He sold his land in 1882 and moved to
Page, where he began his career as a businessman. He started a retail lumber company, then expanded into grain handling. Soon he needed banking facilities, so he opened a private bank at Page. The bank became a state bank, then became the First National Bank of Page, with Hanna as the president. From 1895 to 1897, Hanna served in the
North Dakota House of Representatives. Hanna moved to
Fargo in 1899, serving as vice president of the First National Bank of Fargo. Hanna took on the
North Dakota Senate from 1897 to 1901, and again from 1905 to 1909, representing the Fargo district this time. In 1908, Louis Hanna was elected to represent North Dakota in the
United States House of Representatives where he served two terms, from 1909 to 1913. Without any lapse between positions, he became the eleventh
Governor of North Dakota in 1913 beating
Frank O. Hellstrom in the race. The four years in Bismarck as Governor of North Dakota were largely spent attacking the $300,000 debt inherited by Hanna upon assuming office. At the end of four years, the entire amount was paid off; in addition, the bonded debt of nearly one million dollars was reduced to $462,000. A teacher's retirement and insurance fund was created and an inheritance tax law was sanctioned. During Hanna's term the governor, his family, and a committee went to Norway. On July 4, 1914, at Christiania (
Oslo), they presented the people of Norway with a
statue of
Abraham Lincoln. The statue, by North Dakota sculptor
Paul Fjelde, is located in
Frogner Park in
Oslo. ==Legacy and death==