Arnold E. Amundson

Amundson was born in Colton, South Dakota, on August 25, 1911.^[2] Amundson graduated from high school in 1929, and attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.^{[3]: 100 [4]} He married Marguerite McCormick on September 1, 1933, and they would settle in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.^[4] They had three children together.^[3]: 155 Shortly after moving to Sioux Falls in 1943, Amundson worked for International Harverster in several cities.^[4] He soon formed the Dakota Farm Business in 1945 and was its owner until selling it in 1964.^[4][5] In 1951, he was elected as the president of the Sioux Lions club.^[6] Amundson was also a member of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce,^[4] president of the South Dakota Retail Farm Equipment Association, and director of the Minnesota-South Dakota Farm Equipment Association.^[7] In 1964, Amundson accepted a position at the Northwestern National Bank of Sioux Falls to manage its farm machinery.^[8][9] He served as the vice president and manager of the Stockyards Branch.^[10] He retired from the company in August 1976.^[9][7]

Amundson announced his campaign to represent the 11th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives in April 1976, seeking the Republican Party nomination.^{[3]: 155 [5][11]} During his campaign, he supported increased gasoline taxes and state funding for school districts, and was also against income and sales tax increases.^[9] He was elected with 22 thousand votes, alongside nine other candidates.^[12] Amundson was assigned to the Local Government Study Commission.^{[3]: 100 [13]} During the first few months of his term, several measures sponsored by Amundson were approved in the House, including one that called for an increase in the salaries of sheriffs, and another that endorsed the concept of the Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science.^[5] Amundson introduced legislation that created minimum mandatory sentences for armed crimes.^[14]

In March 1978 Amundson announced a bid for the South Dakota Senate after being encouraged by friends to do so and believing that there needed to be more experienced legislators in the chamber.^[15] During his campaign, he supported a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit abortion nationwide.^[16] He was elected alongside five other people, coming in second place and receiving over 17 thousand votes.^[17] Amundson was assigned to the Local Government Study Commission.^[18] Amundson announced his campaign for re-election in March 1980.^[19] He lost the primaries and garnered just shy of five thousand votes.^[20][21] After losing, he and Sheldon Songstad, who also lost, claimed that the county auditor was told by members of the Republican Party to alter the layout of the ballot, which lowered their chances for election.^[22]

In December 1980 Amundson stated that he would run for chairman of the Minnehaha County Republican Party. He was elected unopposed, succeeding Helen Boyer.^[23][24] On November 5, 1981, Amundson resigned from the position due to arising health problems.^[25] Amundson died on March 25, 1993, at the McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery on March 29.^[4]