Former North Dakota Official Who Marched With Martin Luther King Jr. Dies

(Photo courtesy of Byron Knutson family via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – A North Dakota man who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and later served as the state’s insurance commissioner and labor commissioner has died.

Byron Knutson, a Democrat, was elected insurance commissioner in 1976, but was defeated for reelection in 1980. He served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1959 to 1963 and served one term as Labor Commissioner from 1987 until 1991.

Knutson died Dec. 6, 2025, but his family waited until the week leading up to Monday’s Martin Luther King Day holiday to announce his death.

“Profoundly inspired by King, our father devoted his life to public service,” Rebecca Knutson, Byron Knutson’s daughter, said in a statement. “There are still so many injustices happening in our world. Leaders like King and our father are desperately needed.”

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