Governor Roger Allin

ROGER ALLIN, the fourth governor of North Dakota, was born in Devonshire, England on December 18, 1848. After the death of his father, Allin and his family moved to Ontario, Canada. His education was attained in the public schools of Ontario. Allin eventually moved to the Dakota Territory, where he purchased numerous acres of farmland. His first elected position was Justice of the Peace in 1882. He won election to the Dakota Territorial Council in 1886 and 1888. He also served as a member of the 1889 North Dakota Constitutional Convention; was a member of the North Dakota State Senate from 1889 to 1891; and served as the lieutenant governor of North Dakota from 1891 to 1893. Allin next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 6, 1894. During his tenure, the effects from the Panic of 1893 were dealt with; a dairy products bill was sanctioned; a state geological survey was approved; and a historical commission was established. After vetoing an educational appropriations bill, Allin lost his bid for reelection. He retired from politics and returned to his various farming interests. Governor Roger Allin passed away on January 1, 1936, and was buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Park River, North Dakota.