Bill Janklow | S.D. politician, 72

Bill Janklow, 72, a flamboyant politician who left a lasting mark on South Dakota politics by serving four terms as governor but resigned as the state's congressman after causing a fatal traffic accident, died Thursday.

Mr. Janklow died of brain cancer after being moved to hospice care in Sioux Falls this week, his son Russ said. Mr. Janklow announced in November that he had inoperable cancer.

Mr. Janklow, a Republican, dominated South Dakota government for more than a quarter-century, inspiring fierce support and criticism.

Even his political opponents admitted he got things done, though they decried his combative nature.

He was credited with saving rail service in the state, attracting credit-card banks, and leading the nation in connecting classrooms to the Internet.

"I'm an action-oriented person," Mr. Janklow once said. "I'm just more hyper than most people."

William J. Janklow was born Sept. 13, 1939, in Chicago. After the death of his father, who helped prosecute Nazis for war crimes, his mother moved the family to her hometown of Flandreau, S.D.

He was elected South Dakota attorney general in 1974 and governor in 1978, serving two four-year terms. He won reelection in 1982 by the widest margin in any gubernatorial race in state history, taking nearly 71 percent of the vote.

He was elected governor again in 1994 and 1998, and he won election in 2002 as South Dakota's lone member of the House.

Mr. Janklow. however, was convicted of manslaughter in a traffic accident and never completed the term. He served 100 days behind bars. - AP