Governor Thomas Hilliard Moodie

THOMAS HILLIARD MOODIE, the nineteenth governor of North Dakota, was born in Winona, Minnesota on May 26, 1878. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. He worked various jobs in the newspaper business, and eventually became the owner and editor of two weekly newspapers in North Dakota. In 1933 he secured an appointment from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to serve on a committee that distributed federal grants to public buildings. Moodie next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1934 general election. Shortly after his inauguration, it was determined that Moodie was in violation of the state residency requirements. Consequently, five weeks into his term he was removed from office. He later served as an administrator for the North Dakota Federal Housing Administration (July 1935), administrator of WPA (July 1935-1943) and deputy administrator for the State War Finance Committee (1943) in Montana. He also returned to his newspaper interests. Governor Thomas H. Moodie passed away on March 3, 1948 in Spokane, Washington.