Doug Burgum

Doug Burgum (born August 1, 1956, Arthur, North Dakota, U.S.) is an American politician and businessman who served as the Republican governor of North Dakota (2016–24). Burgum previously was CEO (1983–91) of Great Plains Software, and he later became a venture capitalist and real estate investor. He transitioned into politics in 2016, when he won the governor’s seat in his home state. For some six months in 2023, Burgum was a candidate in the 2024 presidential race. After ending his campaign, he emerged as a possible running mate for the Republican nominee, former U.S. president Donald Trump, though he ultimately was not chosen. In November 2024 President-elect Trump selected Burgum to serve as interior secretary in his second administration.

Early life and education

Burgum, one of three sons born to Katherine (née Kilbourne) and Joey Burgum, grew up on a farm in Arthur, North Dakota, a small town some 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Fargo. The family, which has deep roots in the state, operated a grain elevator. When Burgum was a freshman in high school, his father, a World War II veteran, died from a brain tumor.

Burgum later enrolled at North Dakota State University (B.A., 1978). During his senior year, he started a chimney-sweeping business in Fargo using a friend’s pickup truck. A local newspaper published a story about him, including a photograph of him at work, and it was picked up by the Associated Press. When Burgum applied to Stanford University’s business school, he included a copy of the story. “I was later told it caused quite a stir in the Stanford admissions office,” he recalled in a 2017 interview with Forbes.

Business

After earning an M.B.A. at Stanford in 1980 Burgum worked as a consultant at McKinsey, in Chicago, analyzing data. In 1983 he mortgaged a section of farmland his father had left him and invested $250,000 in the fledgling Fargo-based company Great Plains Software, which was developing accounting software. Using other family investments, Burgum took control of the business and made himself CEO.

Burgum built up the company for years. In 1997 it went public, and four years later he sold it to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in stock. Afterward he worked at Microsoft for six years as a senior vice president. In 2007 he cofounded the Kilbourne Group, which was involved in real estate development, and the following year he helped establish Arthur Ventures, a private equity firm. During this time, Burgum also served on the boards of various companies, including the software firm SuccessFactors. In 2010 he was elevated to chair, and the following year a German company agreed to purchase SuccessFactors for $3.4 billion; the deal was finalized in 2012. Burgum next became board chair (2012–16) at Atlassian, which produces project-management software.

Politics

In 2016 Burgum announced that he was running for governor of North Dakota, hoping to succeed Jack Dalrymple. On the campaign trail Burgum often touted his business experience and promised to diversify the state’s economy. Part of the antiestablishment movement that also saw Trump elected president, Burgum won the Republican primary in an upset, then took nearly 77 percent of the vote in the 2016 general election.

In office Burgum notably sought major income tax cuts, and he pushed for increased energy production. After an easy reelection in 2020, he waded in on several “culture war” issues. Notably, in 2023 he signed a near-total ban on abortions and backed a controversial series of bills relating to the rights of transgender people, including one that prohibits transgender girls and women from joining female sports teams in most schools.

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While supporting oil and gas production, Burgum broke with his party by addressing environmental issues. In 2017 he established the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. Four years later he introduced an initiative to make the state carbon neutral by 2030. However, rather than cut back on fossil fuel—North Dakota is one of the major producers of oil in the United States—Burgum sought to pursue technology for carbon capture.

2024 presidential race

In June 2023 Burgum announced that he was running for president. He emphasized his business background and economic record, downplaying his stances on transgender issues and abortion. He hoped, The New York Times reported at the time, that voters would “want a solid technician to return the party to its low-tax, deregulatory entrepreneurial roots.” However, his poll numbers never rose above single digits, and he dropped out at the end of the year.

In the months that followed, Burgum endorsed Trump and started advising him on energy issues. Burgum also traveled with the former president, and during campaign stops, he argued that the country needed to generate more power with fossil fuels. Environmentalists criticized Burgum for taking what they perceived as a hard turn toward typical Republican positions on energy issues.

Burgum soon emerged as one of the strongest contenders for Trump’s running mate. “Nobody has played their cards better since the primary,” Scott Jennings, a former adviser to Pres. George W. Bush, told Politico in May 2024. “Trump is a casting director. Who looks more like a VP than Burgum?” However, Trump ultimately selected U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance.

Shortly after winning the election, Trump tapped Burgum to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In December 2024 Burgum’s term as governor ended; he had opted not to seek reelection. He was succeeded by Kelly Armstrong.

Personal life

In 1991 Burgum married Karen (née Stoker) Burgum. The couple had three children before divorcing in 2003. In 2016 he wed Kathryn Helgaas, who worked in human resources and marketing. In long-term recovery from alcohol use disorder, she is an advocate for those struggling with addiction, and she has spoken publicly about mental health issues.