Donald Grant Nutter
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| Donald Grant Nutter | |
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15th Governor of Montana
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| In office 1961 – 1962 |
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| Lieutenant | Tim M. Babcock |
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Member of the Montana State Senate
from the 19th district |
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| In office 1951 – 1959 |
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| Born | November 28, 1915 Lambert, Montana |
| Died | January 25, 1962 Wolf Creek, Montana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Maxine Trotter |
| Children | John Nutter |
| Alma mater | University of Montana |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
Donald Grant Nutter (November 28, 1915 – January 25, 1962) was an American politician. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in World War II, Nutter served in the Montana Senate and as the chair of the state Republican Party prior to being elected governor of Montana in 1960. He was killed in an airplane crash during a blizzard.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Donald Grant Nutter was born November 28, 1915 in Lambert, Montana[1], the second of three sons born to Chesley E. Nutter and Anne Grant (Wood) Nutter. The family moved to Sidney, Montana in 1918.
Nutter attended North Dakota State College of Science for two years before transferring to University of Montana-Missoula in 1935. He left school after his father became ill, returning to Sidney were he entered public service in 1937 as the deputy clerk of the Richland County District Court. He held that position for a year, then served for another year as the undersheriff of Richland County.[1]
[edit] Marriage and children
Nutter met his future wife, Maxine Trotter, at an ice cream shop where she worked with her parents. The pair were married in Lewistown, Montana on April 16, 1938 and had one son, John.
[edit] Career
Following his marriage, Nutter entered the farm equipment business in Sidney. He did well and moved his young family to Glasgow, Montana where he managed a farm equipment sales company for two years.
With the outbreak of World War II, Nutter joined the Army Air Forces. As a B-24 bomber pilot, he flew 62 combat missions, logging more than 500 hours of combat time. He spent 13 months in the China-Burma-India Theater and was discharged at the rank of Captain after 39 months of service.
He opened his own farm implement dealership in Sidney after the war before deciding in 1948 to return to working toward a law degree. Nutter was elected to the Montana State Senate in 1950, serving his eastern Montana constituents while attending law school in western Montana. In 1954, he was admitted to the Montana Bar and re-elected for another term in the state Senate. During his time in the statehouse, his position changes from "a cautious reactionary to a conscientious, business-minded liberal with a host of friends and supporters throughout the state"[2].
After defeat as the incumbent seeking a third term, he served as the chairman of the Montana Republican Central Committee from 1958 to 1960. He secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination and was elected governor of Montana in November 1960. During his tenure, state spending was reduced and new industrial developments were promoted.[1]
[edit] Death and afterward
On the night of January 25, 1962, Nutter was en route to a speaking engagement in Cut Bank, Montana when the C-47 Skytrain he was a passenger in crashed. Winds exceeding 100 mph sheared off one of the wings of the plane, causing the aircraft to go down in Wolf Creek Canyon north of Helena. Also killed in the crash were Dennis Gordon, his executive secretary; Edward Wren, commissioner of agriculture; and three members of the Montana Air National Guard: Maj. Clifford Hanson, Maj. Joseph Devine and Master Sgt. Charles Ballard.
Nutter's casket laid in state in Montana's Capitol House Chambers, flanked by the caskets of Wren and Gordon and under watch by two Montana National Guardsmen[3], prior to being interred in the Sidney City Cemetery in Sidney, Montana.
Elsewhere in Sidney, Nutter is remembered with a statue in Central Park and by the Donald G. Nutter Building, which is home to the Richland County Extension Office.
At the Montana State Capitol in Helena, a bronze plaque outside the south entrance to the statehouse remembers Nutter and the others lost in the 1962 air crash.[4]
[edit] Works
[edit] Letters
Nutter's correspondence, press releases, and speeches are included in the Montana Governors records collection at the Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives in Helena, Montana.[5] Dennis Gordon, his executive secretary had a bright career ahead. As a young 28 year military officer in the U.S. Army, he had been appointed the interim Military Governor of Korea. He had returned to Montana after the War to enter a career in Gordon Construction of Missoula Montana. After a brief time, he resigned a partnership in this company to pursue a legal degree and then one of politics.
[edit] Awards
- Air Medal with cluster
- Distinguished Flying Cross with clusters
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Montana Governor Donald Grant Nutter. National Governors' Association. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ "Who's Who In The State House", TIME, 1960-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ Elliott, Sarah (2006-09-11). Governor Tom Judge to Lie In State in Supreme Court Chambers this Wednesday (press release). Montana Office of the Governor. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ Johnson, Charles S.. "Nutter, others honored with plaque", Billings Gazette, 2006-09-15. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ Guide to the Montana Governors records 1889-1962. Northwest Digital Archives (2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
[edit] External links
- Governor Donald G. Nutter timeline and photos on Richland County website
- Governor Don Nutter statue images on sculptor Bob Stayton's website
| Preceded by J. Hugo Aronson |
Governor of Montana 1961 – 1962 |
Succeeded by Tim M. Babcock |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nutter, Donald Grant |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | 15th Governor of Montana. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 28, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lambert, Montana |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 25, 1962 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Wolf Creek, Montana |
