Quick Facts
Biography
Sarah Vogel is a North Dakota politician and lawyer who served as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture from 1989 to 1997. As a lawyer, she specializes in agricultural law.
Early Career
Prior to her public service career, Sarah Vogel represented family farmers during the 1980s farm crisis, most significantly as lead attorney in Coleman v. Block, a national class action case filed on behalf of 240,000 farmers, which resulted in an injunction prohibiting USDA from foreclosing on nearly 80,000 farm families.
Public Service
Vogel became an assistant attorney general in 1985, and in 1988, she became the first woman elected North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture, serving in that role until 1997, when she was succeeded by Roger Johnson.
In 1996, Vogel ran for a seat on the North Dakota Supreme Court, a bid that was ultimately unsuccessful.
Return to Private Practice
After retiring as Ag Commissioner and losing election to the Supreme Court, Vogel returned to private practice, founding the Sarah Vogel Law Firm in Bismarck, where she practices law with three other attorneys. Vogel was co-counsel in a lawsuit that resulted in a $680 million settlement for Native American farmers affected by the USDA's discriminatory lending practices.