History of Bismarck, North Dakota History of Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck is the capital of the state of North Dakota, the county seat of Burleigh County, and the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city was formed in 1872 as "Edwinton" after Edwin Ferry Johnson, a chief engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway company, when the railroad reached the eastern banks of the Missouri River. The name was changed less than one year later, honoring German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in an effort to attract German immigrants. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills in 1874 was the first
North Dakota State Auditor never been held by a member of the Nonpartisan League. The Auditor originally served a two-year term, but this was extended to four in 1964 by a constitutional amendment. North Dakota State Auditor The North Dakota State Auditor is a political office in North Dakota. The auditor's duty is to oversee the four divisions of the Office of the State Auditor: State Audit, which audits the state of North Dakota; Local Government Audit, which performs audits of counties, school districts, and other political subdivisions; Royalty Audit, which performs audits of federal royalty payments from oil, gas, and coal leases located