Jump to content

Wayne Stenehjem

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wayne Stenehjem
29th Attorney General of North Dakota
In office
December 15, 2000 – January 28, 2022
GovernorJohn Hoeven
Jack Dalrymple
Doug Burgum
Preceded byHeidi Heitkamp
Succeeded byDrew Wrigley
Member of the North Dakota Senate
In office
1980–2000
Member of the North Dakota House of Representatives
In office
1976–1980
Personal details
Born(1953-02-05)February 5, 1953
Mohall, North Dakota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 28, 2022(2022-01-28) (aged 68)
Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelativesBob Stenehjem (brother)
EducationBismarck State College
University of North Dakota (BA, JD)

Wayne Stenehjem (/ˈstɛndʒəm/ STEN-jəm; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 29th Attorney General of North Dakota from 2000 until his death in 2022.[1] He sought the Republican nomination for governor of North Dakota in 2016 but lost the primary to Doug Burgum on June 14 by 20%.

Biography

[edit]

Stenehjem was born in Mohall, North Dakota. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 1971 and Bismarck State College in 1972. He attended the University of North Dakota and the UND School of Law, graduating in 1977. Stenehjem was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1976, and served two terms there until 1980, when he was elected to the North Dakota Senate. He served in that capacity until 2000, when he became Attorney General of North Dakota.[2] As Attorney General, Stenehjem proposed legislation to curb methamphetamine use and addiction in the state, by restricting retail sales of certain products used in its manufacture, providing mandatory treatment for first-time drug offenders, and increasing criminal penalties for drug offenders. Stenehjem was reelected in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 by wide margins. Before his death, he had announced he would not run for reelection in 2022. Stenehjem was hospitalized in Bismarck for an inflamed ulcer on January 28, 2022. He died later that day, at the age of 68.[1]

He was married to Beth Bakke Stenehjem, and had one son, Andrew. He was the brother of North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem (1952–2011) and former North Dakota House of Representatives member Allan Stenehjem (who is now a lobbyist).

Career

[edit]

Controversies

[edit]

In 2014, Agent Arnie Rummel, who worked under the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, under the supervision of the Attorney General's office, was charged in Dickey County District Court with two misdemeanors.[3] Business owner Darrell Schrum accused Rummel of violating his constitutional rights when the BCI damaged personal property and seized Schrum's payloader and transported it out of state.[4] Rummel had secured a warrant to seize the equipment, suspected as stolen, and Stenehjem's office defended Rummel in the long-running dispute that ensued.[citation needed]

Stenehjem said, "All he did was return a payloader that was stolen to the rightful owner." But Schrum's attorney argued that the trucking company Rummel gave the loader to had no legal ownership and that the search warrant required Rummel only to deliver the loader to the court.[5] Rummel was found in contempt of court and the case resulted in a cash settlement for Schrum, as the payloader was found to have been unlawfully seized.[6]

Electoral history

[edit]
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem 157,986 55.74
Democratic–NPL Glenn Pomeroy 125,466 44.26
Total votes 283,452 100.00
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem (inc.) 218,599 72.54
Democratic–NPL Bruce Schoenwald 82,754 27.46
Total votes 301,353 100.00
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem (inc.) 148,194 68.86
Democratic–NPL Bill Brudvik 67,032 31.14
Total votes 215,226 100.00
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem (inc.) 175,627 74.55
Democratic–NPL Jeanette Boechler 59,781 25.38
Write-in 174 0.07
Total votes 235,582 100.00
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem (inc.) 181,678 74.06
Democratic–NPL Kiara Kraus-Parr 63,255 25.78
Write-in 395 0.16
Total votes 245,328 100.00
North Dakota Governor Republican Primary Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Doug Burgum 68,042 59.47
Republican Wayne Stenehjem 44,158 38.59
Republican Paul Sorum 2,164 1.89
Republican Write-in 51 0.04
Total votes 114,415 100.00
North Dakota Attorney General Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Stenehjem (inc.) 215,633 67.55
Democratic–NPL David Thompson 102,869 32.23
Write-in 715 0.22
Total votes 319,217 100.00

[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Crane, Joel (January 28, 2022). "ND Attorney General Stenehjem passes away". KFYR-TV. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Former Attorneys General". North Dakota Attorney General. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "North Dakota BCI agent faces criminal charges in payloader dispute". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Owner of seized payloader files suit against North Dakota crime bureau agent". INFORUM. August 29, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Kolpack, Dave. "State appeals order to pay ND man for pay loader". Crookston Times - Crookston, MN. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "West Fargo news (West Fargo Pioneer)". INFORUM. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "North Dakota Secretary of State". results.sos.nd.gov. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by
Ward K. Johnson
 Republican nominee for North Dakota Attorney General
2000, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of North Dakota
2000–2022 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wayne_Stenehjem&oldid=1237454691"