A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 9 (present-day district 27) in the Senate and 9A (present-day 27A) in the House, which includes portions of Freeborn and Waseca counties in southeastern Minnesota.

Overgaard spent the morning of his 21st birthday on February 15, 1951, in a firefight where he parachuted twice, led a company of soldiers in battle after his commander and fellow platoon leaders fell, and sustained a gunshot wound in his thigh forceful enough to send shrapnel into his ankle and heel.

He helped win the battle that erupted at 3 a.m. on his birthday in part by calling off friendly fire that would have produced a tragic result had it continued unchecked.

Overgaard was awarded a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and an article and photo in the Minneapolis Star on June 11, 1951, announcing his return to Albert Lea, then stateside service in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

After his return from Korea, he was a grain farmer and worked for Mutual Funds Securities as an investment adviser and as vice president of Imperial Financial Services, Inc.[2] Overgaard died on February 4, 2022, at the age of 91.