Doug Burgum
Secretary of the Interior — currently serving. Office, term history, and sourced provenance. Sections fill in as records land.
Terms
- Secretary of the Interior Current
Background
- background Born August 1, 1956 in Arthur, North Dakota; North Dakota State University (1978); Stanford MBA (1980).
- achievement Mortgaged inherited farmland to invest in Great Plains Software (1983); sold to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001.
- role Won 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election in landslide; reelected by wide margin in 2020; served 2016–2024.
- role Nominated U.S. Secretary of the Interior (November 2024); confirmed by Senate 79–18 (January 2025); sworn in February 2025.
- achievement Launched 2024 presidential campaign (June 2023); ended candidacy December 2023; became Trump campaign energy advisor.
- controversy Announced in 2026 that U.S. taxpayers would pay energy companies ~$2.6 billion to halt wind farm construction plans.
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