Longtime local, state leader Longmire dies

George Longmire, a Tennessee gentleman transplanted to North Dakota, a state senator and attorney active in community groups such as the Lions Club, died March 25 at Auburn Manor in Chaska, Minn. He was 96.

Longmire was with the FBI when he first came to Grand Forks in 1946 to investigate the potential sabotage of a building where lifesaving belts were made. At his 90th birthday party in 2005, Longmire told friends and family he had never regretted settling in North Dakota, according to a story in the Herald archives.

In the 1950s, Longmire worked as a Grand Forks police detective and finished law school at UND. He served in the North Dakota state Senate for 20 years, from the late 1950s to the early 1970s and was for a time the Senate majority leader.

He was chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party in 1956, when the Non Partisan League (which began as a faction with the Republican Party in 1915) merged with the North Dakota Democratic Party.

“He had a very illustrious campaign,” said Lloyd Omdahl, former North Dakota lieutenant governor from the Democratic-NPL party. “When the NPL broke up and most of it went with the Democrats, George worked with the old guard of the NPL.”

Longmire, with his shock of white hair, black-rimmed glasses and Tennessee drawl, was highly regarded by members of both parties and was a great compromiser, Omdahl said.

“He would never survive today because he was a moderate,” Omdahl said.

Tim Dittus of Grand Forks knew Longmire as a fellow attorney and from the Grand Forks Lions Club, where Longmire had been a member “forever,” Dittus said.

“I knew him as a real gentleman,” Dittus said.

Longmire was a great storyteller, and there were plenty of stories about him, too. One was about Longmire’s father, who was very proud of his son for being an FBI agent. However, when George Longmire’s superiors discovered that Longmire, on an undercover assignment at the time, was carrying a letter in his coat from his father addressed to “George Longmire, FBI Building,” it nearly was the end of Longmire’s career.

For years, because he was could tell such good stories, Longmire represented the Grand Forks Lions Club in a Liars Contest that was part of a competition among members of Grand Forks service club. In real life, however, Longmire was a man of his word.

“He was such a principled guy and stood up for his convictions,” Dittus said. “He was in the Legislature a long time. I think his law practice suffered because of his political involvement but he never let that stop him for serving the public.”

With his sense of humor and strong social conscience, Longmire was well-known in Grand Forks, Omdahl said.

“He was an outstanding lawyer and a gentleman,” said Judge Joel Medd of Grand Forks, who knew Longmire from the courtroom and from the community. “He was very much in contrast to some today in that he was a very amiable legislator. Today there is so much bitterness going on.”

George Longmire was born Aug. 2, 1915, in LaFollette, Tenn., to D.R. “Doc” Longmire and Julia (Jones) Longmire. Longmire had been attending law school at George Washington University before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. At that time, he signed on with the U.S. Navy.

He married Gloria Bergan on Aug. 2, 1947, and they had two children. She died Dec. 29, 2004. Although he first came to Grand Forks in 1946, it wasn’t until 10 years later that he returned to stay. He practiced law with Gordon Caldis and later George Unruh, retiring when he was 89.

Longmire served as Grand Forks County state’s attorney. During 20 years as a state legislator, he became known for his strong, powerful orations, according to stories in the Herald archives. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Locally, he was active in organizations such as the Lions Club and served on the board of the UND Alumni Association. He was active as a UND Sioux Booster, and rarely missed a Sioux football or hockey game.

In 2006, Longmire married Mary Jane Weimer. Additional survivors include a daughter, Linda Longmire, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His son, George Longmire Jr., died in 2009.

A memorial service is being held today in Sorrento, Italy, for Longmire. A celebration of life service is being planned for May 27 at United Church of Christ (Federated Church), Grand Forks. Amundson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Reach Tobin at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or send e-mail to ptobin@gfherald.com.

Tags: chaska mn, north dakota, george longmire, updates, obituaries, minnesota

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