Phil Saunders

Phil Saunders
19th Attorney General of South Dakota
In office
1955–1959
GovernorJoe Foss
Preceded byRalph A. Dunham
Succeeded byParnell J. Donahue
Personal details
Born(1920-09-10)September 10, 1920
Milbank, South Dakota, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 1997(1997-03-15) (aged 76)
Political partyRepublican
Alma materNorthwestern University School of Law
ProfessionAttorney

Phil Saunders (September 10, 1920 – March 15, 1997) was an American politician and soldier who fought in World War II,[1] an American attorney and 19th Attorney General of South Dakota from 1955 to 1959. Born in Milbank, South Dakota, he was married to the niece of U.S. Senator Francis Case.[2]

Career

Saunders was a Republican. He graduated from the Northwestern University School of Law.[3]

1954 Attorney General election

On July 27, 1954, Saunders was nominated for attorney general at the state convention by acclamation; Governor Sigurd Anderson said he thought that was the first time the nomination for the office for a first term had been awarded without a contest.[4] Saunders defeated his general election opponent, Democrat Fred Nichols.[5][6]

1956 Attorney General election

On July 16, 1956, Saunders was nominated by acclamation at the state convention in his re-election bid.[7] In the general election, Saunders defeated Democrat William H. Heuermann by 156,149 votes to 127,988.[8]

1958 gubernatorial election

In 1958, Saunders ran for Governor of South Dakota. He defeated L. Roy Houck for the Republican nomination,[9] but lost to Democrat Ralph Herseth in the general election.

References

  1. ^ Deadwood Pioneer-Times, October 28, 1954, page 4
  2. ^ Deadwood Pioneer-Times, October 28, 1954, page 4
  3. ^ "Blue Book Legislative Manual, 1955 & 1957 editions". sdsos.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Rapid City Journal, July 27, 1954, Page 1
  5. ^ Deadwood Pioneer-Times, October 28, 1954, page 4
  6. ^ "Blue Book Legislative Manual, 1955 edition". sdsos.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  7. ^ The Daily Plainsman, July 17, 1956, page 1
  8. ^ "Blue Book Legislative Manual, 1957 edition". sdsos.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "4 Jun 1958, Page 1 - Argus-Leader at". Newspapers.com. 1958-06-04. Retrieved 2020-09-22.