Biography

Dahl was born on April 13, 1859 in Lewiston, Wisconsin

Lewiston, Wisconsin

Lewiston is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,187 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.9 square miles , of which, 54.0 square miles of it is land and 1.0 square miles of...

. He attended high school in Viroqua, Wisconsin

Viroqua, Wisconsin

Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,079 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Viroqua.-History:...

.

Career

Dahl was Supervisor of Westby, Wisconsin

Westby, Wisconsin

Westby is a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census.-History:Westby was named after general store owner and Civil War Union soldier Ole T. Westby of Biri, Norway, where many of the city's Norwegian-American settlers originated...

 from 1896 to 1897 and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

 from 1899 to 1901 and again from 1903 to 1907. Additionally, he was President of Westby from 1899 to 1902. He served a Treasurer of Wisconsin from 1907 to 1913. In 1912, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

 that nominated incumbent William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

 for President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, spurring the historic three-way campaign between Taft, former President Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

 and New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 Governor Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...

with Wilson ultimately winning.