Small Town Upbringing & Education
Doug Burgum was raised in tiny Arthur, North Dakota. He was the youngest of three siblings. His  father died during his freshman year of high school, deeply impacting the rest of Burgum’s life.

After his father’s passing, Doug’s mother worked while raising him. From her, Doug learned the values of resiliency and work ethic and the importance of family.

Burgum worked as a chimney sweep to help pay his way through North Dakota State University and then earned an MBA from Stanford University. He soon returned to North Dakota, where he always dreamed of growing a business.

Successful Businessman
In 1983, Doug “bet the farm” to provide the seed capital for software startup Great Plains. Doug eventually grew Great Plains to create 2,000 jobs filled with people from over 220 North Dakota towns.

Doug has also maintained his commitment and connection to his roots through family farm partnerships and serving as a board member of Arthur Companies Inc., a diversified agribusiness founded by his grandparents in 1906. He also owns a ranch in western North Dakota. It remains a tradition to take part in cattle roundups and the annual calf branding.

Successful Governor
Doug won his first term as governor in 2016 and was reelected in a landslide in 2020. Forbes named Burgum “America’s Best Entrepreneurial Governor,” and the Wall Street Journal says Doug “shows [his] background as a businessman and entrepreneur.” Under his leadership, North Dakota has led the nation in innovation, creating a boom across the energy, agriculture and technology sectors.

In Burgum’s first year as governor, he inherited a budget shortfall of $1.7 billion and balanced the budget by reducing spending by 27% without raising taxes.

He helped pass term limits, made North Dakota more military- and police-friendly, and enacted the largest tax cut in North Dakota history.

North Dakota now has the country’s 6th highest GDP per capita, ranks among the highest nationally in energy production, and boasts one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates.

Personal
Burgum has three adult children and is married to Kathryn Burgum, now a nationally known advocate for addiction recovery.

Biography source:  
Doug Burgum for America | Home