Interesting Facts About South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem's Husband, Bryon Noem
Meet the First Gentleman of South Dakota.
Rich Koele / Shutterstock Now that the Republican National Convention has officially kicked off, there's an entire lineup of Republican politicians slated to speak at the event all week long and on Wednesday, it will be South Dakota governor Kristi Noem's turn to step up to the plate. Since she was elected in 2018, the 48-year-old governor has been in support of president Donald Trump's re-election, and it seems like that's what she'll talk about when she makes her speech at the RNC.
But what about Noem's personal life?
Who is Kristi Noem's husband, Bryon Noem?
Kristi Noem is married to Bryon Noem.
Kristi and Bryon Noem have been married since 1992 — long before she was elected South Dakota's first female governor. When they got married, Kristi was just 20 years old and still in college, though she did end up dropping out of college when her father was killed in a farming accident, instead building her own ranching business.
Bryon Noem is the first First Man In South Dakota history.
Since Kristi Noem is the first female governor, that makes her husband, Bryon, the first First Man. As per South Dakota tradition, a first spouse doll was made in his likeness not long after Kristi was first elected, with the doll's outfit modeled after one of the tuxedos he owned. When the dolls were revealed, Bryon admitted that there was "a lot of weirdness" about the celebration, but also admitted that it was cool.
“I am honored to have this position,” he said at the time. “I want to do a good job at it, and I do want to visit all the towns in South Dakota. I am honored to serve beside Kristi. I am proud of who she is and what she stands for. I think she is an amazing governor.”
Who is Bryon Noem? He takes pride In his role as the governor's husband.
In an interview from 2019, Bryon said that he and Kristi discussed her campaign as governor before she decided to go for it, and they both decided that they were all in.
“Anytime you make a life-altering decision, of course it’s hard. For us, we prayed heavily about it and we really sensed that this is what God wanted us to do at that time," he said, adding, “Everything we do, we do together. This decision was made together and we knew things would look different if she won.”
What does Bryon Noem do?
Bryon originally worked for Bryant State Bank as an insurance agent, and later decided to go into business for himself. He bought out the insurance part of the bank, starting Noem Insurance, which still offers policies to people living in South Dakota today. He also coaches high school basketball in his spare time.
Kristi Noem's husband launched an initiative to promote small towns in South Dakota.
Last year, Bryon started an initiative called "This Is South Dakota," where he will visit small towns around the state to bring more attention to them.
"Small towns, they're the heartbeat of our state. They always have been and this is our culture, this is who we are and this is South Dakota," he said. "I want not only people inside the state to learn more about their own state, but people outside the state to learn about South Dakota because we believe there's so many hidden gems and hidden treasures in the state. I just want to uncover them."
Who are Kristi and Bryon Noem's kids?
Kristi and Bryon have three kids: two daughters, Kennedy and Kassidy, and a son named Booker. Kennedy works for Kristi as a policy analyst, while Kassidy owns an appraisal company, and Booker recently graduated from high school.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.