Raymond Park Chase (March 12, 1880 – September 18, 1948) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and a

Minnesota State Auditor The state auditor of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Nineteen individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Julie Blaha, a DFLer. Election and te ...

Life and career

Chase was born in

Anoka County, Minnesota Anoka County ( ) is the fourth-most-populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 363,887. The county seat and namesake of the county is the city of Anoka, which is derived from the Dakota word '' ...

on March 12, 1880. He attended the public schools and graduated from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in 1903. Chase attended the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...

in 1904, 1905, 1915, and 1916, but did not graduate. He engaged in the publishing and printing business at Anoka, Minnesota from 1904 to 1914. Chase served as municipal judge of Anoka, Minnesota from 1911 to 1916, and as deputy State auditor and land commissioner of Minnesota from 1916 through 1920. Chase returned to law school at

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...

(then the St. Paul College of Law) and finally graduated in 1919; was admitted to the bar the same year but did not practice. He was elected state auditor as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in 1920, and served through 1931. He stood unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

in 1930. Chase was elected as a Republican to the 73rd congress (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935) during a period when the state elected all Representatives at-large. He unsuccessfully sought renomination in 1934 when the seats were again broken into districts. After serving in Congress, Chase practiced law, specializing in legal research from 1935 through 1943. From 1944 through 1948 he served as a member of the Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commission. During the 1938 gubernatorial race, Chase authored a book "Are They Communists or Catspaws: A Red Baiting Article", trying to prove a link between the incumbent Farmer-Labor Party administration and the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

, however the book blatantly introduced

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

into Minnesota politics as all of his examples were addressing Jews.Patrick Coleman
A Dark Chapter in Minnesoa's Political History
Minnesota Historical Society, January 2009. The book helped his side win the election, but it also prompted the organization, Jewish Community Relations Council, to combat local anti-Semitism. Chase died in

Anoka, Minnesota Anoka ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 17,142 at the 2010 census. Anoka is the "Halloween Capital of the World" because it hosted one of the first Halloween parades in 1920. It ...

, on September 18, 1948. He is interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Anoka.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Ray P. State Auditors of Minnesota 1880 births 1948 deaths People from Anoka County, Minnesota University of Minnesota Law School alumni William Mitchell College of Law alumni Minnesota lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers