Governor #17: Merrell Q. Sharpe
Pierre, South Dakota
In office 1943-1947
Merrel Sharpe was governor of South Dakota from 1943 to 1947, and in his latter years in office he became a booster of postwar South Dakota tourism. He was not known as an avid fishermen, but Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby nevertheless sculpted him proudly striking a snapshot pose, holding a canoe paddle in one hand and a big northern pike in the other.
That's because Sharpe's most lasting accomplishment was the Pick-Sloan Plan, which led to the building of Missouri River dams, which formed lakes (filled with fish) like the one behind Sharpe's statue, Lake Sharpe, which was named in his honor.