Title: Governor John Moses Records
Dates: 1939-1942
Record Series: 30176
Quantity: 10.75 feet
Abstract: Papers consist of correspondence, budgets, memoranda, reports, minutes, etc. relating to administration, legislation, taxation, investigations, military affairs, and personnel.
Biographical Sketch
Born in Strand, Norway, in 1885, John Moses attended high school and junior college in Norway. He came to the United States in 1905 and worked for the Great Northern Railway from 1906 to 1911. He entered the University of North Dakota, receiving his A.B. in 1914 and his J.D. in 1915. He began practicing law at Hazen in 1917 and served as state's attorney for Mercer County for several years. In 1936 he came in third in the three-way governor's race, behind former governors Langer and Welford. Moses became governor in 1939, following William Langer's second term in the office. Moses worked hard to reduce Langer's influence. He sought to cut government spending and to balance the state's budget. Moses was in office during World War II. He tried to encourage war-time industries to locate in the state, but North Dakota ranked last in the nation for receiving war spending.
Despite the lack of wartime appropriations, Moses' administration was a time of prosperity for the state. Rainfall was plentiful and there was a ready market for agriculture products. Moses was a popular governor. During his election campaign he gave speeches in English, German, or Norwegian, depending on his audience. A Democrat, Moses was noted for his support from both political parties. In 1944 Moses defeated Gerald P. Nye for a seat in the United States Senate. He died on March 3, 1945, shortly after taking his place in the Senate. John Moses was the second native of Norway to become governor of North Dakota. (Governor Nestos was the first.) Moses served as governor during World War II.
Box / Folder Inventory
Box 1:
1 General Correspondence: A
2 General Correspondence: B
3 General Correspondence: C
4 General Correspondence: D
5 General Correspondence: E
6 General Correspondence: F
7 General Correspondence: H
8 General Correspondence: J
9 General Correspondence: K
10 General Correspondence: M
11 General Correspondence: M
12 General Correspondence: N
13 General Correspondence: O
14 General Correspondence: P
15 General Correspondence: Q
16 General Correspondence: R
Box 2:
1 General Correspondence: S
2 General Correspondence: S
3 General Correspondence: T
4 General Correspondence: U
5 General Correspondence: V
6 General Correspondence: W
7 General Correspondence: XYZ
8 Abstracters Board of Examiners 1939-1941
9 Board of Accounting 1939-1941
10 Adjutant General 1939
11 Adjutant General 1939-1940
12 Adjutant General 1940
Box 3:
1 Board of Administration 1937-1940
2 Board of Administration 1941
3 Board of Administration - North Dakota Agricultural College Advisory Council 1940-1941
4 Board of Administration - Ouster Proceedings 1939
5 Board of Administration - State v Moses 1939
6 North Dakota Agricultural College 1941
7 School for the Blind 1939
8 Dickinson State Teachers College 1939-1940
9 State Normal and Industrial School - Ellendale 1939-1940
10 School of Forestry 1938-1939; 1941
11 Mayville State Teachers College 1941
12 Minot State Teachers College 1940
13 Penitentiary 1939-1941
14 State School of Science 1939
15 State Training School 1941
16 University of North Dakota 1941-1942
17 State Advisory Council 1939-1941
18 Agricultural Adjustment Administration 1940-1942
19 North Dakota Agricultural College 1939-1940
20 North Dakota Agricultural College - Extension Work 1939
21 Department of Agriculture and Labor 1939-1940
22 Department of Agriculture and Labor 1941
Box 4:
1 American Forum of Decency 1940
2 Appointments 1939-1940
3 Auditor 1941
4 Bank of North Dakota 1939-1941
5 Bank of North Dakota 1940-1941
6 Cattle Rustling 1939-1940
7 North Dakota Children's Home Society 1938
8 Cooperatives 1939
9 Council of State Governments 1939
10 Drake Removal Proceedings 1940
11 Emergency Commission Minutes 1939-1940
12 King and Queen of England 1939
13 Board of Equalization 1939
14 Board of Equalization 1939
15 Board of Equalization 1940
16 Equalization Fund 1939-1940
Box 5:
1 Extraditions 1939
2 Extraditions 1940
3 Extraditions 1940
4 Fresh Pursuit Act 1939-1940
5 Game and Fish Commission 1940
6 Golden Gate International Exposition
7 North Dakota Golden Jubilee 1939
8 Highway Department 1938-1940
9 Highway Department - Safety 1938-1939
10 Highway Patrol 1939
11 State Historical Society 1939-1940
12 Indian Affairs 1939-1941
13 Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Fahlgren report 1936
14 Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Fahlgren report 1939-1940
Box 6:
1 Industrial Commission 1939
2 Industrial Commission 1939-1940
3 Industrial Commission 1940
4 Interstate Commerce Commission 1939
5 Labor 1939
6 Labor 1939-1940
7 State Laboratories Commission 1939
8 State Laboratories Commission 1939
Box 7:
1 State Laboratories Commission 1939-1940
