Minnesota's political giants

Ignatius Donnelly (1831 - 1901) U.S. Representative, 1863 - 1869. and Lieutenant Governor, 1859 - 1863. A Democrat - turned - Republican, he became the father of the Populist and third party movements in Minnesota.

C.A. Lindbergh (1859 - 1924) U.S. Representative, 1907 - 1917; unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate on the Non - Partisan League ticket; unsuccessful candidate for governor as a Progressive Republican, died during his campaign for governor on the Farmer - Labor ticket. An isolationist opposed to the U.S. entry into World War I, he helped found the Farmer - Labor party. Father of aviator Charles Lindbergh.

Andrew Volstead (1860 - 1947), Republican U.S. Representative, 1903 - 1923. ) Best known as the author of the 1919 Volstead Act which was the enforcement provision of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the sale, transportation, importation and exportation of alcohol in the U.S. The Act was repealed in 1933. Volstead was referred to as “the father of Prohibition.”

Clara Hampson Ueland (1860 - 1927) One of the founders of the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis, 1907; president of the Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association; first president of the Minnesota League of Women voters, 1919 - 1920 A leading advocate of women’s suffrage.

Floyd B. Olson (1891 - 1936) Governor, 1931 - 1936.) A Farmer Labor Party leader, he was the first candidate from that party to win the Minnesota governorship. As governor during the heart of the Great Depression, he promoted economic and social reforms, including “old age pensions,” a moratorium on farm foreclosures and conservation. Olson was running for the U.S. Senate when he died of cancer at the age of 44. Some historians believe he could have become president had he lived.

Charles Lindbergh, Jr. (1902 - 1974) Best known for being the first man to fly the Atlantic Ocean solo, and simultaneously, the first to fly from New York to Paris in a heavier - than - air - craft. He was also an outspoken isolationist in the years prior to World War II, aligned with the America First Committee. He gave a controversial speech in Des Moines, Iowa, three months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, in which he said that Jews, along with the British and the Roosevelt administration were trying to push the country into war. that some considered anit - Semitic. After Pearl Harbor, he joined the war effort and flew 50 combat missions.

Harold Stassen (1907 - 2001), Republican Governor, 1939 - 1943; co - founder of the United Nations; unsuccessful candidate for president nine times. The youngest governor in the nation’s history, civil - service reformer, international policymaker and progressive Republican Party leader.

Gus Hall (1910 - 2000) ) Communist Party General Secretary/Chairman of the Communist Party, 1959 - 2000; unsuccessful candidate for president 4 times Born in Cherry, Minn., near Virginia, he went on to become the leader of the Communist Party in the U.S. for 40 years.

Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 - 1978) Democrat Vice President of the United States, 1965 - 1968; U.S. Senator, 1949 - 1964 and 1971 - 1978; Mayor of Minneapolis, 1945 - 1948; unsuccessful candidate for president 3 times, 1960, 1968, 1972. One of the most influential national politicians of his generation, he dominated Minnesota politics for 30 years. He was a champion of civil rights and other liberal causes including Medicare, arms control, the Peace Corps, the Job Corps, and the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Coya Knutson (1912 - 1996) Democrat U.S. Representative, 1955 - 1959 , Minnesota House of Representatives, 1951 - 1954; unsuccessful candidate for reelection to U.S. House in 1958; unsuccessful candidate for Congress 1960. Knutson was the first woman elected to Congress from Minnesota. She is also known for the “Coya, come home” episode during her 1958 reelection campaign in which a letter signed by her husband Andy (but probably not written by him) was circulated to and reported on in newspapers throughout the country. In the letter Andy entreated his wife to quit politics and return to “the happy home that we enjoyed for many years” before her election to Congress. One article had the headline “Coya, come home.” The controversy was a factor in Knutson’s close loss to Republican Odin Langen in the election.

Eugene McCarthy (1916 - 2005) Democrat U.S. Representative, 1949 - 1958; U.S. Senator, 1959 - 1970; unsuccessful candidate for president, 1968. Remembered most vividly for his 1968 bid for president. McCarthy’s strong showing in the New Hampshire primary on an antiwar platform caused President Lyndon Johnson to drop out of the race and set the stage for Hubert Humphrey to win the nomination after a bitter campaign between McCarthy, Humphrey and, until his assassination, Robert Kennedy.

Walter Mondale (1928 - ) Democrat Vice President of the United States, 1977 - 1984; U.S. Senator, 1964 - 1976; unsuccessful candidate for president twice, 1976 and 1984; U.S. Ambassador to Japan, 1993 - 1996; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate, 2002. Called a liberal’s liberal, he championed civil rights, education and government aid for the poor. Played a key role in the Senate investigation of the CIA and FBI after the Watergate scandal. Made history by being the first major party presidential candidate to choose a female running mate. Returned briefly to politics in 2002 as a last - minute Democratic candidate when Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash just days before the election.

Rudy Perpich (1928 - 1995) Democrat Governor, 1976 - 78 and 1983 - 1991; Lieutenant - governor, 1971 - 76; Minnesota state senator, 1962 - 1970; unsuccessful candidate for re - election as governor twice, 1978 and 1990. The state’s longest - serving governor, he is the only one to be ejected from office twice by voters. In 1990 Newsweek magazine called him “Gov. Goofy,” a nickname his detractors came up with because of the governor’s unorthodox ideas and behavior. But even some of his grandest schemes worked. Perpich courted the original promoters of a gigantic shopping mall and entertainment complex which eventually became the Mall of America. He persuaded Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to visit Minnesota in 1990. He had a hand in bringing the NBA Timberwolves to Minnesota and the awarding of the 1992 Super Bowl and NCAA men’s basketball Final Four. Perpich named Marlene Johnson as his 1982 running mate; she became the state’s first female lieutenant governor. He also appointed the first woman to the state Supreme Court, Rosalie Wahl.

Ray Pleasant (1928 - ) Independent Republican, and B. Robert Lewis (1931 - 1979), DFL Pleasant and Lewis were the first blacks elected to the Minnesota Legislature in the 20th century. Both were elected in 1972. Lewis served as state senator from 1973 to 1979. Pleasant served in the state House from 1973 to 1980.

Paul Wellstone (1944 - 2002) Democrat U.S. Senator, 1991 - 2002. A college professor, Wellstone’s life - long work leading organizing efforts on behalf of the poor, workers, struggling family farmers, and others led to a surprising win in the 1990 U.S. Senate election. In the Senate, he championed human rights causes, mental health insurance coverage and was an outspoken opponent of the war with Iraq. He, along with his wife, daughter and campaign aides, died in a plane crash just days before the 2002 election.

Jesse Ventura (1951 - ) Reform/Independence Party Governor, 1999 - 2002 A former professional wrestler and actor, Ventura’s colorful third - party campaign and governorship is credited with sparking interest in politics and government among young, disaffected voters. As governor, Ventura advanced light - rail and property tax reform. He did not seek a second term.