Ralph Herseth (1909-1969) was born on a ranch near Houghten and grew to manhood there. He graduated from Columbia High School and attended North Dakota State College. As a farmer-rancher, he raised wheat, corn, and Aberdeen Angus cattle and liked to be regarded as a typical second-generation son of the soil. He also operated a farm implement business in Hecla. In 1937 he married his high school sweetheart, Lorna Buntrock of Columbia, who served as South Dakota's Secretary of State from 1972 to 1978. They had three children: Karen, Connie, and Lars. Ralph served as an officer or director of the Northern Electric Cooperative, the James Valley Telephone Cooperative, the Houghton Elevator, and many civic betterment organizations of Brown County. He was a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church. As State Senator in 1951-52 and 1955-56, his abilities brought him into the political limelight. In 1958 he was elected Governor, becoming only the third Democratic Governor in state history. His governorship was marked by compassion and honesty, firmness and aggressive purpose, and under his leadership the first statewide teachers' retirement benefit program was established.