Bill Janklow

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William John "Bill" Janklow (born September 13, 1939), American politician with the Republican Party, was a four-term Governor of South Dakota and briefly a member of the United States House of Representatives.

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Biography

Janklow was born in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959. He graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1964 and received a law degree in 1966. Though controversial, Janklow is among the most successful politicians in South Dakota's history. He was elected to statewide office six times, each time a wide margin.

Janklow served as South Dakota's attorney general from 1975-1979. Janklow was first elected governor in 1978, and he was easily reelected in 1982 with 70.9% of the vote, the highest percentage ever won by a gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. Barred from running again in 1986, Janklow unsuccessfully challenged incumbent U.S. Senator James Abdnor in the Republican primary. Janklow returned to politics in 1994, when he defeated incumbent Walter Dale Miller in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He was handily elected that year and was reelected in 1998. Janklow is the longest-serving governor in South Dakota history; he is the only person in the state's history to serve eight full years as governor, which he did twice.

In 2002, Janklow ran for the Republican nomination for South Dakota's only House seat. He defeated Democrat Stephanie Herseth, an attorney and granddaughter of former governor Ralph Herseth, in a very close race; some speculated that had anyone other than Janklow been the Republican nominee, Herseth would have won.

On May 27, 2004, the pardons that Jankow granted during his governorship were released. Jankow had pardoned his son-in-law, William Gordon Haugen II, who was convicted of DUIs in 1983 and 1997 and marijuana possession in 1993.

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Manslaughter conviction

On August 16, 2003, Janklow was involved in a traffic collision when the white Cadillac he was driving hit motorcyclist Randolph E. Scott at a rural intersection near Trent, South Dakota. Scott, a 55-year-old from Minnesota, was thrown from his motorcycle and killed instantly. Janklow suffered a broken hand and bleeding on the brain. In the ensuing investigation of the accident, it was determined Janklow had been driving at least 71 miles per hour (114 kph) in a 55-mph zone and that he had run a stop sign at the intersection where the crash occurred.

Janklow was arraigned on August 29 on charges of felony manslaughter and several misdemeanor counts. In response, Janklow said he "couldn't be sorrier" for the accident. His trial began on December 1 when he pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. In his defense, his lawyer argued that Janklow suffered a bout of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and was thus "confused" and "mixed up." Janklow testified that he had taken an insulin shot the morning of the accident and had subsequently not eaten anything throughout day, resulting in low blood sugar. Jurors were not informed of Janklow's record of three previous accidents and twelve speeding violations, though his driving history had been widely reported in the local media. (Janklow has long been an unapologetic speeder; in a 1999 speech to the state legislature, he said about himself, "Bill Janklow speeds when he drives — shouldn't, but he does. When he gets the ticket he pays it.")

On December 8, 2003, Janklow was convicted by a Moody County jury of second-degree manslaughter, a felony which carries a maximum 10-year prison term and a $10,000 fine. He was also convicted on three related misdemeanors of failure to stop, speeding, and reckless driving. The first two misdemeanors carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $200 fine. The top penalty for reckless driving is a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Soon after his conviction, Janklow announced he would resign from the House. House rules do not allow members convicted of felonies to vote or participate in committee work pending investigation by the House Ethics Committee. On December 19, 2003, he filed a motion to have his conviction overturned on grounds of insufficient evidence. His resignation took effect on January 20, 2004. Herseth succeeded him in a special election that spring.

Sentencing occurred on January 22, 2004 and Janklow was ordered to spend 100 days in jail. He was able to serve this time in the Minnehaha County jail in Sioux Falls rather than in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. After 30 days, he was able to leave the jail for several hours each day in order to perform community service. He was released on May 17, 2004; but remains on probation for three years and will not be allowed to drive during this period.

On January 5, 2006, the South Dakota Supreme Court granted Janklow's petition for early reinstatement of his license to practice law, effective February, 2006, despite objections from Randolph Scott's family.

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