The Devils Lake world., 1922-05-10
FORMER US. SENATOR CRONNA
EXPIRES At HIS HOME At LAK0TA

at o'clock Thursday night, from the
effects of cancer.
He is survived by his wife, three
daughtersj Mrs. X. F. Growing,
Washington, D. c., Mrs. c. w. Lewis,
Lakota, N. D., and Mrs. Joseph Her.
bert, jr., Washington, D. c., and two
sons, Arthur ]. Gronna, student at
Harvard university and James D.
Gronna of Lakota.
Funeral services were held at 2
p. m. Tuesday,, from the First Lu-
theran church at Lakota and Rev.
L. A. Haatvedt officiated. The body
lay in state at the Gronna residence,
from to 6 p. m. Sunday; 1 to 6
p. m. Monday and 10 a. m. until 1
p. M, the day of the funeral.
Mr.. Gronna was born at Elkader,
Clayton county, Iowa, on Dec. 10,
1858. His parents were immigrants
from Macs, Hallingsdal, Norway. His
father was engaged in farming, and
Mr.. Gronna's boyhood days were
spent on a farm.
When he was two years old the
family removed to Houston county,
Minnesota, and Mr.. Gronna was edu-
Gated in the public schools of that
county and in the Caledonia, Minn.,
academy. After leaving school he
taught for several years, two years in
Wilmington, Mimi, and moved to
Dakota territory in 1879. The young
farmer and schoolteacher settled in
Buxton, Trial county, in 1881, and
became clerk in general store and
postoffice. Later he engaged in the
implement business there with o. B.
Olson but sold out to Mr.. Olson and
went to Lakota. He married Bertha
M. Ostby of Spring Grove, Minn.,
while at Buxton.
Bought Out Partner
At Lakota he bought out his for
mer. Buxton employer, Arne Moen,
who had established a general store
there. The years that followed, 1883,
1889 and 1890 were hard ones for
this section of North Dakota. Flour
was sent in that the pioneer settlers
might have bread, and Gronna was
chosen to distribute it in his Sec
tion. >.5
During this time, the value of the
land decreased to almost nothing and
young Gronna found himself with a
number Of quarters sections on his
hands.
t'You could get a quarter off him
on trust like buying a jacknife from
a friendly hardware man." to quote
one old settler.
Return to proseprity, however,
made the general store keeper veal
thy. He engaged in the lumber bust
ness in addition to his other ventures,
and was president of the Farmers &
Merchants State bank of Lakota at
the time Of his death.
Served in 1889
Mr.. Gronna was elected member
of the house Of the legislature assem-
bly, of the territory of North Dakota
and he served as a member of the
18th territorial assembly in 1889, that
being the last territorial assembly.
Much Of the time of that session was
given over to business incident to the
establishment of North Dakota as a
state.
During the period from 1889 to
1900,, Mr.. Gronna, while active po-
litically, held no office except local
positions that included president of
the Lakota board Of trustees and
president of the board of education.
i While Mr.. Gronna was in the
United States Senate, he was favor
ably mentioned as ambassador to
Sweden.
In 1902 he became the chairman of
the Republican county central COM
mittee of Nelson county and he was
reelected to that position in 1904. In
1902 he was appointed to membership
of the board of regents of the Uni
versity of North Dakota by the then
governor, Frank White.
First Election
Mr.. Gronna's first election as a
member Of the house of representa-
tives of the United States was in
1904, he being the nominee Of the
Republican state convention at Grand
Forks that unseated B. F. Spalding
Of Fargo.
The Maneuvers by which Mr..
Gronna was nominated were influ-
enced very largely. Alexander Nc
Kenzie, although in more recent
years Mr.. Gronna and Mr.. Mckenzie
were of opposite views politically.
Mr.. Gronna began his service as a
member of congress on March 4, 1905,
and he was reelected in 1906 and
1908 and served until February, 1911
The death Of United States Senator
M. N. johnson in 1910, opened the
way for Mr.. Gronna's election to the
United States senate. He was can.
didate in the senatorial preferential
election Of 1910. The state at that
timer had law by which the parties
indorsed candidate for senator, such
Endorsement to be considered binding
under the legislative assembly which