William Egeland Biography

This biography appears on page 1204 in "History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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WILLIAM EGELAND, the present auditor of Day County and one of the popular young men of Webster, the county seat, was born in the city of Fargo, North Dakota, on the 7th of May, 1876, and is a son of Bertinius H. and Marsha Egeland, the former of whom was born in Wisconsin and the latter in Norway, while their marriage was solemnized in the state of Wisconsin. In 1880 they came to Day County, South Dakota, locating in what is now Egeland township, in the southwestern part of the county, said township being named in honor of Mr. Egeland, who died January 19, 1898. He was elected county auditor in 1894 and at the expiration of his first term was chosen as his own successor, serving one year of his second term. The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public schools of North and South Dakota, and supplemented this by taking a five-year course in the Augsburg Seminary, at Minneapolis, Minnesota. In March, 1895, he became deputy county auditor under his father's administration and served continuously as such until March, 1901, when he entered upon the duties of the office as auditor, having been elected in the fall of the preceding year. His experience as deputy had well fitted him for the work assigned to him and he has proved a most able executive, gaining unqualified commendation throughout the county. He was elected first on the Populist ticket, and in November 1902, was elected, received the nomination on both the Republican and Populist tickets, being elected practically without opposition. He is now a staunch advocate of the principles of the Republican Party. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church and fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Yeomen.