Biography of Charles J. Gunderson
Charles J. Gunderson, born October 13, 1868, in Fillmore County, Minnesota, is a prominent lawyer in Vermillion, South Dakota. His parents, Harvey and Anna (Thompson) Gunderson, emigrated from Norway and settled in Clay County, South Dakota, in 1869. Charles grew up on the family homestead, attended local public schools, and graduated from the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in 1893. He earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1896 and began practicing law in Vermillion. Originally a Republican, he switched to the Democratic Party in 1896. Charles is active in the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is a member of the Lutheran church. He married Mamie L. Weeks on August 27, 1902.