| Summary: | COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 1231 Our subject was born in Skjeggstodum, Skag-afjardar- syslu, Iceland, May 28, 1866, and is tlie sixth in a family of seven children born to Bryn-jolfur and Thorun (Olafsdottir) Brynjolfson. The mother died in 1891 and the father now resides with our subject. The family came \o America in 1874 and was a member of the second Icelandic colony to emigrate to this country. They landed at Que-bec in October and went to Kenmount, north of Toronto, Canada. Our subject's father soon lo-cated in Halifax county, Nova Scotia, with about ten other families and cleared a small farm in the wilderness, where he lived six years. The Ice-landic settlement in Pembina county, North Da-kota, came to the notice of our subject, and the fam-ily started for the west and spent the winter at Du-luth and in April, 1882, arrived at Pembina. Our subject worked on his father's farm at Beaulieu township, and his only schooling was received dur-ing eighteen months in the schools of Canada, but in 1887 he had gained a fair knowledge of the Eng-lish language by home study, and entered the law office of G. H. Megquier, at Pembina, and read law there six months. He w^as aooointed deputy clerk of courts in 1888 and held the position two years, during which time he continued the study of law in spare hours and September 9, 1889, was admitted to the bar. He formed a partnership with Daniel J. Laxdal, in the fall of 1890, and an office was es-tablished at Cavalier and this became the pioneer firm of that city. The partnership was dissolved in 1892, since which time our subject has continued his practice alone and has met with unbounded suc-cess. Careful research is given every case entrusted to the care of our subject and this, in part, is ac-countable for his success. j\ir. Brynjolfson was married, in 1898, to Miss Sarah Halldorson. i\lrs. Brynjolfson is a native of Iceland and came to America in 1881. She is a graduate of the Grafton high schools and prior to her marriage was one of the well-known instructors in the schools of Pembina county. Mr. Brynjolfson is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-lows and Indenendent Order of Foresters. Po-litically, he is a Democrat and stands firmly for the principles of his party. He is a strict anti-fusionist and is a member of the state central committee and has served two years as chairman of the county central committee. He is intelligent and progress-ive and firm in his convictions. HON. ANDREW H. LAUGHLIN. As an all around prominent man of Ransom county, there is probably no one of its citizens who more justly deserves the title than Mr. Laughlin. Being a man possessed of executive ability, success has invariably followed his labors and he enjoys a comfortable income and a high reputation. He is enterprising and progressive and works for the better interests of his community. He has resided in Ransom coun-ty since its early settlement and is proprietor of one of the finest stock farms in the Northwest, and is president of the Ransom County Farmers' Institute. His residence is in section 24, township 134, range 56. Our subject w^as born in Green Lake county, Wisconsin, November 11, 1S48. His ancestry is of Scotch-Irish on the father's side and German- French on the mother's, and the Laughlins arc connected with the settlement and develepment of the state of \'ermont. Our subject's father, John Laughlin, was a graduate of the college at Peacliam, Vermont, and his active life was devoted to teach-ing. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Permelia Bovee. The family became resi-dents of Wisconsin in 1846, and there our subject was born and raised, devoting himself to agricult-ural pursuits until twenty-seven years of age. He then taught school for a time and January 28, 1882, arrived on the Sheyenne river, Dakota territory, where he secured about eight hundred acres of land and began farming. He erected his residence on the farm in 1883 and added other equally good improve-ments. He invested in the farming implement busi-ness, in the firm known as Laughlin, Palmer & Com-pany, which for four years was considered the lead-ing implement firm throughout Ransom and ad-joining counties. At the first general election in the fall of 1882 he was elected register of deeds, which position he filled for four years, and about the same time opened a real estate and loan office, and during those pioneer times won the reputation of being the most extensive business man of Ran-som county. He became sole owner of the imple-ment business in 1886, and was directly responsible for the erection of the Lisbon Cheese Factory in 1889, which is the oldest factory of North Dakota now in operation. The stock interests of North Dakota next engaged his attention and in 1893 he invested in some thoroughlired Galaways, for which he paid thirteen thousand and six hundred dollars, and he now has a herd of about fifty. This has been his most profitable source of income of late years and in 1897 he sold forty cattle for the sum of four thousand dollars. Our subject was married, in 1883, to Miss Marion J. Dunbar, who died in 1886, leaving two children. Lulu and Leigh. The son was a page in the house during the last session of the legislature. Mr. Laughlin married Miss Eliza Sargeant. in 1889. ( )ne child was born to this union, named Dell. Mr. Laughlin was elected connnissioner of agriculture and labor of North Dakota, in 1894, and is present appointed as supervisor of the census. He was elected as state representative in 1898, and served as chairman of the committee on military affairs. He introduced house bill No. 36, pertaining to state banking affairs, and he originated house bill No. 29, which has received national attention, "a bill pro-viding that county treasurers furnish fidelity bonds at the expense of the county." He also introduced house bill No. 117. creating tlie office of dairy and food commissioner. He is a strict prohibitionist. Internet Archive
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