Theodore Christianson
Encyclopedia
Theodore Christianson was an American politician
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...

 who served as the 21st Governor of Minnesota
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...

 from January 6, 1925 until January 6, 1931.

Background

Theodore Christianson Jr. was born in Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota
Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota
Lac qui Parle Township is a township in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 183 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

. He attended Dawson High School. He granduated from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

, Arts College in 1906. Christianson graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...

 in 1909.He was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in 1909. Before entering politics, Christianson had pursued dual careers in western Minnesota, where he both practiced law and was for 15 years the editor and publisher of the Dawson Sentinel. Five consecutive terms as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 state legislator convinced him that government reorganization was in order.

Career

"More Ted, Less Taxes" was the campaign promise of Theodore Christianson when he ran for governor in 1924. "Tightwad Ted," as he was affectionately dubbed, kept his word. During his administration, he limited taxes and cut expenditures at every level of state government. Voters—in a conservative mood after the turmoil of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

—expressed their approval of his cautious fiscal policy and his disdain for socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

 by re-electing him twice.

Efficiency was as crucial as thrift to Minnesota's twenty-first governor and he incorporated both priorities in his 1925 Reorganization Act. To firm up a flabby bureaucracy, he appointed a three-man 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.

Christianson's bid for nomination to the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 in 1930 failed as he lost the Republican nomination to incumbent Thomas Schall, and he left politics temporarily. During a three-year hiatus, the former newspaperman continued to serve his native state by writing its history, a five-volume work The Land of Sky-Tinted Waters: A History of the State and its People (Minnesota: 1935). He rounded out his public career with two terms in Congress. In 1936, he did not run for re-election to the House; instead he ran for Senate again. Receiving the Republican nomination, he ran against former Congressman Ernest Lundeen
Ernest Lundeen
Ernest Lundeen was an American lawyer and politician.Lundeen was born and raised on his father's homestead in Brooklyn Township of Lincoln County near Beresford, South Dakota. His father, C. H...

 of the Farmer Labor Party and was defeated, receiving 37% of the vote.

Later, Christianson moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and an executive position with a national trade association. He had recently retired to Dawson, Minnesota
Dawson, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,539 people, 677 households, and 398 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,043.4 people per square mile . There were 756 housing units at an average density of 512.6 per square mile...

 when he died of a heart attack at 65 years of age.

Other sources

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