He moved to
North Dakota and was a cub reporter for the
Bismarck Tribune. He became a journeyman printer, reporter, and editor of newspapers throughout the state, and also served as an editorial writer for the
Minneapolis Tribune. In 1933 President
Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to a committee on
federal grants to public buildings. In
1934 Moodie received the
Democratic nomination for
governor, and beat his
Republican opponent, Lydia Langer (wife of
William Langer). As soon as the election was over, there was talk of
impeachment. After Moodie's inauguration on January 7, 1935, it was revealed that he had voted in a 1932 municipal election in
Minnesota. In order to be eligible for governor, an individual has to have lived in the state for five consecutive years before the election. The State Supreme Court determined that Governor Moodie was ineligible to serve, and he was removed from office on February 16, 1935. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Walter Welford. Prior to his removal he had been impeached by the
North Dakota House of Representatives, however the impeachment halted after the
North Dakota Supreme Court took up a challenge to his qualification to office and ultimately removed him from office. The impeachment, which took place twelve days after Moodie's inauguration, had officially been for unspecified "crime, corrupt conduct, malfeasance and misdemeanors in office", but was known to be centered upon his eligibility for office. The attorney general of the state considered the House impeachment an "incomplete" action, since the House did not submit
impeachment managers or present the
articles of impeachment to the
Senate. After his five-week stint as
governor, Moodie became an administrator for the North Dakota
Federal Housing Administration. Moodie was also an administrator for the WPA from 1935 to 1943. He also served as deputy administrator for the State War Finance Committee in
Montana. Finally he served as financial editor and confidential agent for the publisher of the
Spokane Chronicle. ==Death==