Political figure Samuelson dies

By Kevin Woster, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, October 30, 2004

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

FAITH -- Faith rancher Bob Samuelson, a lanky, soft-spoken cowboy who made higher teacher pay a keynote of his unsuccessful 1990 run for governor, died Wednesday night at Rapid City Regional Hospital. He was 79.

Samuelson, who had been in poor health in recent years, made education funding one of his chief priorities when he challenged incumbent Republican Gov. George Mickelson 14 years ago. He also broke political ground when he reached across the state to choose Sioux Falls educator Shirley Halleen, a former member of the South Dakota House, to be his running mate.

"He was in the state Senate when I was in the House. We were in the same Bible study group," Halleen said. "We were so very opposite in so many ways. He was rural; I was urban. He was pro-life; I was pro-choice. And I was the first woman in that spot. I felt like it was an opportunity to show that a woman could do that."

Samuelson also believed it was well past the time to elevate a woman to prominence in a governor's campaign, something he and Halleen accomplished. But they eventually fell hard at the polls, losing to the popular, well-financed incumbent, 59 percent to 41 percent.

It was a painful defeat in more than one way for Samuelson. Along with the political loss, he spent more than $150,000 of his own money to help make up for fund-raising failures - many of which, he admitted, were his own.

But he returned to his ranch without any resentment toward voters or disillusionment with the political process.

"It's the greatest system in the world," he told the Journal shortly after the election.

But it was not a perfect system, a point Samuelson made throughout the campaign. He wanted a higher minimum wage, restrictions on Black Hills surface mining, limits on the spread of video lottery machines and new leadership in the state Game, Fish & Parks Department and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

And he wanted to make education funding and higher teacher salaries a long-range priority goal, similar to the way President John F. Kennedy had aimed to put a man on the moon decades earlier.

Even people who didn't vote for Samuelson ended up liking him, Halleen said.

"He was highly respected, always a solid Christian person," she said. "He didn't talk much. But when he did talk, people listened."

Generally easygoing, Samuelson could be stubborn about certain things. He refused to leave his trademark cowboy hat in the car when he spoke to groups in Sioux Falls and other East River cities during the campaign, even when advisers said some urban people might find it intimidating.

He also hated asking people for money, which was part of the reason he had to dig so deep into his own pocket, Halleen said.

Although Samuelson left a mark on state politics, his real impact was on the ranch country of northwestern South Dakota, where he spent most of his life.

Maurice Gustafson, president of Farmers State Bank in Faith, said Samuelson, who served as a bank director, brought a commitment to agriculture, education and the rural way of life to his community.

"He was certainly a community leader," Gustafson said. "I had a lot of respect for Bob. He was always able to express a valuable opinion. He believed in the local schools and in higher education. And he knew the agriculture business and was able to give us a good insight into a rancher's life."

Even though that life has ended for Samuelson, he will continue to touch the people of Faith in the future, Gustafson said. A memorial fund will be established in his memory to benefit the Faith school system.

"He's going to be missed," Gustafson said. "But that scholarship fund, it'll help the local kids."

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com