North Dakota’s Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem Passes Away at 68
3 min readRecently North Dakota’s longest-serving Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem was hospitalized. As per sources, on 28 January he died unexpectedly. At the time of his death, the Attorney General was 68-year-old.
The Office of Attorney General in North Dakota announced the news of the sudden demise of Wayne Stenehjem. As per reports, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem was survived by Beth Bakke Stenehjem, his wife, and Andrew, their son. His family is in grief.
The governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, has released a statement that says, “Wayne embodied public service, both as a dedicated legislator and the longest-serving attorney general in our state’s 133-year history.”
We are saddened by the news of the passing of North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. Our thoughts and prayers are with Beth, Andrew, and the Stenehjem Family. pic.twitter.com/5nMhf3ntCI
— University of North Dakota Police (@UNDPoliceDept) January 29, 2022
Wayne Stenehjem also received the credit for the state’s safety which w as reportedly a result of “his unwavering commitment to law and order”. Burgum added to his statement, “it was an honor and a privilege to serve alongside Wayne on the North Dakota Industrial Commission and State Land Board.”
The last rites of late Wayne Stenehjem will be performed at Bismarck Funeral Home and Crematory.
Doug Burgum posted a tweet by writing, “like so many North Dakotans who treasured his friendship and admired him for his more than four decades of exceptional service to our state, Kathryn and I are absolutely devastated by the passing of attorney general Wayne Stenehjem.”
Wayne Stenehjem Was Found Unresponsive After Fall At His Home On Friday Morning
As per sources, Wayne Stenehjem’s brother Allan has said that he fell at his home on Friday morning and after that, he was reacting unresponsive. The incident happened at 8:27 AM. When his family members saw his health condition they shifted the attorney general to a Bismarck hospital nearby.
After check-up doctor said that Wayne Stenehjem might have fallen because of his inflamed ulcer. According to Allan, Wayne Stenehjem was normal by afternoon as he was responsive and under treatment. Therefore after going through Allan’s statement we can say that Wayne did not die because of Covid-19.
The actual reason for his death is not yet revealed. Sources said, “the most common fatality from ulcers is when it burst and causes a hemorrhage. The ruptured ulcer may also cause digestive fluids and acid to leak into the abdominal cavity, causing further life-threatening complications.”
Like so many North Dakotans who treasured his friendship and admired him for his more than four decades of exceptional service to our state, Kathryn and I are absolutely devastated by the passing of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. pic.twitter.com/MKrGNnTHar
— Gov. Doug Burgum (@DougBurgum) January 29, 2022
Exploring Wayne Stenehjem’s Legacy
Wayne Stenehjem was graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in law in the year 1977. Stenehjem was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in the year 1976. He served in the state’s senate for 20 years after getting elected for the same in 1980.
He was placed in the position of North Dakota’s 29th attorney general in the year 2001 and served there until his death. Wayne won the re-elections in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. In 2021, he declared that his final term after his retirement will end in 2022.