Mark Andrews (politician)

Mark Andrews
United States Senator from North Dakota
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Milton Young
Succeeded by	Kent Conrad
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's At-large district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	New district
Succeeded by	Byron Dorgan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 1st district
In office October 22, 1963 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	Hjalmar Nygaard
Succeeded by	Elected statewide at-large
Personal details
Born	(1926-05-19) May 19, 1926 Cass County, North Dakota
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	North Dakota State University

Mark Andrews (born May 19, 1926) is an American politician from the state of North Dakota. He is a member of the United States Republican Party.

Andrews was born in Cass County, North Dakota, where he attended public school. In 1944 at the age of 18, Andrews was admitted to the United States Military Academy. He quit in 1946 after receiving a disability discharge. He then attended North Dakota State University at Fargo, North Dakota, where he became a member of the Gamma Tau Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and graduated in 1949.

Andrews then became a farmer. During the 1950s he began to enter politics, serving on farmers' organizations and Republican committees. In 1963 Andrews became the Republican candidate for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota when a special election was required after the death of congressman Hjalmar Nygaard. Andrews won the election. He was reelected to a full term in 1964 and served in the House until 1981, being re-elected every two years.

In 1980 Andrews decided not to run for re-election to the House. Instead, he ran for one of North Dakota's seats in the United States Senate which was being vacated by the long-serving Republican Milton Young who announced that he would not run for reelection and retire after the election. Andrews won the election with 70% of the vote and served in the Senate for one term, from 1981 to 1987. He was chairman of the select committee on Indian affairs from 1983 to 1987. He had a moderate voting record for most of his career.

Andrews was defeated for re-election in 1986 by Democratic-NPL Tax Commissioner Kent Conrad by a mere 2,120 votes in what is still considered an upset. Andrews retired from elective politics. He started a consultancy firm in Washington, D.C. but currently lives in Mapleton, North Dakota. Grand Forks International Airport in Grand Forks, North Dakota has sometimes been called Mark Andrews International Airport after him, but usage of the name has dropped out of popularity.

He was the last Republican to serve in Congress from North Dakota from the end of his term in 1987 until the election of Rick Berg to the House and John Hoeven to the Senate in 2010.

See also

• North Dakota United States Senate election, 1980
• North Dakota United States Senate election, 1986

Further reading

• Richard F. Fenno, Jr.: When Incumbency fails : the Senate Career of Mark Andrews, Congressional Quarterly Press, 1992.

External links

• Mark Andrews at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Hjalmar Carl Nygaard	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's 1st congressional district 1963–1973	Elected statewide at-large
New district	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's at-large congressional district 1973–1981	Succeeded by Byron Dorgan
United States Senate
Preceded by Milton R. Young	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from North Dakota 1981 – 1987 Served alongside: Quentin N. Burdick	Succeeded by Kent Conrad
Political offices
Preceded by William Cohen	Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee 1983 – 1987	Succeeded by Daniel Inouye