Biography of Christopher Brakke

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 382-383

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


CHRISTOPHER BRAKKE, treasurer of Moody county, is one of the 
representative Norwegian citizens of the eastern part of the state. He 
is very well known in political life, and is one of the leaders among 
his countrymen in and about Flandreau, where he lives. Mr. Brakke was 
born in Norway, September 12, 1865. His parents, Sivert and Martha 
(Hopperstad) Brakke, were married in their native land, Norway, and came 
to Moody county in 1878, direct from their far northern home. They 
settled on section 17, Union township. The land was in an extremely ??? 
as most of the pioneers found it. Sivert Brakke, however, was not a man 
to be discouraged by such privations and hardships as come to the early 
settler; the hardy Norse blood in his veins had inured him to such 
things, since his forefathers had braved cold and hunger in their 
searches for adventure and conquest. He therefore went to work with a 
will, and, despite the great odds against him, gradually brought order 
out of the picturesque Dakota chaos, and with it came? at last, 
prosperity. He still lives on this land which represents so much of his 
toil and so many early privations, and is now enjoying his old age in 
peace and well-earned retirement. Mr. Brakke is the father of six 
children: Ole; Sivert, deceased; Lena Anderberg, of Minnehaha county; 
Christopher, the subject of this sketch; Sarah Plank, who lives in 
Pipestone county, Minnesota; and Anna Link. All are members of the 
Norwegian Lutheran church, with the exception of Mrs. Plank, who is a 
very ardent Baptist. Christopher came to this country with his parents 
when twelve years of age. He obtained his education in the schools of 
Moody county and at the Sioux Falls Business college. He began treading 
the hard and tortuous road of life when nineteen years of age. A 
clerkship m the store of Tenold & Holien, at Flandreau, was open. The 
young man obtained it, and remained there for several years. 
Subsequently he tried farming with very good results. Mr. Brakke had 
always shown more or less aptitude for public life, and in 1894 he was 
elected to the office of treasurer of Moody county upon the Populist 
ticket. It was one of the most fiercely waged campaigns in the history 
of the county, and the result of the ballot was marvelously close, Mr. 
Brakke winning by three votes. The other candidate contested his right 
to occupy the office. The lower court decided in Mr. Brakke's favor. The 
other man, beaten, but still seeing a ray of hope, appealed the case to 
the supreme court, which granted a new trial. The recount, which was 
conducted according to the instructions of the supreme court, defeated 
Mr. Brakke, by two votes, and when the case again came up his opponent 
was seated, and the rightfully elected incumbent turned out, after 
serving fourteen months. A vindication was to come, however. In 1896 
Mr. Brakke faced the same candidate for the same office, and this time 
so unmistakably overwhelmed him, with one hundred and eighty-one 
majority, that the steering committee could do nothing this time, and 
Mr. Brakke has been in possession of the office ever since. He has been 
a Populist for several years, having voted the Republican ticket 
previously to his joining the new movement. He has always been active in 
politics, and has held the offices of town clerk - being the first in 
Union township - and treasurer of the county school district. He is a 
member of the Modern Woodmen of America, at Flandreau, and has been its 
advisor ever since the camp was organized. He is also a member of the A. 
O. U. W., at the same place.

	Mr. Brakke married Miss Minnie Berg, of Lone Rock township, Moody 
county, on the 25th of October, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Brakke are the 
parents of two children: Esther and Gladys.