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Rockne, Anton Julius "A.J."

House 1903-10 (District 29); Senate 1911-14 (District 29); Senate 1915-46 (District 19)

Party when first elected:  Republican

Counties Served:  Goodhue

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 12/19/1868 (uncertain)
Birth Place: Harmony, Minnesota
Birth County: Fillmore
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 5/2/1950
Gender: Male
Religion: Lutheran
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names: A.J.
City of Residence (when first elected): Zumbrota
Occupation (when first elected): Lawyer

EDUCATION

Decorah Institute, Iowa; Secondary;
University of Minnesota, Law Department; Law Degree; 1894; Admitted to the Bar, June 7, 1894

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Municipal Council/Aldermen: Zumbrota, Minnesota (Village Council, 2 years; President, 1 of the 2 years); 1??? to 1???

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Susie Albertson (married on December 10, 1899)
Children: Three children: Melroy, Elnor, Ariel
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

Rep. Rockne is the longest serving Senator. He is also one of the longest serving legislators overall. Rep. Lyndon Carlson is the longest-serving legislator; Rep. Mary Murphy is the second longest serving legislator; and Sen. Rockne is tied with two others, Rep. Phyllis Kahn, and Rep. Carl Iverson, for third longest serving legislator. Sen. Rockne and Rep. Iverson served in both bodies.

Toensing lists his birth year as 1868. Minnesota Biographies lists 1869.

He moved to Zumbrota in 1894 and purchased the Zumbrota News (MNopedia).

Charles L. Grover contested the election of Anton Julius Rockne in the 1930 election. Grover ran as a write-in candidate. Anton Julius Rockne was determined to be the winner of the election and entitled to the seat.

Religion provided by History of Goodhue County.

Total Days Served: 16072

SESSIONS SERVED

54th Legislative Session (1945-1946) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/3/1942
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/5/1943 to 1/6/1947
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Public Welfare
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

53rd Legislative Session (1943-1944)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/3/1942
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/5/1943 to 1/6/1947
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Public Welfare
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

52nd Legislative Session (1941-1942) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/8/1938
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/3/1939 to 1/4/1943
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Public Welfare
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

51st Legislative Session (1939-1940)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/8/1938
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/3/1939 to 1/4/1943
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Public Welfare
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

50th Legislative Session (1937-1938) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/6/1934
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/8/1935 to 1/2/1939
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Banks and Banking
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Public Welfare
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

49th Legislative Session (1935-1936)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/6/1934
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/8/1935 to 1/2/1939
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Drainage
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

48th Legislative Session (1933-1934) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/4/1930
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/6/1931 to 1/7/1935
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation
Session Notes: Charles L. Grover contested the election of Anton Julius Rockne in the 1930 election. Grover ran as a write-in candidate. Anton Julius Rockne was determined to be the winner of the election and entitled to the seat.

47th Legislative Session (1931-1932)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/4/1930
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/6/1931 to 1/7/1935
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • University
  • Workmens Compensation
Session Notes: Charles L. Grover contested the election of Anton Julius Rockne in the 1930 election. Grover ran as a write-in candidate. Anton Julius Rockne was determined to be the winner of the election and entitled to the seat.

46th Legislative Session (1929-1930) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/2/1926
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/4/1927 to 1/5/1931
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • University
  • Workmens Compensation

45th Legislative Session (1927-1928)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/2/1926
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/4/1927 to 1/5/1931
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Civil Administration
  • Crime and Crime Prevention
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

44th Legislative Session (1925-1926) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/7/1922
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/2/1923 to 1/3/1927
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Civil Administration
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation
Leadership Position: President Pro Tempore

43rd Legislative Session (1923-1924)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/7/1922
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/2/1923 to 1/3/1927
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Agriculture
  • Election
  • Finance (Chair)
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expense
  • Workmens Compensation

42nd Legislative Session (1921-1922) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/5/1918
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/7/1919 to 1/1/1923
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Agriculture and Agricultural Markets
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Rules
  • Workmens Compensation

41st Legislative Session (1919-1920)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/5/1918
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/7/1919 to 1/1/1923
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Civil Administration
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Rules
  • Workmens Compensation

40th Legislative Session (1917-1918) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/3/1914
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/5/1915 to 1/6/1919
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Civil Administration
  • Elections
  • Finance (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Rules and Legislative Expenses

39th Legislative Session (1915-1916)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 19
Elected: 11/3/1914
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/5/1915 to 1/6/1919
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Elections
  • Employers Liability Laws
  • Finance (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Commercial Law (Chair)
  • Judiciary: Constitutional Law
  • Judiciary: Employers Liability
  • Rules and Legislative Expenses

38th Legislative Session (1913-1914) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 29
Elected: 11/8/1910
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/3/1911 to 1/4/1915
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Corporations
  • Finance
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Labor
  • Printing
  • Rules (Chair)
  • State Training Schools

37th Legislative Session (1911-1912)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 29
Elected: 11/8/1910
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/3/1911 to 1/4/1915
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Finance
  • General Legislation
  • Judiciary
  • Printing
  • Public Accounts and Expenditures
  • Reapportionment
  • Rules (Chair)
  • State Training Schools
  • University and University Lands

36th Legislative Session (1909-1910)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 29
Elected: 11/3/1908
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/5/1909 to 1/2/1911
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
Leadership Position: Speaker of the House

35th Legislative Session (1907-1908)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 29
Elected: 11/6/1906
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/8/1907 to 1/4/1909
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Remedial Law (Chair)
  • Mines and Minerals
  • Prison Labor
  • Public Lands
  • Rules and Joint Rules (Chair)
  • Sleeping Car and Private Car Lines
  • Taxes and Tax Laws
Leadership Position: Majority Leader

34th Legislative Session (1905-1906)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 29
Elected: 11/8/1904
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/3/1905 to 1/7/1907
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Corporations Other Than Municipal
  • Elections
  • General Legislation
  • Joint Rules (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Criminal Law
  • Judiciary: Negligence
  • Rules and Joint Rules (Chair)
  • State Normal Schools
Leadership Position: Majority Leader

33rd Legislative Session (1903-1904)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 29
Elected: 11/4/1902
Residence: Zumbrota
Term of Office: 1/6/1903 to 1/2/1905
Counties Represented: Goodhue
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Probate Law
  • State Library
  • State Training School