Valley City Teachers College). DuringWorld War II, Kleppe served from 1942 to 1946 as aWarrant Officer.[3]
From 1950 to 1954, Kleppe was the Mayor ofBismarck, North Dakota. From 1946 to 1964, he was the president and treasurer of theGold Seal Company. In1964, Kleppe was theRepublican nominee forUnited States Senate but lost to the popularincumbentDemocratQuentin N. Burdick. In 1966 he was elected to theNinetieth United States Congress, and he was reelected in 1968 to theNinety-first United States Congress (January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971). Kleppe voted in favor of theCivil Rights Act of 1968.[4]
With the state's second congressional district by then all but certain to be abolished following the 1970 census, Kleppe opted to seek a rematch against Burdickin 1970. He was once again unsuccessful, losing by a wide margin.[5]
He served as the Administrator of theSmall Business Administration, and later served as theSecretary of the Interior forPresidentGerald Ford. In his capacity as the Secretary of the Interior, Kleppe was the appellant inKleppe v. New Mexico (1976), when the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has the "power to protect wildlife on the public lands, state law notwithstanding."
His first wife, Frieda K. Kleppe, died in 1957. Kleppe married his second wife, Glendora Loew Gompf, on December 18, 1958. He had two children from his first marriage and two daughters from his second marriage. He resided inBismarck, North Dakota. Kleppe died ofAlzheimer's disease, inBethesda, Maryland, on March 2, 2007. He was buried inArlington National Cemetery inArlington, Virginia.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNorth Dakota (Class 1) 1964,1970 | Succeeded by Robert Stroup |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota's 2nd congressional district 1967–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Administrator of the Small Business Administration 1971–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Interior 1975–1977 | Succeeded by |
| One seat at-large (1889–1903) |   | ||||||
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| Two seats at-large (1903–1913) |
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| Three districts (1913–1933) |
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| Two seats at-large (1933–1963) |
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| Two districts (1963–1973) |
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| One seat at-large (1973–present) | |||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
