Richard F. Kneip

Richard Francis Kneip ( born January 7, 1933, Tyler, Lincoln County, Minnesota, † March 9, 1987 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota ) was an American politician and from 1971 to 1978 the 25th Governor of the State of South Dakota. He later became the United States Ambassador to Singapore.

Early years and political rise

Richard Kneip made ​​after school 1951-1955 from his military service in the U.S. Navy. During this time he was stationed in Germany. After his return to civilian life, he attended South Dakota State University and Saint John 's University. Then he went into the dairy business. Between 1965 and 1971 Kneip was a member of the Senate of South Dakota. During the last four years he served there as a leader of the Democrats. In 1970 he was elected against incumbent Frank L. Farrar as the new governor. He thus became one of only five so far Governors of South Dakota, which did not belong to the Republican Party.

Governor of South Dakota

Kneip took up his new post on January 5, 1971. During his reign a constitutional amendment entered into force, after which the term of office of a Governor of two to four -year extension. 1972 Kneip was elected for the last time in a two-year term; in 1974 he made a re-election, this time with a four- year term. The biggest political problem of his reign were disputes about the relations between the whites and the Indians. The Indians also demanded for the equality in the era of the civil rights movement. During the dispute, the Indians occupied the site of Wounded Knee, where the infamous 1890 massacre had taken place at the Indians. The following riots there were deaths and injuries. Governor Kneip appointed a commission, which finally agreed with the representatives of the Indians. The governor also streamlined the management by bringing together put departments and ministries. Other focal points of his tenure were a tax reform, the expansion of highways and school policy. On July 24, 1978 Kneip resigned from his post to go as U.S. ambassador to Singapore. Until then he had the longest tenure of all the governors of South Dakota.

Further CV

By 1980, Richard Kneip remained in Singapore. Then he went back to his private interests. In 1986 he applied again to his party's nomination for the office of governor. But he could not prevail in the primaries. In early 1987 she was diagnosed with cancer Kneip, where he already died in March of the same year. He was married to Nancy Lou Panky, with whom he had eight children.