Petersen, Hjalmar
House 1931-34 (District 56)
Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Counties Served:
Pine
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
1/2/1890
Birth Place:
Eskildstrup,
Birth County:
Birth Country:
Denmark
Date of Death:
3/29/1968
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Askov
Occupation (when first elected):
Founder and Editor, Askov American
EDUCATION
Secondary; His formal schooling ended at age 14
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Municipal Mayor:
Askov, Minnesota (Village Mayor);
19?? to 19??
Municipal Government:
Askov, Minnesota (Village Clerk);
1918 to 19??
State Lieutenant Governor:
Minnesota;
01/08/1935 to 08/24/1936
State Governor:
Minnesota;
08/24/1936 to 01/04/1937
[Appointed]
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commission;
01/05/1937 to 19??
[Elected]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Rigmor C. Wosgaard (married in 1914); Medora B. Grandprey Petersen (married on June 28, 1934; she died on April 7, 1997)
Children:
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
He became Governor of Minnesota when Floyd B. Olson died while in office.
Before he ran for the Minnesota Legislature he had been a member of the Republican Party. By the time he ran for office he was a member of the Farmer-Labor Party.
"As a state representative from Pine County from 1930-1934, he was a strong Farmer-Labor party member." (Anderson, Kendall. "Income Tax Sponsor Briefly Held State's Top Office." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 11, 1997, p. 15.)
He came to the United States with his parents as a baby.
He owned the Askov American newspaper.
He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Minnesota Legislature in 1926 and 1928.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Farmer-Labor Party primary endorsement for Governor of Minnesota in 1938. He lost as the Farmer-Labor Party candidate for Governor of Minnesota in 1940 and 1942. He was an usuccessful candidate for the Republican Party primary endorsement for Governor of Minnesota in 1946.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsement to run for the United States Senate in 1958.
Elected: 11/8/1932
Residence: Askov
Term of Office: 1/3/1933 to 1/7/1935
Counties Represented:
Pine
Occupation: Founder and Editor, Askov American
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Party Notes: "As a state representative from Pine County from 1930-1934, he was a strong Farmer-Labor party member." (Anderson, Kendall. "Income Tax Sponsor Briefly Held State's Top Office." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 11, 1997, p. 15.)
Committees:
-
Civil Administration
-
Education
-
Elections
-
Public Domain
-
Reapportionment
-
Taxes and Tax Laws (Chair)
-
Towns and Counties
Elected: 11/4/1930
Residence: Askov
Term of Office: 1/6/1931 to 1/2/1933
Counties Represented:
Pine
Occupation: Founder and Editor, Askov American
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Party Notes: "As a state representative from Pine County from 1930-1934, he was a strong Farmer-Labor party member." (Anderson, Kendall. "Income Tax Sponsor Briefly Held State's Top Office." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 11, 1997, p. 15.)
Committees:
-
Education
-
Military Affairs
-
Printing and Publishing
-
Public Welfare and Social Legislation
-
Soldiers Home, State Bonus and Ex-Service Men
-
State Prison
-
Towns and Counties
Articles & Books About
Anderson, Kendall. "Income Tax Sponsor Briefly Held State's Top Office." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 11, 1997, p. 15, 23.
Keillor, Steven J. "Hjalmar Petersen of Minnesota: The Politics of Provincial Independence" St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987.
Memorial Services. Minnesota Journal of the House, April 3, 1969, p. 1252-1253.
Hjalmar Petersen. Biographical Information from the Minnesota Historical Society's Governors of Minnesota.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.