John Hove Jr. was born on February 1, 1916 in Brampton, North Dakota. He attended Valley City State College in 1933 and graduated in 1937. He returned to teach at the Brampton High School then took courses toward a Master's Degree in English at Stanford University. He briefly attended law school at the University of Chicago before moving to Jamestown in 1940. He taught at the Jamestown High School until 1942, when he entered the United States Navy. Hove served aboard an aircraft carrier during World War II and separated from the service in October 1945. John Hove and Sylvia Hagen were wed at St. Olaf's Lutheran Church in Devils Lake on March 3, 1945. They had three children: John III, Jeffrey and Susan. Both sons died in car accidents; John III in 1969 and Jeffrey in 1972. After World War II, John Hove completed a Master's Degree in English from the University of North Dakota. He then earned a Ph. D in American Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1959. He left Mayville to become head of the English Department at North Dakota Agricultural College, now North Dakota State University. In 1963, Hove was nominated to run for the United States House of Representatives. During the campaign, Hove broke two ribs. Following his defeat, Hove returned to the English Department at NDSU. He chaired the North Dakota Council on the Arts from its inception in 1967 until 1981, and was active with the North Dakota Education Association. He was also appointed to the National Advisory Council of the Higher Education Act by President Lyndon Johnson. John Hove died on August 22, 1984 at his home in Fargo. Sylvia Hove died on July 29, 2000 in Moorhead.
From the description of Papers, 1930-1984. (University of North Dakota). WorldCat record id: 48991434
