Irvin Neil Anderson (June 18, 1923 – November 17, 2008) was a

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

politician and member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

from 1965 to 1983, and again from 1991 to 2007. From

International Falls International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy R ...

, Anderson entered politics at approximately the same time that he was elected union president at the M & O Paper Company, the International Falls

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

where he worked. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he represented the old District 64 and 64B and, later, District 3A. The sprawling district included all or portions of Beltrami, Itasca, Koochiching,

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

and

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

counties in the northern part of the state. Anderson served as majority leader of the House from 1973 to 1981, and again, briefly, in 1993 before becoming

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

in September 1993, a position he held until 1997. He continued to serve in the legislature until 2007, opting not to run for re-election in 2006 due to health concerns. Anderson fought in World War II as a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

from 1942 to 1945, earning the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

for his performance. The Air Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States, distinguishes themselves by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. He also helped create Minnesota's memorial to World War II veterans. Anderson died at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids on November 17, 2008. He was buried in St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Cemetery in International Falls. On April 15, 2009, Governor Tim Pawlenty approved a bill designating

U.S. Highway 53 U.S. Route 53, or U.S. Highway 53 (U.S. 53), is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 404 miles (650 km) from La Crosse, Wisconsin to International Falls, Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsi ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

as the Irv Anderson Memorial Highway.

References

External links

MPR Votetracker: Rep. Irv Anderson

"Through thick and thin, Anderson perseveres" Session Weekly April 19, 1991

"Irv Anderson, Minnesota's classic rough-and-tough legislator" Minnesota Post November 21, 2008

* ttp://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2008/nov17/1409/former-house-speaker-irv-anderson-dies-85 "Former House speaker Irv Anderson dies at 85" Politics in Minnesota November 17, 2008 , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Irvin N. 1923 births 2008 deaths University of Minnesota alumni Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Recipients of the Air Medal People from International Falls, Minnesota United States Navy pilots of World War II Military personnel from Minnesota 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature