An (updated) history of South Dakota Republican Party State Conventions

For the last several years, I had produced the SDGOP Newsletter, including a special convention edition that was distributed at the SDGOP Convention. Since I’m no longer doing that, I thought I’d share one of the most interesting items that I would regularly include in it; a history of the South Dakota Republican Party’s conventions.

1889 – September 4, Huron
1890 – August 27, Mitchell
1891 – September 29, Aberdeen
(Special to fill Cong. vacancy)
1892 – July 27, Madison
1894 – August 25, Yankton
1896 – July 8-9, Aberdeen
1898 – August 24-25, Mitchell
1900 – May 23, Sioux Falls
1902 – June 4, Sioux Falls
1904 – May 4, Sioux Falls
1906 – June 6, Sioux Falls
1908 – July 18, Mitchell
1910 – July 5, Sioux Falls
1912 – July 2, Huron
1914 – January 5, Pierre
1916- July 5, Huron
1918- July 2-3, Sioux Falls
1920 – August 9, Huron
1921 – December 7, Pierre
1924 – July 18, Huron
1926 – December 1, Pierre
1928 – August 17, Huron
1930 – May 20, Pierre
1932 – May 24, Pierre
1934 – May 29, Pierre
1936 – June 2, Pierre
1938 – June 27, Pierre
1940 – July 22, Pierre
1942 – June 6 – Pierre
1944 – May 29, Watertown
1946 – July 8, Pierre
1948 – July 12, Pierre
1950 – July 17, Pierre
1952 – July 21, Pierre
1954 – July 26, Pierre
1956 – July 16, Pierre
1958 – July 14, Pierre
1960 – August 1, Pierre
1962 – July 15-16, Pierre
1964 – August 1, Pierre
1966 – July 30, Pierre
1968 – July 15, Pierre
1970 – July 13, Pierre
1972 – June 26, Pierre
1974 – July 13, Rapid City
1976 – July 10, Pierre
1978 – June 22, Sioux Falls
1980 – June 27-28, Aberdeen
1982 – June 24-26, Yankton
1984 – June 28, Rapid City
1986 – June 28, Mitchell
1988 – June 22, Watertown
1990 – June 29, Sioux Falls
1992 – June 26, Spearfish
1994 – June 24, Pierre
1996 – June 27-29, Aberdeen
1998 – June 25, Pierre
2000 – June 22-24, Spearfish
2002 – June 21-22, Sioux Falls
2004 – January 23-24, Sioux Falls
(Special to fill Cong. vacancy)
2004 – June 24-26, Mitchell
2006 – June 22-24, Watertown
2008 – June 19-21, Oacoma
2010 – June 25-26, Huron
2012 – June 21-24, Sioux Falls
2014 – June 19-21, Rapid City
2016 – June 24-25, Aberdeen
2018 – June 21-23, Pierre
2020 – June 19-20 “Virtual Convention”
2022 – June 23-25, Watertown
2024 – June 5-8, Pierre

3 thoughts on “An (updated) history of South Dakota Republican Party State Conventions”

Keep in mind, the first three Conventions were to Set Up the State Government. Understanding Article 26, lays out the timeline, and process to selecting permanent Office Holders for Statewide Official Offices, and to filling the S.D Legislature itself. This was to 3 year process to create staggered terms, let alone a permanent State Government. Remember, the first two years, we had an Interim (temporary) government in place.

Yes, it was a struggle.From about 1975 on, the Territory has enough population for the Congress to direct that the process for a territory to become a State begin. They did not do so. The State was too raw, the Legislature filled with speculators, thieves, and, even murderers..The federally appointed Territorial Secretary, General McCook, was gunned down in the street in Yankton. The issue was railroad bonding. When Cleveland a Republican was elected, the Statehood issue ended as Democrats did not want one or two new Republican States. Governor Nehemiah Ordway, a stockholder in the northern Railroad moved the Territorial Capital to Bismarck. It took ten years to resolve all the conflict.It wasn’t until Governor Mellette turned out the corrupt “Yankton Ring” and favored the equally shady “Sioux Falls Ring” thatbantwo state proposal found favor in Washington.