Photo: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ed Schafer interests me as a study in rootedness. Born in Bismarck, educated at the University of North Dakota, he served two terms as the state's governor, then jumped to Washington as George W. Bush's agriculture secretary, and finally returned to lead his alma mater as interim president. What I respect is the through-line: a businessman who never stopped being a North Dakotan. Putting someone who knows farm-state realities in charge of agriculture feels like common sense, and his willingness to circle back to education says something about loyalty. He reads to me as a steady, place-anchored public servant rather than a celebrity politician.
Overview
Edward Thomas Schafer (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and as the 29th United States secretary of agriculture from 2008 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. From January to July 2016 he served as interim president of the University of North Dakota.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ed Schafer
- Name (Japanese)
- エドワード・トマス・シェーファー
- Reading
- えどわーど・とます・しぇーふぁー
- Born
- August 8, 1946 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog
- Origin
- Bismarck, North Dakota, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- politician / businessperson
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of North Dakota
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Politician — see all → · Businessperson — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.