Christen J. Bach Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1480-1481 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	CHRISTEN J. BACH, a successful business man and representative 
citizen of Turner county, who is at present the state commissioner of 
school and public lands, and is president of the Bank of Hurley, at 
Hurley, is a native of Denmark, where he was born on the 10th of 
November, 1858, being a son of Jacob S. Bach, a pioneer of Yankton, 
South Dakota. The subject received his early education in the excellent 
schools of his native land, and there remained until 1873, when he came 
to Dakota territory, where he has availed himself of the opportunities 
presented and has won definite success through his own earnest and 
honorable endeavors. He located in Centerville, Turner county, in 1884, 
where he engaged in the hardware business, also establishing a store in 
Hurley. He built up a very profitable business in the line and continued 
operations in both towns until the 1st of October, 1892, when he 
established himself in the banking business in Hurley, and has since 
given the major portion of his attention to the supervision of the same. 
The bank is ably managed and established on a solid financial basis. 
while its popularity is indicated by the representative support accorded 
by the people of the section. 

	In politics Mr. Bach is a stalwart supporter of the principles of 
the Republican party, in whose cause he has been an active and valued 
worker, while his is the distinction of having been a member of the 
first and second general assemblies of the legislature of the state. In 
the fall of 1902 he was elected the state commissioner of school and 
public lands, and has since remained incumbent of this office. He and 
his wife are prominent and zealous members of the Lutheran church, and 
fraternally he has attained to the thirty-second degree of Ancient 
Accepted Scottish Rite Masonry, being identified with the consistory at 
Yankton, while he is also one of the influential members of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being past grand master of the grand 
lodge of the order in the state. On the 4th of October, 1878, the 
subject of this sketch was married to Carrie Franson, who was born in 
Norway, on the 28th of December, 1858, and they have six children, 
namely: Forest, Guerdon, Mae, Bernie, Etta and Ruth.