Mark Andrews | |
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United States Senator from North Dakota | |
January 3, 1981 - January 3, 1987 | |
Milton Young | |
Kent Conrad | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's At-large district | |
January 3, 1973 - January 3, 1981 | |
Constituency established | |
Byron Dorgan | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 1st district | |
October 22, 1963 - January 3, 1973 | |
Hjalmar Nygaard | |
Constituency abolished | |
Personal details | |
Born | Cass County, North Dakota, U.S. | May 19, 1926
Died | October 3, 2020 Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. | (aged 94)
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | North 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 who served as a U.S. Senator.
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.
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.[3] He was chairman of the select committee on Indian affairs from 1983 to 1987. He had a moderate-to-liberal voting record for most of his Congressional career.
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.[4] He died on October 3, 2020, in Fargo, North Dakota. He was 94.[1][5]
Party political offices | ||
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Preceded by Clarence P. Dahl |
Republican nominee for Governor of North Dakota 1962 |
Succeeded by Donald Halcrow |
Preceded by Milton Young |
Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from North Dakota (Class 3) 1980, 1986 |
Succeeded by Steve Sydness |
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by Hjalmar Carl Nygaard |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 1st congressional district 1963-1973 |
Elected statewide at-large |
New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's at-large congressional district 1973-1981 |
Succeeded by Byron Dorgan |
U.S. Senate | ||
Preceded by Milton R. Young |
U.S. senator (Class 3) from North Dakota 1981 – 1987 Served alongside: Quentin Burdick |
Succeeded by Kent Conrad |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by William Cohen |
Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee 1983 – 1987 |
Succeeded by Daniel Inouye |