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Richard F

Richard Francis "Dick" Kneip (7 January 1933-9 March 1987) was the Democratic Governor of South Dakota from 5 January 1971 to 24 July 1978, succeeding Frank Farrar and preceding Harvey L. Wollman.

Biography[]

Richard Francis Kneip was born in Tyler, Minnesota in 1933, and he was raised in Elkton, South Dakota. He served in the US Air Force before coming to own a wholesale dairy equipment in Salem, South Dakota; he also served in the State Senate from 1965 to 1971 and as Governor from 1971 to 1978. He was noted for major reform efforts such as creating a cabinet system for the state government; he also presided over the resolution of the Wounded Knee Occupation. Kneip served as the United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1978 to 1980, but he lost in his 1986 gubernatorial bid. He died in Sioux Falls in 1987.

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