Arthur A. Link

Arthur Albert Link (May 24, 1914 – June 1, 2010) was an American politician and farmer of the North Dakota Democratic Party, and later the Democratic-NPL. He served as a U.S. Representative from 1971 to 1973 and as the 27th Governor of North Dakota from 1973 to 1981.

Early Life
Link was born in Alexander, North Dakota. He attended the McKenzie County schools, and North Dakota Agricultural College. Link began a career as a farmer soon after his 1939 marriage, and became active in politics as a member of the local chapters of the National Farmers' Union and Nonpartisan League.

political career
He was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1946 as a Democrat. Link served for 14 years as the house's minority leader, and was speaker of the house from 1965 to 1967. He was also a member of the Randolph Township Board, 1942–1972; McKenzie County Welfare Board, 1948–1969; Randolph School Board, 1945–1963; county and State Farm Security Administration committee, 1941–1946; and delegate, North Dakota State conventions, 1964–1968.

House of Representatives 1971-1973
In 1970, Link was persuaded to run for U.S. Congress from the western district of North Dakota to succeed Republican incumbent Thomas S. Kleppe, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. It was a job with little long-term security as by then it appeared certain the state would be reduced to a single congressional district after the census. He was narrowly elected as a Dem-NPLer to the Ninety-second Congress (January 3, 1971 – January 2, 1973) in a mild surprise. Link opted not to challenge the state's veteran incumbent (Republican Mark Andrews) for re-election in the new at-large district in 1972 and instead ran for Governor of North Dakota.

Elections
Link ran for governor in 1972 defeating Edward P. Burns for the Democratic nomination. In the general election he faced Republican lieutenant governor Richard F. Larsen. Link won the election, receiving 51% of the vote to Larsen’s 49%. Link ran for a second term in 1976, He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced Republican nominee Richard Elkin in the general election. His campaign slogan was “Art Link: Good judgment we can trust” On November 2, 1976 Link won re-election defeating Elkin by a 5% margin. In 1980. Link ran for a third term. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed and in the general election faced Republican nominee and State Attorney General Allen I. Olson. Link Lost reelection to Olson by a 54%-46% Margin.

Tenure
Link served from January 2, 1973, until January 6, 1981. As governor, Link favored careful management of the state's natural resources - particularly when the energy crisis caused controversy between those who wished to exploit North Dakota's coal and oil and those who wished to protect the state's environment. North Dakota's agricultural community prospered during Link's administration. Income and property tax laws were reformed by the legislature, but a reapportionment bill was vetoed by Link. he promoted foreign and domestic trade.

he was well liked and well respected as governor. Those of all political persuasions found common ground with him. Some considered him a social conservative who was staunchly anti-abortion, deeply religious and willing to stand for principle even when political wisdom dictated otherwise, vetoing a bill to lower the state minimum drinking age to 19 years and providing leadership against legalizing gambling in the state. Others viewed him as a moderate as he was also astute fiscally, managing to avoid raising taxes of one of the poorer states in the nation. Still others saw him as a progressive, since he was still able to maintain and grow an excellent education system with affordable universities and students who consistently achieve some of the top test scores in the United States..

Later life
After his defeat, Link remained active in public life, leading a successful fight against a state lottery in 1984. He also remained a strong force for historical preservation and writing of local histories. He and his wife Grace lived in Bismarck, North Dakota.

He is fondly remembered by North Dakotans and former North Dakotans, Dem-NPLers and Republicans alike as one of the best governors the state ever enjoyed. Though the Democratic-NPL has been able to elect only one governor since Link vacated the office in 1981, they managed to occupy all the seats in the state's federal congressional delegation from 1987 until January 2011, with every member therein having served during the Link Administration.

A movie was made of the Links' lives in 2008, entitled: "When the Landscape is Quiet Again".

Link died at St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, on June 1, 2010, eight days after his 96th birthday. He was survived by his wife of 71 years, former First Lady of North Dakota Grace Link, with whom he had six children. Grace Link died in March 2024, at the age of 105.