Theodore Schwinden (born August 31, 1925) is an American politician. He served as the 23rd

Lieutenant Governor of Montana The lieutenant governor of Montana is an elected official in the State of Montana that ranks just below the governor of Montana. List of lieutenant governors ;Parties Living former lieutenant governors , there are six former lieutenant gov ...

and the 19th Governor of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

Biography

Schwinden was born in

Wolf Point, Montana Wolf Point ( asb, šųktógeja oʾípa) is an incorporated ranchingtown in, and the county seat of, Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2020 census, down 4% from 2,621 in the 2010 Census. It is the larges ...

. He enlisted in the United States Army and served until 1946. Schwinden earned a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...

Career

A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Schwinden was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 1958. He was elected and was named to the Legislative Council in 1959. He served as the House minority whip in 1961. In 1965, he was elected president of the Grain Growers Association, and in 1969 he was named Commissioner of State Lands, He was reappointed in 1973 and served until April 1976. Schwinden resigned to campaign for Lieutenant Governor and was elected the 23rd

, serving under Governor

Thomas Lee Judge Thomas Lee Judge (October 12, 1934 – September 8, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Montana f ...

. He served as Lieutenant Governor from 1976 to 1980. Schwinden defeated his predecessor in the Democratic primary in 1980 to become the 19th Governor of Montana. He was re-elected governor in 1984. Hallmarks of Schwinden's governorship were his "Build Montana" economic plan and popular traveling "Capital for a Day" events.

Personal life

His wife, former Montana First Lady Jean Schwinden, died from cancer on March 24, 2007, at the age of 81. Schwinden and his wife have three children.

References

External links

National Governors Association

Montana Historical Society

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwinden, Ted 1925 births Living people People from Wolf Point, Montana University of Montana alumni Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of Montana Lieutenant Governors of Montana American Lutherans Military personnel from Montana United States Army personnel of World War II