Ed Schafer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ed Schafer
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Official portrait, 2008
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| Acting President of the University of North Dakota | |
| In office January 14, 2016 – July 1, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Kelley |
| Succeeded by | Mark Kennedy |
| 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture | |
| In office January 28, 2008 – January 20, 2009 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Mike Johanns |
| Succeeded by | Tom Vilsack |
| 30th Governor of North Dakota | |
| In office December 15, 1992 – December 15, 2000 |
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| Lieutenant | Rosemarie Myrdal |
| Preceded by | George A. Sinner |
| Succeeded by | John Hoeven |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Thomas Schafer
August 8, 1946 Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Jones |
| Children | 2 2 stepchildren |
| Education | University of North Dakota (BA) University of Denver (MBA) |
Edward Thomas Schafer (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician. He served as the 30th Governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. Later, he became the 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. From January to July 2016, he was the temporary president of the University of North Dakota.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Ed Schafer was born and grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota. His father, Harold Schafer, was a well-known businessman. Ed comes from a German family. He has one sister named Pamela.
Education and College Life
Schafer went to the University of North Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree there in 1969. He was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1970, he earned a master's degree in business from the University of Denver.
Family Life
Schafer is married to Nancy Jones. They have two children, Thomas and Ellie. Ed also has two stepchildren, Eric and Kari. His sister, Pam, was married to former U.S. Senator Kent Conrad.
Gold Seal Company
After college, Schafer started working full-time at his family's business, the Gold Seal Company. His father, Harold Schafer, started this company in North Dakota in 1942.
Gold Seal made and sold popular products like "Mr. Bubble" bubble bath, "Glass Wax" cleaner, and "Snowy Bleach."
Ed Schafer worked his way up in the company. He was the company president from 1978 to 1985. At its best, Gold Seal made a lot of money each year. It was one of North Dakota's biggest private companies.
TV Show Appearance: Junkyard Wars
Ed Schafer has always enjoyed building machines from old, used parts. He was chosen to be a contestant on the Discovery Channel's engineering show, Junkyard Wars. On the show, teams had to build a machine using only junked parts.
In 2003, Schafer was the captain of the "High Flyers" team during the show's fifth season. His team came in second place in the competition.
Governor of North Dakota
Schafer was elected as the 30th governor of North Dakota two times. He served from 1992 to 2000. He is a member of the Republican Party.
First Election as Governor
In 1990, Schafer ran for the U.S. House of Representatives but did not win. In 1992, he ran for governor of North Dakota. He and his running mate, Rosemarie Myrdal, won the election. They received almost 58% of the votes.
When Schafer became governor, North Dakota was facing some money problems. These challenges continued during his time in office.
Key Achievements as Governor
As governor, Schafer managed the state's yearly budgets and a large team of state employees. He worked hard to grow and diversify North Dakota's economy. For example, he helped businesses make more agricultural products like corn sweeteners and pasta.
He also helped build stronger trade relationships with China. This made China a major buyer of North Dakota's products and services in the 1990s.
During the rise of the internet, Schafer understood that North Dakota needed better internet access. He worked with leaders in government and business to improve the state's communication systems. This helped bring high-speed internet to farms, ranches, businesses, and homes in rural areas.
In 1995, Schafer was the leader of the Midwestern Governors Association. He was reelected as governor in 1996, winning about two-thirds of the votes.
Schafer cared a lot about protecting nature. He helped the U.S. Forest Service buy the 5,200-acre Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota in 2007. This ranch was once owned by former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It is now part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
From 1999 to 2000, Schafer was the leader of the Republican Governors Association. He decided not to run for governor again in 2000.
Work After Being Governor
After leaving the governor's office, Schafer co-founded and became the CEO of Extend America. This was a new wireless communication company.
In 2002, he was appointed as a civilian advisor to the United States Secretary of the Army. Schafer also often filled in as a guest host for a radio show called Hot Talk in Fargo, North Dakota.
He also advised and spoke for the North Dakota chapter of Americans for Prosperity. This is a group that supports conservative ideas.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
In October 2007, President George W. Bush chose Ed Schafer to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.
Confirmation and Early Challenges
Schafer had strong support from the Senate. His confirmation hearing was moved up so he could attend the President's State of the Union address as a cabinet member. On January 28, 2008, the Senate approved his appointment without any opposing votes.
Soon after he took office, a big problem came up. It involved a company called Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company. This company was the second-largest supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program. There were concerns about animal treatment and food safety.
This led to the largest recall of meat in U.S. history. Schafer's department had to focus on how to handle problems with unsafe food practices and animal treatment at meat processing plants.
Addressing Animal Welfare Concerns
The Humane Society of the United States shared videos showing workers mistreating cattle that could not walk. Many people were concerned about using these "downer" cattle (animals unable to stand or walk) for human food. They worried about health, food safety, and ethical treatment of animals.
The company recalled a huge amount of beef and closed the plant where the videos were taken. This event made people question the safety of the nation's beef supply.
At first, Schafer said he would not support a complete ban on "downer" cows entering the food supply. However, he later changed his mind. On August 27, 2008, the USDA announced a new rule. Schafer stated that "to maintain consumer confidence in the food supply... I believe it is sound policy to simplify this matter by initiating a complete ban on the slaughter of downer cattle."
As Schafer had predicted, Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company eventually went out of business.
Legal Action and Impact
Based on the work done by USDA staff during Schafer's time, the U.S. government sued Hallmark/Westland. They accused the company of animal cruelty, lying, and fraud. The government won a huge judgment of $497 million.
This was the largest judgment ever for agriculture-related fraud and animal cruelty in federal court. The U.S. Department of Justice, with the USDA's help, joined a lawsuit against Hallmark. They claimed Hallmark cheated the government by not following rules for humane animal treatment in school lunch contracts.
Most of the $497 million was not collected because Hallmark went bankrupt. The amount was later reduced to $155 million in a settlement. Some of this money was paid by company executives and family members.
The government hoped these large judgments would stop other slaughterhouses from animal cruelty and fraud in the future.
Schafer left his position as Secretary of Agriculture in January 2009, when President Bush's term ended.
Temporary President of the University of North Dakota
On November 9, 2016, the Board of Higher Education chose Schafer to be the temporary president of the University of North Dakota. He said he did not plan to apply for the permanent job. Schafer signed a contract in December 2015 to take over after the previous president, Robert Kelley, retired on January 14, 2016.
Some university faculty members were not happy with Schafer's appointment. This was mainly because he did not have a doctorate degree or experience managing a research university. Schafer's career had been mostly in business and politics.
Despite his lack of academic leadership experience, Schafer became the highest-paid administrator in the state's higher education system at that time. He was paid $33,216 per month for his work.
Addressing the Fighting Sioux Name Issue
One of the big tasks Schafer took on was overseeing the final steps of the Fighting Sioux naming issue. This issue involved disagreements over the University's use of the Sioux name for its sports teams.
On his first day as temporary president, a team met to review ideas for a new logo for the Fighting Hawks. Five months later, near the end of his term, Schafer showed off the new logo at a news conference. He called it a "historic moment."
On March 15, 2016, Mark Kennedy was chosen as the next permanent president of the University of North Dakota. Kennedy started his term on July 1 of that year.
Electoral History
- 1996 Race for Governor
- Ed Schafer (Republican) (incumbent), 66%
- Lee Kaldor (Democrat), 34%
- 1992 Race for Governor
- Ed Schafer (Republican), 58%
- Nick Spaeth (Democrat), 41%
- 1990 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – At Large
- Byron Dorgan (Democrat) (incumbent), 65%
- Ed Schafer (Republican), 35%
