Norman Hanson was born at Mayville, North Dakota in 1914. He attended schools there and graduated from the Mayville State Teachers College in 1935. Mr. Hanson taught in several schools in the state in Dawson, Sanborn, Harvey, McClusky, and Carrington. He spent thirty years in the teaching profession and superintendent at Carrington Public Schools from 1947 to 1966. He has a Masters degree in education from the University of North Dakota.
During World War II he served as a chemist in a munitions plant in Kankakee, Illinois, and in 1943 enlisted in the Navy as a commissioned officer. After a brief stay at Cornell University he spent the rest of the war as an officer on the destroyer U.S.S. Howorthy.
He married Selma Bjornsrud of Sanborn, born October 25, 1913, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mads Bjornsrud of Sanborn. They had two daughters: Bonnie and Beverly, she died May 13, 1966.
Mr. Hanson was Superintendent of the Carrington Schools when an addition to the grade school and the new high school was built. From December 1966 until December 1979, he served as loan officer, insurance salesman, real estate salesman and as a vice president of Foster County State Bank.
He was active in many capacities in the community serving as president of the Trinity Church board, the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis and commander of Legion Post No. 25. He has also served on district, regional and state boards of the American Legion. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In 1978 he was elected Mayor of Carrington.
On June 1, ‑1969, he married Lydia Pepple Wahl at McClusky.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 26B