T.H.H. Thoresen was elected as Dunn County States Attorney in 1918 and 1920 as a Nonpartisan League candidate. He ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 1924 and governor in 1928. Governor Arthur Sorlie appointed him Tax Commissioner in 1925, a position he held until 1929. Despite being a part of the anti-Langer faction of the Nonpartisan League, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and served alongside Governor William Langer from 1937-1938. After another unsuccessful run for the governorship, he sought and won election as Grand Forks mayor from 1940-1944. In 1950, he ran unsuccessfully against Milton R. Young for the United States Senate.
