Francis Bardanouve Interview, April 30, 1983

Francis Bardanouve recounts growing up during the Great Depression in the 1930s on his family’s farm in Montana. He recounts how his family lost the farm, his relationship with his mother and father, and his parents’ separation. He describes breaking horses, a skill that he learned from his father. Bardanouve discusses being born with a cleft palate and his subsequent shyness in school, as well as his reconstructive surgery as an adult. He talks about meeting his wife, Venus, when she was researching Montana tribal nations. Bardanouve discusses his personal philosophy about the necessity of the arts and the environment to human beings. He recounts clashing with Governor Donald Nutter in the early 1960s over funding for the Historical Society Museum, and discusses his work on the Institutions Subcommittee, which he chaired in 1965. Bardanouve recalls his extensive work on Montana’s finances, his friendships with Native American constituents, his work on behalf of religious liberties for Hutterites, his opinions on religious liberties for all, and his philosophy about the role of government in a society.