Elected South Dakota’s 32nd Governor in 2010, reelected in 2014
Early Years: Born, 1953, in Garretson, S.D.
Education: Graduated from Dell Rapids High School, undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota, graduated law school from Northwestern University.
Career: US Bank in Sioux Falls; Development Director of the Children's Home Foundation; Executive Director of Children's Home Society of South Dakota; elected state legislator in 1998 and 2000, lieutenant governor in 2002 and 2006.
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Nickname: The Mount Rushmore State
Capital: Pierre
Population: 858,649
Size: The state covers 78,116 square miles
Economic drivers: Service industries (retail, finance, health care), agriculture, tourism.
Did you know? In 1991, the state opened the George S. Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile rail trail in the Black Hills.