2 State Laboratories Commission 1939-1940
3 State Land Department 1939
4 State Land Department 1939-1940
5 State Land Department 1940
6 State Land Department 1940
7 Board of University and School Lands Minutes 1939
Box 8:
1 Board of University and School Lands Minutes 1939-1940
2 Land Use Planning 1939-1940
3 Lefor vs Graham 1939
4 Legislative Committee - Relief and Debt Survey 1939
5 Legislative Committee - Relief and Debt Survey 1939
6 State Capitol Lunchroom 1939
7 Paul V. McNutt 1939-1940
8 Minot State Fair 1940
9 State Mill and Elevator Air-Cooling Equipment 1938
10 State Mill and Elevator Audits 1938-1940
Box 9:
1 State Mill and Elevator Distribution 1939
2 State Mill and Elevator Durum Wheat 1938-1939
3 State Mill and Elevator Hedging 1939-1941
4 State Mill and Elevator Insurance 1939-1940
5 State Mill and Elevator Management and Operations 1939
6 State Mill and Elevator Management and Operations 1939
Box 10:
1 State Mill and Elevator Management and Operations 1939
2 State Mill and Elevator Management and Operations 1939
3 State Mill and Elevator Management and Operations 1940
4 State Mill and Elevator Processing Tax 1939
5 State Mill and Elevator Processing Tax 1939
6 State Mill and Elevator Stangler Reports 1939-1940
7 State Mill and Elevator Stucker Truck Lines 1939
Box 11:
1 Moratoriums - Personal Property 1939-1940
2 Moratoriums - Real Property 1939
3 Moratoriums - Tax Deed 1939
4 Motor Vehicle Department 1939
5 Motor Vehicle Department 1939
6 Motor Vehicle Department 1939-1940
7 Motor Vehicle Department 1940
Box 12:
1 National Emergency Council 1939-1940
2 New York World's Fair 1939
3 New York World's Fair 1939-1940
4 New York World's Fair 1939-1940
5 Northern Pacific Railroad Lawsuit 1939-1940
6 Norwegian Relief 1939-1940
7 General 1939
8 General 1938-1942
9 Langer Expenditures 1938-1940
Box 13:
1 Payroll 1939-1943
2 Supply Orders 1939-1940
3 Board of Pardons Correspondence 1939
4 Board of Pardons Correspondence 1939
5 Board of Pardons Correspondence 1939
6 Board of Pardons Juanita Edworthy 1939
7 Board of Pardons Calendar 1939
8 Board of Pardons Calendar 1941
9 International Peace Garden 1939-1940
10 Old Age Pensions 1939
11 Board of Photographic Examiners 1939-1940
12 Correspondence Concerning Photographs 1938-1940
13 State Planning Board 1939
Box 14:
1 Poet Laureate 1939
2 Poultry Improvement Board 1939-1940
3 President of the United States 1941
4 Presidential Electors
5 Committee for the Celebration of the President's Birthday 1941
6 Press Releases 1939-1940
7 Proclamations 1939
8 Proclamations 1939
9 Proclamations 1940
Box 15:
1 Proclamations 1940
2 Proclamations 1940
3 Board of Railroad Commissioners 1939
4 American Red Cross 1939-1940
5 North Dakota Regulatory Department 1939
6 Relief Appraisal 1939
Box 16:
1 North Dakota Relief and Debt Commission 1939
2 North Dakota Relief and Debt Commission 1939-1940
3 Restocking 1939
4 Rural Electrification 1939-1940
5 Sargent County Examination 1938-1939
6 Securities Commission 1939-1940
7 State Soil Conservation Committee 1939-1940
8 State Soil Conservation Committee 1940
9 State Soil Conservation Committee 1940
10 Special Election 1939
Box 17:
1 Special Election 1939
2 Stanton Island Case 1940
3 State Examiner 1939
4 State Examiner 1940
5 State Soldiers Home 1939-1940
6 Submarginal lands 1939
7 Sugar Beets 1939-1941
8 Tax Commissioner 1939-1940
9 Tax Commissioner 1939-1941
10 Tax Deed Moratorium 1939
11 Tax Deed Moratorium - Collections 1939-1940
Box 18:
1 Tax Deed Moratorium - Collections 1940
2 North Dakota Taxpayers Associations 1939-1940
3 Teachers' Retirement Fund 1939-1941
4 Travel Authorizations 1939
5 Travel Authorizations 1939
6 Travel Authorizations 1939
7 Travel Authorizations 1939
8 Travel Authorizations 1939-1940
Box 19:
1 Travel Authorizations 1940
2 Travel Authorizations 1940
3 Travel Authorizations 1940
4 Travel Authorizations 1940
5 Tri-State Water Commission 1938-1939
6 Tri-State Water Commission 1939
7 Tri-State Water Commission 1939-1940
8 Tri-State Water Commission 1940
Box 20:
1 Unemployment Compensation Division 1939-1940
2 State Water Commission 1939
3 State Water Commission 1939
4 State Water Commission 1939
5 State Water Commission 1940
6 State Water Commission 1940
Box 21:
1 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1939
2 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1939
3 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1939
4 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1940
5 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1940
6 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota 1940
7 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota Food Stamp Lan 1940
8 Public Welfare Board of North Dakota Old Age Cranks 1940
9 Wells County Examination
Box 22:
1 Wheat Loans 1940
2 North Dakota Wine and Spirits Institute 1939-1940
3 Workmen's Compensation Bureau 1938-1939
4 Workmen's Compensation Bureau 1939-1941
5 WPA Relief Emergency 1940
6 Miscellaneous 1939-1940
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