Al Quie

Albert Harold "Al" Quie (/kwiː/) (born September 18, 1923) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1979, to January 3, 1983.[1]

Al Quie
35th Governor of Minnesota
In office
January 4, 1979 – January 3, 1983
LieutenantLou Wangberg
Preceded byRudy Perpich
Succeeded byRudy Perpich
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 1st district
In office
February 18, 1958 – January 3, 1979
Preceded byAugust Andresen
Succeeded byArlen Erdahl
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 18th district
In office
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1958
Preceded byHomer Covert
Succeeded byArnin Sundet
Personal details
Born (1923-09-18) September 18, 1923
Dennison, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1948; died 2015)​
Children5
EducationSt. Olaf College (BA)

Early life

Quie was born on his family's farm near Dennison, Minnesota, in Rice County. Three of his grandparents were Norwegian immigrants.[2] He served in the United States Navy during World War II and graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield in 1950 with a degree in political science.

State and national government service

A Republican, Quie was a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1955 to 1958, representing the old 18th District, which encompassed Rice County in the southeastern part of the state.[3] He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election after the death of Representative August Andresen, and served from February 18, 1958, to January 3, 1979. He was a member of the 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 94th and 95th Congresses.[4] Quie voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,[5] 1964,[6] and 1968,[7] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[8][9] Quie's service in the 85th Congress makes that Congress the earliest with a surviving member.

Quie was briefly considered for Vice President of the United States in 1974 after Gerald Ford became president upon the resignation of Richard Nixon. The position was eventually taken by Nelson Rockefeller.[10]

Quie was elected governor of Minnesota in 1978.[1] During his single term, he dealt with an extreme budget crisis, and made some very tough and unpopular choices. He opted not to run again in 1982.[11]

Quie in 1977

Personal life

Quie's married his wife, artist and former First Lady of Minnesota Gretchen Quie, in 1948. Mrs Quie died of Parkinson's disease on December 13, 2015, at the age of 88.[12]

In Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days, Quie is said to be the first governor ever to set foot in the mythical town of Lake Wobegon, "slipping quietly away from his duties to attend a ceremony dedicating a plaque attached to the Statue of the Unknown Norwegian" and making a few remarks.

References
  1. Al (Albert Harold) Quie : Governors of Minnesota Archived June 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Mnhs.Org. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  2. "United States Census, 1930", FamilySearch, retrieved March 18, 2018
  3. Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Quie, Albert Harold "Al". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  4. QUIE, Albert Harold – Biographical Information. Bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  5. "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
  6. "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
  7. "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES".
  8. "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
  9. "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
  10. The Talent Search – Time. Time.com (August 19, 1974). Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  11. Crossing the partisan divide: Minnesota budgets and politics in the 1980s Archived June 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. MinnPost. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  12. Salisbury, Bill (December 14, 2015). "Gretchen Quie, opened governor's house to public, dies at 88". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
August Andresen		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 1st congressional district
1958–1979		 Succeeded by
Arlen Erdahl
Party political offices
Preceded by
John Johnson		 Republican nominee for Governor of Minnesota
1978		 Succeeded by
Wheelock Whitney
Political offices
Preceded by
Rudy Perpich		 Governor of Minnesota
1979–1983		 Succeeded by
Rudy Perpich
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