Oscar E. Erickson was a North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who served as the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner

The North Dakota Insurance Commissioner regulates the insurance industry in North Dakota, licenses insurance professionals in the state, educates consumers about different types of insurance, and handles consumer complaints...

 from 1937 to his death in 1945.

Biography

Oscar Erickson was born on July 7, 1884 at Bloomer, Wisconsin

Bloomer, Wisconsin

Bloomer is a city in Chippewa County located within the Town of Woodmohr in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population of the city of Bloomer is 3,539, after the 2010 census. The city of Bloomer is located south of the Town of Bloomer, which is also in Chippewa County...

 of immigrant parents. His parents had both emigrated from Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. He finished his elementary and technical education in Wisconsin, and moved to North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

 in 1905. He settled on a homestead

Homestead (buildings)

A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...

 near Tappen

Tappen, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 210 people, 88 households, and 54 families residing in the city. The population density was 167.7 people per square mile . There were 100 housing units at an average density of 79.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.52% White and 0.48%...

 in Kidder County. Erickson managed his farm until his death.

Erickson was elected to the North Dakota House in 1922, and served for 10 years until 1932. At that time, he was elected to the North Dakota Senate

North Dakota Senate

The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives.North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as determined by the decennial census...

, where he served until 1936 when he was elected as Insurance Commissioner of North Dakota. He also served as a fieldman in the Real Estate department of the Bank of North Dakota

Bank of North Dakota

The Bank of North Dakota is a state-owned and -run financial institution based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Under state law the bank is the State of North Dakota doing business as the Bank of North Dakota....

from 1932 to 1935. He served as Insurance Commissioner from 1937 until his death on August 15, 1945.