Kittel Halvorson (December 15, 1846 – July 12, 1936) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

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 ...

Biography

Kittel Halvorson was born near

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in Hjartdal parish,

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. In 1848, he immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled near

Whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

Walworth County, Wisconsin Walworth County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 106,478. Its county seat is Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Elkhorn. The county was created in ...

. They subsequently moved to Columbia County and then to Winnebago County. He attended the public schools in Winchester, Wisconsin. In 1863, Halvorson enlisted in Company C, First Regiment, Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. His service record included participation in the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge, also known as the Battle of Chattanooga, was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union Army, Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on ...

and the Battle of Chattanooga. Halvorson moved to Minnesota in November 1865 and homesteaded near

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Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by Europe ...

where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He served as justice of the peace 1870 – 1875; chairman of the board of supervisors 1870–1880; township assessor in 1880; town clerk 1880 – 1891 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 ...

1886–1888. He was elected as a

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

to the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1891 ...

, (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892 to the 53rd Congress. He resumed agricultural pursuits near Brooten, Stearns County, Minnesota. He served as an alternate delegate to the Populist Party National Convention in 1896. He moved to Tewaukon Township,

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in 1900 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was an unsuccessful candidate for representative from North Dakota for the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

in 1906. He returned to Minnesota in 1910 and resuming farming in North Fork until 1924, when he retired. Halvorson died in Havana, North Dakota, on July 12, 1936.

Biography

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References

Further reading