Mark Andrews
Official portrait, c. 1975
United States Senator
from North Dakota
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byMilton Young
Succeeded byKent Conrad
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from North Dakota
In office
October 22, 1963 – January 3, 1981
Preceded byHjalmar Carl Nygaard
Succeeded byByron Dorgan
Constituency1st district (1963–1973)
at-large district (1973–1981)
Personal details
Born(1926-05-19)May 19, 1926
Cass County, North Dakota, U.S.
DiedOctober 3, 2020(2020-10-03) (aged 94)
Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materNorth Dakota State University

Mark Andrews (May 19, 1926 – October 3, 2020) was an American politician from the state of North Dakota. He was a member of the Republican Party and served as a U.S. senator.

Life and career

Andrews was born in Cass County, North Dakota, where he attended public school. In 1944 at the age of 18, Andrews was admitted to the United States Military Academy. He quit in 1946 after receiving a disability discharge. He then attended North Dakota State University at Fargo, North Dakota, where he became a member of the Gamma Tau Chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and graduated in 1949.

Andrews then became a farmer. He was a third-generation farmer on a Red River Valley plot that was started by his grandfather.[1] During the 1950s he began to enter politics, serving on farmers' organizations and Republican committees. In 1962, Andrews ran for governor of North Dakota, losing to incumbent William L. Guy by 2,000 votes out of over 228,500 cast.[2] The next year, he became the Republican candidate for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota when a special election was required after the death of Congressman Hjalmar Nygaard. Andrews won the election. He was reelected to a full term in 1964 and served in the House until 1981, being reelected every two years. Andrews supported Nelson Rockefeller in the 1964 Republican presidential primaries.[3] During his time in the House, Andrews voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,[4] the Civil Rights Act of 1968,[5] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[6]

In 1980, Andrews did not run for reelection to the House, but instead ran for the United States Senate seat being vacated by long-serving Republican Senator Milton Young, who was retiring. Andrews won the election with 70% of the vote and served in the Senate for one term, from 1981 to 1987.[7] He was chairman of the select committee on Indian affairs from 1983 to 1987. As Senator and Representative, Andrews was socially moderate to liberal, opposing abortion bans and school prayer, and conservative on economic policies, but was also supportive of subsidies for farmers. Andrews was good friends with Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and Minnesota Representative Bob Bergland.[3]

In 1986, Andrews lost reelection to Democratic-NPL Tax Commissioner Kent Conrad by 2,120 votes in what was considered an upset, and subsequently retired from electoral politics. He started a consultancy firm in Washington, D.C., but lived in Mapleton, North Dakota. Grand Forks International Airport in Grand Forks, North Dakota has sometimes been called Mark Andrews International Airport, but usage of the name has declined.

Despite North Dakota's Republican bent at the presidential level, Andrews was the last Republican to represent the state in Congress until 2010, when Rick Berg was elected to the House and John Hoeven to the Senate.

Andrews married Mary in 1949. They had three children.[8] He died on October 3, 2020, in Fargo, North Dakota. He was 94.[1][9]

See also

Further reading

  • Richard F. Fenno Jr.: When Incumbency fails : the Senate Career of Mark Andrews, Congressional Quarterly Press, 1992.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mark Andrews, former U.S. senator from North Dakota, dies at 94". Grand Forks Herald. October 6, 2020. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Our Campaigns - ND Governor Race - Nov 06, 1962". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  3. 1 2 Mark Andrews, North Dakota Farmer-Politician, Dies at 94; Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times; Robert D. McFadden, October 7, 2020
  4. ↑ "H.R. 7152. Passage".
  5. ↑ "To Pass H.R. 2516, A Bill to Establish Penalties for Interference With Civil Rights".
  6. ↑ "To Pass H.R. 6400, The 1965 Voting Rights Act".
  7. ↑ "Longtime North Dakota politician dies". AM 1100 The Flag WZFG. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Bob Lind (March 7, 2017). "Neighbors: Fargo boy who became a farmer and then a congressman reminisces about his life". INFORUM. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Former North Dakota congressman, senator Andrews dies at 94". Associated Press. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020.
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