Doug Burgum

Doug Burgum
Official portrait, 2025
55th United States Secretary of the Interior
Assumed office
February 1, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyKatharine MacGregor
Preceded byDeb Haaland
33rd Governor of North Dakota
In office
December 15, 2016 – December 15, 2024
LieutenantBrent Sanford
Tammy Miller
Preceded byJack Dalrymple
Succeeded byKelly Armstrong
Personal details
Born
Douglas James Burgum

(1956-08-01) August 1, 1956 (age 70)
Arthur, North Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Karen Stoker
​
​
(m. 1991; div. 2003)​
Kathryn Helgaas
​
(m. 2016)​
Children3
EducationNorth Dakota State University (BA)
Stanford University (MBA)
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • investor
  • philanthropist
  • politician
Signature
WebsiteGovernment website

Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and politician who has been the 55th and current United States Secretary of the Interior since 2025. He was the 33rd Governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party. He joined Great Plains Software in 1983 and became the company’s president in 1984 until resigning in 2016 for his gubernatorial run.

Burgum briefly ran for President of the United States in the 2024 election. He was seen as a possible vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign before Ohio Senator JD Vance was selected. In November 2024, Burgum was nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as the United States Secretary of the Interior and chair of the National Energy Council.

Early life

Burgum was born and raised in the small town of Arthur, North Dakota. He studied at North Dakota State University and Stanford University. While at Stanford, he became friends with Steve Ballmer, who would later be CEO of Microsoft.

Business career

In 1983, Burgum invested in a small technology startup company, Great Plains Software. He became the company's president in 1984. Burgum sold the company to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001. While working at Microsoft, he managed Microsoft Business Solutions. He was board chairman for Atlassian and SuccessFactors. Burgum is the founder of Kilbourne Group, a real-estate development firm.

Governor of North Dakota

In 2016, Burgum announced his plan to run for Governor of North Dakota as a Republican. He ran against State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who won the party's support at the party convention in April. However, Burgum was able to beat Stenehjem in the primary election two months later to win the nomination. Burgum would go on to win the November general election with over 75% of the vote.

Burgum was sworn in as the 33rd governor of North Dakota on December 15, 2016.

Burgum has set a goal for North Dakota to become carbon-neutral by 2030. In 2018, Burgum created the Vision Zero project. Since then, traffic-related deaths in North Dakota have reached record lows.

Burgum announced on January 22, 2024 that he would not run for a third term. His term ended in December 2024 with U.S. Representative Kelly Armstrong replacing him.

2024 presidential campaign

On June 7, 2023, Burgum announced his presidential candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. His announcement made him the first North Dakotan to run for president. Burgum is reported to have spent more money on advertisements than any other presidential candidate since he began his campaign. After low polling numbers and failing to qualify in the third and fourth presidential debate, Burgum suspended his campaign on December 4, 2023. Afterward, Burgum began campaigning for former President Donald Trump, who said he wanted Burgum to be an important member of his administration.

In May 2024, it was reported that Burgum was on the shortlist to be Trump's running mate in the 2024 election. By July 2024, Burgum and Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance were seen as the two frontrunners for the position. However Trump would go on to pick Vance as his running mate.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Burgum during his first day at the Department of the Interior building, February 2025

On November 14, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Burgum to serve as the United States Secretary of the Interior in his second administration. Trump also named Burgum as his new "energy czar" and chair of the National Energy Council to handle deregulation and private investments. This role will also give Burgum a seat on the National Security Council.

Burgum's nomination was supported by many Republican senators, including John Barrasso, Dan Sullivan, and Tim Sheehy. Many tribal leaders also expressed support for his nomination. However, several environmental groups did not like his nomination because of Burgum's connections to and plans for the fossil fuel industry.

Burgum's confirmation hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee was held on January 16, 2025. During his hearing, he supported drilling and saw making the country's energy as a huge financial gain while also calling climate change a "global phenomenon". Following his hearing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee scheduled a vote for January 23 for a full vote on the Senate floor. The committee voted 18-2 to advance Burgum to a full Senate vote. He would later be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 79–18 vote on January 30, 2025 and was sworn-in on February 1 by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Personal life

Burgum married his first wife, Karen Stoker, in 1991. They divorced in 2003. They had three children. In 2016, Burgum married Kathryn Helgaas.

