EXTENSIONS of REMARKS 13881 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS AGNES KJORLIE GEELAN, Days Around the Writer's Discipline That, She State of North Dakota
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June 16, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 13881 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS AGNES KJORLIE GEELAN, days around the writer's discipline that, she state of North Dakota. <By contrast, 5,000 NORTH DAKOTA'S FIRST LADY says, delights her. copies of a nonfiction book by a new author "Writing is fun! It's the most enjoyable is considered a respectable showing-mar activity I can imagine," she says, pouring a keted from coast to coast.) HON. BYRON L. DORGAN cup of coffee and setting down in the bed "Bill was a fascinating, misunderstood OF NORTH DAKOTA room she's converted into a study and re man, born 25 years before this time," Agnes IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES search library. sums up the career of the man who so often "My dear friend, Sister Anne Burns of stood alone during his last isolationist days Monday, June 16, 1986 Mary College, told me years ago that to in the U.S. Senate. "I was amazed to find Mr. DORGAN of North Dakota. Mr. Speaker, become a writer I must write every day. She how many errors had appeared in published gave me a tiny owl to remind me, and it's accounts of his career and adventures over Agnes Kjorlie Geelan recently celebrated her watched from the wall ever since," she re the years." 90th birthday, still bright, sharp, and quick to flects. "I had never thought I could write. Colleagues urged Agnes to follow up the discuss the day's events. Since I discovered that I could, I've been success of her Langer book (which she has Her public career is an inspiration to all who faithful to her advice." allowed to go out of print, despite excellent hear about it, especially the young women of Encouraged by Sister Anne and Alice prospects for continued sales) with more today. · Dickey, from whom she took basic writing writing on North Dakota politics, drawing She has ties to Congress-having written a courses at North Dakota State University in again on her firsthand role in the Nonparti biography of North Dakota's famous Senator 1972 and 1973, Agnes set out on a quest she san League and its insurgent movement. says she "couldn't believe no one had done Instead, she chose to use her experiences Bill Langer and having herself run for Con yet" writing the biography of North Dako in an entirely different way, the writing of gress from North Dakota as the first woman ta's most famous and controversial political fiction. endorsed by a major political party. figure, Willliam Langer. <Only one writer Her first novel is to be available in April. I'd like to share with my colleagues an arti had tackled the story before-a Langer po Entitled The Ministers' Daughters, it's the cle written 4 years ago in North Dakota Hori litical crony, who produced a book as cam saga of two women who begin life best zons by Nancy Edmonds Hanson. It tells paign literature in 1940.) friends in a small Minnesota town, and con Agnes Kjorlie Geelan's remarkable story: From her own experience campaigning clude it bitter enemies after parallel success both for and against him, from interviews es in fields which Agnes knows well. AGNES KJORLIE GEELAN with more than 300 of his friends and en "I knew I wanted to write another book. <By Nancy Edmonds Hanson) emies around the nation, and from copious At first I thought it would be a history of When she was appointed the first woman research in the mountain of Langer papers fraternal organizations," she says. She'd al commissioner of workmen's compensation in left behind after his 50 years in politics, she ready lived the background for such a book state history in 1961, Agnes Geelan had composed The Dakota Maverick. as past department commander of the long taken for granted the special role of Several national publishers turned the American Legion Auxiliary in North Dakota breaking new ground for her sex. manuscript down because of its limited geo and a long-time Grand Lodge officer of the But her new colleagues on the three graphic market and the time elapsed since Ladies Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of member board were less sanguine. One ex Langer's death in 1958. Another brusquely Railroad Trainmen, to which her husband pressed his reservations to a newspaper re refused to so much as open it. "He obviously Elric belonged. porter. "She will have to hold up her duties thought I was just another senile old lady," Instead, she sidetracked those plans into and conduct meetings and hearings just as Agnes still fumes. "He told me that they the new challenge of writing fiction. the rest of us do," he commented huffily. had far too many good books to consider to Though only a few minor characters in her Reporting his comments in her hometown even bother to look at mine." novel are drawn directly from life, it relies newspaper, the Enderlin Independent, its Agnes scraped up the money to publish heavily on Agnes' observations and personal editor chortled, "At which, all the local men just 3,000 copies of The Dakota Maverick, interests-from the Chappewa Indians to and women who have worked with her partly through a loan from her old political World War II war bond campaigns, from laughed loud and long. He just hasn't allies at the Farmers Union. "When I saw education and banking (in which she briefly worked on a committee with our Agnes!" those 60 big boxes of books and got the bill worked during the war) to mythical frater Agnes Geelan, 86 today, has been honored from the printer, then I really knew the nal orders like the Followers of Mary and and reviled over a lifetime in the public eye price of vanity," she quips. the Ancient Order of Penguins. in North Dakota, admired and bitterly op A large Fargo bookstore accepted just five Now experienced in the ways of publish posed ... but seldom as badly underesti copies for its shelves, and only one other ing and marketing her own work, she chose mated. store responded at all to her sales literature. once again to underwrite the publication of She's still adding new accomplishments to But word of mouth suddenly made the book The Ministers' Daughters. She'll market it in a career that has spanned education, frater into a North Dakota phenomenon: After North Dakota and Minnesota, where its fic nal groups, labor, state and national politics, news of it reached the public, every copy tional small town of Pine Cover is set in the government service and-in the last from that first printing was sold between forests south of Duluth. decade-authorship of an acclaimed biogra Nov. 15 and Dec. 20, 1975. The Fargo book She still hopes to take on the history of phy of William Langer and a brand-new store sold 500 more copies that month. fraternal organizations in small town Amer first novel. Second and third printings quickly fol ica, an influence on community life in the She casually describes herself as "an old lowed, and sold out just as rapidly through past generation which she believes is badly grey political mare," and downplays the a novel marketing approach suggested by underrated and misunderstood. achievements won as North Dakota's first Jerry Rustad of Newman Signs in James But first, while marketing the novel, she woman mayor, first woman state senator, town. The company helped publish more intends to tackle college courses in science first woman endorsed for Congress by a books, then blitzed the state with 100 bill and matematics, two fields in which she major political party, as well as leadership boards advertising the Langer volume. "I says she's particularly weak. "If the first in the Nonpartisan League and, later, the doubt they thought it was more than an ex courses I take go well," she speculates, "I Democratic-NPL Party. periment in billboard marketing, and per may go back and finish my degree. I prob But her close friends and colleagues, still haps a favor to an old friend," Agnes sug ably have enough English classes for a mas admitting that they're outdistanced and in gests. But results were spectacular. Thou ter's, but I'm woefully short in other areas." spired by her, prefer a more imposing title sands of books were sold in coming months, Born in 1896, Agnes-daughter of Norwe the First Lady of North Dakota liberal poli a reaction so stunning that it was written up gian immigrants Harold and Jane Kjorlie tics. in national advertising publications. grew up in Hatton, where she and another Today, as she has for the past decade. All in all, 7,000 copies of the book for famous North Dakotan, Carl Ben Eielson, Agnes lives a quiet life in the apartment to which publishers had expected no market were one-third of the high school graduat which she retired in Fargo, scheduling her were sold in two years, almost all within the ing class of 1914. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 13882 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 16, 1986 Agnes almost did not graduate. "When I They dated for five years. The Irishman, ments <not to mention Thanksgiving was a sophomore, I had three job offers and Elric Geelan, worked for the Soo Line rail dances>.