Byron Dorgan

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame
1994 Inductee

Byron Dorgan, of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry, was born in 1942 and grew up at Regent, ND. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota in 1965 and a masters in business at the University of Denver.

At age 26, he became the youngest state officer in North Dakota history, when elected as Tax Commissioner. Dorgan served as tax commissioner of North Dakota from 1969 to 1980. In 1980, Dorgan put his hat in the race for U.S. House of Representatives and held that position from 1981 to 1992. Then, Dorgan was elected as U.S. Senator in 1992 and served until his retirement in 2010.

Currently, Dorgan is co-chair of Government Relations Practice for the Washinton, DC, law firm Arent Fox. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he focuses on issues related to energy policy. Dorgan is also a co-chair of BPC’s Energy Project. Dorgan is a Adjunct Visiting Professor at Gerogetown University, and serves on several board of directors. He also is a New York Times best-selling author of four books.