Robert Bergland

Robert Selmer Bergland (July 22, 1928 – December 9, 2018) was an American politician. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota's 7th congressional district from 1971 to 1977. He also served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Jimmy Carter administration from 1977 to 1981.

Early life Bergland was born near Roseau, Minnesota, the son of Mabel (Evans) and Selmer Bennett Bergland, a garage mechanic. He studied agriculture at the University of Minnesota in a two-year program. A farmer, he became an official of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service for the Department of Agriculture from 1963 to 1968. He was elected to the 92nd, 93rd, 94th, and 95th Congresses.

A minor but much-celebrated struggle between the United States Department of Agriculture and the General Services Administration occurred during his tenure, resulting in the ironic dedication of the USDA executive cafeteria in honor of Alfred Packer in order to shame the General Services Administration into terminating the Nixon-era cafeteria services contract.

Post-Agricultural career Following the end of the Carter administration in 1981, Bergland became the chairman of Farmland World Trade until 1982, when he became the vice president and general manager of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Bergland retired after the one term and owned a farm in Minnesota. They had seven children.