Pierre, South Dakota Pierre, South Dakota Pierre (; Lakota: "čhúŋkaške", "fort") is the state capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second-least populous state capital in the United States after Montpelier, Vermont, and the eighth-most populous city in South Dakota. Founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, Pierre has been the state capital since South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889. It was challenged by Huron for the capital and won because of its location in
South Dakota State University FCS Division 1 stadiums. South Dakota State University has produced a number of the current members of South Dakota's state government and in Congress, including current Congresswoman Kristi Noem, who subsequently is the first-female Governor-elect of South Dakota, and current U.S. Senator Mike Rounds. Members of the South Dakota Supreme Court, current Chief Justice David Gilbertson and Associate Justice Mark Salter, attended the university for their undergraduate degrees. In the federal cabinet, Stephen Censky, current United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and in federal foreign service, former Governor of South Dakota Dick Kneip served as United States Ambassador to Singapore.