Thorpe, Lars O. "L.O."
Senate 1895-98 (District 41); Senate 1903-10 (District 55)
Party when first elected: Republican
Counties Served:
Kandiyohi
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
12/24/1847 (uncertain)
Birth Place:
Kvam, Vikor Parish
Birth County:
Hardanger
Birth Country:
Norway
Date of Death:
4/7/1921
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Lutheran
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
L.O.
City of Residence (when first elected):
Willmar
Occupation (when first elected):
Cashier, Kandiyohi Bank/President, Willmar Seminary Corporation/Former Farmer
EDUCATION
Schools in Norway; Elementary School; For about 5 months when he was 5 years old
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Judge:
Dovre, Minnesota (Justice of the Peace);
18?? to 18??
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota State Board of Equalization (4 years);
18?? to 18??
Municipal Government:
Dovre, Minnesota (Town Clerk);
18?? to 18??
Military:
United States Union Army (United States Civil War, Volunteered But the War Ended Before He Saw Active Service);
1865 to 1865
County Government:
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota (Register of Deeds);
1875 to 1881
[Elected]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Martha Kvale/Qvale (married on June 6, 1870)
Children:
Nine children: John, Ellen, Olaf, Dorothea, Edward Lawrence, Christian Scriver, Edith Beatrice, Jane Olea, and Bertha Herborg
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1909 list his birth date as December 14. Other sources checked list December 24.
He moved to Chicago, Illinois around 1863 and then went to Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin. He came to Winona County, Minnesota in 1865. He moved to Kandiyohi County, Minnesota in the fall of 1868 or 1871.
"As a member of the republican party..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 79)
The King of Norway made him a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf.
He was a member of the Norwegian Society of America.
He was a member of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America.
Religion provided by the Minnesota Journal of the Senate, April 21, 1921, p. 1330.
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/6/1906
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/8/1907 to 1/2/1911
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Banker/President, Willmar Seminary
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking (Chair)
-
Drainage
-
Finance
-
Grain and Warehouse
-
Immigration
-
Public Health and Pure Food
-
Public Lands
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/6/1906
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/8/1907 to 1/2/1911
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Banker/President, Willmar Seminary
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking
-
Drainage
-
Finance
-
Grain and Warehouse (Chair)
-
Immigration
-
Public Health and Pure Food
-
Public Lands
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/4/1902
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/6/1903 to 1/7/1907
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Banker/President, Willmar Seminary
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking
-
Drainage
-
Enrollment
-
Finance
-
Geological and Natural History Survey
-
Grain and Warehouse (Chair)
-
Immigration
-
Indian Affairs
-
Public Lands
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/4/1902
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/6/1903 to 1/7/1907
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Banker/President, Willmar Seminary
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking
-
Drainage
-
Enrollment
-
Geological and Natural History Survey
-
Grain and Warehouse (Chair)
-
Immigration
-
Indian Affairs
-
Public Lands
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
Body: Senate
District: 41
Elected: 11/6/1894
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/8/1895 to 1/2/1899
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Cashier, Kandiyohi Bank/President, Willmar Seminary Corporation/Former Farmer
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking
-
Drainage (Chair)
-
Grain and Warehouse
-
Public Buildings
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
Body: Senate
District: 41
Elected: 11/6/1894
Residence: Willmar
Term of Office: 1/8/1895 to 1/2/1899
Counties Represented:
Kandiyohi
Occupation: Cashier, Kandiyohi Bank/President, Willmar Seminary Corporation/Former Farmer
Party:
Republican
Committees:
-
Banks and Banking
-
Drainage (Chair)
-
Grain and Warehouse
-
Legislative Expenses
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Temperance
Articles & Books About
Thorpe, Christian Scriver. My Story. Self-Published Manuscript, 1967.
- The first seven pages of Christian S. Thorpe's self-published autobiography discusses the life of his father, Lars O. Thorpe. The entire manuscript is available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library.
L.O. Thorpe Memorial. Minnesota Journal of the Senate, April 21, 1921, p. 1329-1330.
Shutter, Marion Daniel. "Lars O. Thorpe." Progressive Men of Minnesota, Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Journal, 1897, p. 79.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.