References

  1. ↑ "Doug Burgum elected Governor; speech upcoming on WDAY". Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ Gretchen Heim Olson. "Spring 2006: Doug Burgum's Prairie Fire 20 Years and Blazing". North Dakota Horizons. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Karlgaard, Rich (June 13, 2017). "America's Best Entrepreneurial Governor". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Kawamoto, Dawn. "Great Plains IPO takes off". CNET. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  5. ↑ LibNelson (December 11, 2014). "North Dakota's quest not to blow its oil wealth". Vox.
  6. ↑ Stacy Cowley (March 10, 2005). "Interview: Doug Burgum on Microsoft's business apps plan". InfoWorld.
  7. ↑ "Atlassian Expands Its Board, Appoints Former SuccessFactors Chair Doug Burgum As Chairman". TechCrunch. AOL. July 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ John Hageman / Forum News Service. "Businesses cite workforce struggles in push for discrimination ban". INFORUM. Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  9. ↑ Springer, Patrick (January 14, 2016). "Doug Burgum announces bid for North Dakota governor". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  10. ↑ "news". INFORUM.
  11. ↑ "North Dakota Secretary of State". ND Secretary of State. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Official Results General Election". North Dakota Voting Information & Central Election Systems. North Dakota Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ Smith, Nick (December 15, 2016). "Burgum to Emphasize Government Reinvention". The Bismarck Tribune. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  14. ↑ Holgate, Julie (December 15, 2016). "Doug Burgum Takes Office as ND Governor Today". Valley News Live. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  15. ↑ Sisk, Amy R. "Burgum touts goal to make North Dakota carbon neutral by 2030". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  16. ↑ "Vision Zero 2021-2023 Biennium Update" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  17. ↑ Fortinsky, Sarah (January 22, 2024). "Burgum won't seek another term as North Dakota governor after failed presidential bid". The Hill. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  18. ↑ Burgum, Doug (June 6, 2023). "Doug Burgum: Why I'm Running for President in 2024". Wall Street Journal.
  19. ↑ Carvell, Tasha. "The first North Dakotan to run for President". The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ McCormick, John (May 26, 2023). "North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Poised to Enter GOP Presidential Race". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Burgum is the top ad spender since he entered 2024 campaign". NBC News. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  22. ↑ Shabad, Rebecca (4 December 2023). "Doug Burgum Suspends Presidential Campaign". NBC News. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  23. ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica (4 December 2023). "Doug Burgum Announces He's Suspending His 2024 Presidential Campaign". CNN. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  24. ↑ "Trump teases ex-rival Doug Burgum could hold 'important' admin role after Iowa win". Fox News. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  25. ↑ Cook, Nancy; Lai, Stephanie (May 2, 2024). "Trump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm Beach". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  26. ↑ Gomez, Henry J.; Allen, Jonathan; Burns, Dasha; Lee, Carol E.; Dixon, Matt; Sonnier, Olympia (June 21, 2024). "Trump is focused on Doug Burgum, JD Vance and Marco Rubio as his VP search enters the home stretch". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  27. ↑ Main, Alison. "Trump selects Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate". CNN. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  28. ↑ Samuels, Brett (November 14, 2024). "Donald Trump to nominate Doug Burgum to lead Interior". The Hill. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Trump names Interior-designee Doug Burgum to head new White House council on energy". Associated Press News. November 15, 2024.
  30. ↑ O'Connell, Oliver (November 5, 2024). "Trump returns to MSG for UFC fight night as he picks oil CEO Chris Wright for energy secretary: Live". The Independent.
  31. ↑ "Trump has a new energy czar". Politico. November 15, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Trump's 'energy czar' pick means US renewables might still be part of the plan". November 20, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Hill Republicans rejoice over Burgum pick for Interior". Politico. November 15, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Sheehy endorses some Trump cabinet picks, declines to respond on others". November 18, 2024.
  35. ↑ Schafer, Amelia (2024-11-15). "Interior Secretary nominee draws praise from tribal leaders". ICT News. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  36. ↑ Igni, Martina (2024-11-18). "Environmentalists Weigh in on Trump Cabinet Picks". Earth.Org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  37. ↑ "Hearing to Consider the Nomination of the Honorable Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior". United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  38. ↑ Friedman, Lisa. "Doug Burgum, Trump's Choice for Interior, Aims for 'Energy Dominance'". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  39. ↑ Skurzewski, Joe. "Report: Senate committee to vote Thursday on Burgum Interior nomination". KVLY-TV. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  40. ↑ Magill, Bobby. "Senate Panel Advances Trump's Nomination for Interior Secretary". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  41. ↑ Budryk, Zack (2025-01-30). "Senate confirms Burgum as Interior secretary". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  42. ↑ https://www.kxnet.com/news/gov-elect-burgum-announces-marriage/amp/
  43. ↑ Ingersoll, Archie (February 11, 2017). "As a recovering addict herself, ND's first lady hopes to tackle addiction issues". Inforum. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020.

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