SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Former South Dakota Gov. Walter Dale Miller, who stepped in as the state’s leader in 1993 after a plane crash killed his predecessor, died Monday night. He was 89.
Miller served as the state’s 29th governor through 1995, taking the oath of office on April 20, 1993, a day after the plane carrying Gov. George Mickelson and seven others went down in eastern Iowa.
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Miller was a friend who assumed the governorship at a time of tragedy and sorrow.
“He provided a steady hand as our state mourned the loss of Gov. Mickelson,” Daugaard said in a statement. “Through his long career in public office, Walt worked hard and put South Dakota first.”
Mickelson’s son, state Rep. Mark Mickelson, said the 20- year veteran of the legislature was a strong leader and the perfect man to take over from his father.
“Walter was a steady hand during a very difficult time,” Mickelson said Tuesday.
Miller was born near the towns of Viewfield and New Underwood on Oct. 5, 1925, and spent his life on his family’s ranch.
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