Theodore Christianson (September 12, 1883December 9, 1948) was an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

who served as the 21st Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1925, until January 6, 1931.

Early life and education

Christianson was born in Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota. He was of Norwegian descent. He attended Dawson High School. Christianson graduated from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in 1906 and the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university 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 Pa ...

in 1909. He was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in 1909.

Career

Before entering politics, Christianson had pursued dual careers in western Minnesota, where he practiced law and was editor and publisher of the '' Dawson Sentinel'' for fifteen years. During his time with the ''Dawson Sentinel'', Christianson published anti-German and anti-

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

editorials, particularly targeting Albert Pfaender, son of

William Pfaender William Pfaender Sr. (born Jakob Wilhelm Pfänder, July 6, 1826 – August 11, 1905) was a German-American politician and businessman. Biography Born in Heilbronn, Kingdom of Württemberg, Pfaender emigrated to the United States in 1848 an ...

, of New Ulm. He served as a 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 ...

for five terms. "More Ted, Less Taxes" was the Christians's campaign slogan when he ran for governor in 1924. During his administration, he limited taxes and cut expenditures at every level of state government. He was re-elected twice. During his tenure as governor, Christianson established a three-member Commission of Administration and Finance. This so-called "Big Three" unleashed the veto power of the chief executive, who slashed budget appropriations he considered extravagant. In 1925, the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

passed a bill for eugenics-based sterilization. Governor Christianson signed the bill into law, and on January 8, 1926, six women living in a

mental asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

in Fairbault were sterilized. Christianson held mail correspondence and met with H. E. Kettering, Minnesota

Grand Dragon Ku Klux Klan (KKK) nomenclature has evolved over the order's nearly 160 years of existence. The titles and designations were first laid out in the 1920s ''Kloran'', setting out KKK terms and traditions. Like many KKK terms, this is a portmanteau t ...

of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. In 1926, W. A. Kanorr sent a letter to Christianson describing members of the Ku Klux Klan working postmaster positions across Minnesota and the broader United States to keep track of citizens' activities through their mail. Christianson was a candidate for the 1930 United States Senate election in Minnesota, placing second in the Republican primary after incumbent Senator

Thomas Schall Thomas David Schall (June 4, 1878December 22, 1935) was an American lawyer and politician. He served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate from Minnesota. He was initially elected and then re-elected as a ...

. During a three-year hiatus from politics, Christianson wrote five-volume history text called ''The Land of Sky-Tinted Waters: A History of the State and its People''. He was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

in 1932 and served until 1937. In 1936, he did not run for re-election to the House, opting to launch another bid for the Senate in the 1936 election. Receiving the Republican nomination, he ran against former congressman

Ernest Lundeen Ernest Lundeen (August 4, 1878August 31, 1940) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919 and 1933 to 1937, and in the United States Senate from 1937 until his ...

of the Farmer Labor Party and was defeated, receiving 37% of the vote. After leaving politics, Christianson moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and served as secretary-manager of the National Association of Retail Grocers from 1937 to 1939. He was public relations counsel for the National Association of Retail Druggists from 1938 to 1945, and editor of ''The Journal of the National Association of Retail Druggists: Official Organ of the N.A.R.D.'' from 1945 to 1948.

Personal life

His son was Theodore Christianson who served on the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first assemb ...

. Christianson retired to

Dawson, Minnesota Dawson is a city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,466 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The land Dawson sits on was originally home to the Wahpekute, ...

, when he died of a heart attack at 65. He is interred at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1989, Christianson was honored as the first gnome in Dawson, Minnesota. Annually, one person is chosen who has served the community to be depicted as a gnome. The gnome of "Governor Ted" can be found in the Dawson Public Library and is made of wood.

References

Other sources

Biographical information Gubernatorial recordsMinnesota Historical SocietyMinnesota Legislators Past and Present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianson, Theodore 1883 births 1948 deaths People from Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota Republican Party governors of Minnesota 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American Presbyterians Historians of Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives University of Minnesota Law School alumni American people of Norwegian descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota Historians from Minnesota 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature