His long tenure in the office ended a period of instability in the department when the three previous commissioners only served one two-year term.

He re-elected a total of twelve times, and was one of the most prominent Republican/Non-Partisan League (NPL) politicians in the state.

He was elected as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor in 1938, and he served until 1965 when he retired.

When the NPL dissolved, he joined the North Dakota Republican Party.

During his life, Dahl was a member of the Lutheran Church, the Farmers Union, Sons of Norway, and the Masonic Order.