Compiled by Russell Bastedo
State Curator
1998

Charles M. Dale (1945-1949) . Born Brown's Valley (MN); Portsmouth (NH) lawyer. In state politics from 1921.

Dale (1893-1978) was educated in Minnesota primary schools and graduated from high school in Minot, North Dakota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota (1915) and received his LL.B. law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School (1917).

Dale began law practice with a Minnesota law firm, but when the United States went into World War I, Dale enlisted in the U.S. Army's Coast Artillery Corps. He was stationed at Portsmouth (NH) where he married (Marion Marvin, 1919); he opened a law practice at Portsmouth in 1920.

Dale entered New Hampshire politics by becoming City Solicitor for Portsmouth (1921/2). In 1926 he was elected mayor for a two-year term. Then he returned to his law practice until 1933 when he was elected to the State Senate. He was reelected to a second two-year term (1935/7), serving as President of the Senate throughout the term. He was elected (1937) to the Governor's Council and served again in the State Senate (1938/9).

Dale won the 1944 Republican primary against Governor Robert Blood who was running for a third term. He won the election, then was reelected in 1946 after surviving a Republican primary scare from Sherman Adams. Dale won the 1946 general election by a large majority (103,204 votes to 60,247 votes for his Democratic challenger).

Governor Dale reduced the state debt substantially. He established the first retirement system for state employees, and set up a board to study state employees' reclassifications and wage scales. He substantially increased the state budget for direct advertising to attract both new business and new tourist dollars.

Location: State House, Second Floor
Portrait by Bachrach