Wendell Erickson
Encyclopedia
Wendell O. Erickson was a Minnesota
politician
and is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from southwestern Minnesota.
, he represented the old Districts 19B and 26B and, later, 27B, which included all or portions of Lincoln
, Lyon
, Murray
, Nobles
, Pipestone
and Rock
counties, changing somewhat through redistricting
in 1970 and 1980.
While in the legislature, Erickson earned a reputation as a leader on issues relevant to education and agriculture. He allied with the Conservative Caucus
at a time when the legislature was still officially nonpartisan
, and later identified as a Republican
when party affiliation became required of candidates.
Erickson served on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, Education & Higher Education, Environmental Preservation, Judiciary, Labor Relations, Rules & Legislative Administration and Transportation committees, and on various other committee incarnations and subcommittees during his 22 years in office. He was chair of the House Education Committee during his final term in office, having also served previously as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education in 1979.
Erickson was, along with senators Dennis Frederickson
, Earl Renneke
and Jim Vickerman
, and representatives Aubrey Dirlam, Henry Kalis
and Gilbert Esau
, one of the longest-serving legislators from southern Minnesota in the state's history. He was unseated by Andy Steensma
in the wave of Democratic
victories that swept southwestern Minnesota
in the DFL Party's
"Firestorm" of 1986.
, serving for several years. In 1981, he was awarded the University of Minnesota
Extension Service’s Dean and Director’s Distinguished Friend of Extension Award for "superior contributions as a legislative leader in helping others understand the need for strong agricultural support."
, Erickson was a farm management
instructor and vocational agriculture
teacher. He served in the United States Army
Infantry
during World War II
, being deployed in the Asiatic
theatre for two years. Prior to being elected to the legislature, he was also a member of the Rock County Fair Board.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
from southwestern Minnesota.
Service in the Minnesota House
First elected in 1964, Erickson was re-elected every two years until 1986. A RepublicanRepublican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, he represented the old Districts 19B and 26B and, later, 27B, which included all or portions of Lincoln
Lincoln County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,429 people, 2,653 households, and 1,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,043 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
, Lyon
Lyon County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,425 people, 9,715 households, and 6,334 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 10,298 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
, Murray
Murray County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,165 people, 3,722 households, and 2,601 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 4,357 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
, Nobles
Nobles County, Minnesota
Nobles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 21,378. Its county seat is Worthington.-Geography:...
, Pipestone
Pipestone County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,895 people, 4,069 households, and 2,726 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 4,434 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
and Rock
Rock County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,721 people, 3,843 households, and 2,705 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 4,137 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
counties, changing somewhat through redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
in 1970 and 1980.
While in the legislature, Erickson earned a reputation as a leader on issues relevant to education and agriculture. He allied with the Conservative Caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
at a time when the legislature was still officially nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
, and later identified as a Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
when party affiliation became required of candidates.
Erickson served on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, Education & Higher Education, Environmental Preservation, Judiciary, Labor Relations, Rules & Legislative Administration and Transportation committees, and on various other committee incarnations and subcommittees during his 22 years in office. He was chair of the House Education Committee during his final term in office, having also served previously as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education in 1979.
Erickson was, along with senators Dennis Frederickson
Dennis Frederickson
Dennis R. Frederickson is a Republican politician from Minnesota and a former Minnesota State Senator. He was first elected in 1980 when he ran for the seat being vacated by Senator Carl Jensen, who was appointed to the Minnesota Tax Court and did not seek re-election...
, Earl Renneke
Earl Renneke
Earl W. Renneke is a former Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate from southern Minnesota. He was first elected in a March 25, 1969, special election to fill the vacancy that arose due to the unexpected death of Senator Harold Popp in a traffic accident on February 21,...
and Jim Vickerman
Jim Vickerman
James Murray "Jim" Vickerman is a politician from Minnesota and a former Minnesota State Senator, first elected in 1986 in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's "firestorm" that swept southwestern Minnesota during the height of the 1980s Midwestern farm crisis. In that election, he...
, and representatives Aubrey Dirlam, Henry Kalis
Henry Kalis
Henry J. Kalis was a Minnesota politician and is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southern Minnesota. First elected in 1974, Kalis was re-elected every two years until he opted not to seek re-election in 2002...
and Gilbert Esau
Gilbert Esau
Gilbert D. Esau was a Minnesota politician and is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1962, Esau was re-elected in 1964, 1966 and 1968...
, one of the longest-serving legislators from southern Minnesota in the state's history. He was unseated by Andy Steensma
Andy Steensma
Andrew "Andy" Steensma is a Minnesota politician, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota, and the former mayor of the city of Luverne....
in the wave of Democratic
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
victories that swept southwestern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the DFL Party's
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
"Firestorm" of 1986.
State appointment and Extension Service award
In 1968, Erickson was appointed to the Minnesota Education Council by Governor Harold LeVanderHarold LeVander
Karl Harold Phillip LeVander was an American politician. He served as the 32nd Governor of Minnesota from January 2, 1967 to January 4, 1971 as a Republican, having defeated incumbent Karl Rolvaag, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party , in the 1966 election.LeVander was born in...
, serving for several years. In 1981, he was awarded 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...
Extension Service’s Dean and Director’s Distinguished Friend of Extension Award for "superior contributions as a legislative leader in helping others understand the need for strong agricultural support."
World War II and professional service
From the city of HillsHills, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 565 people, 230 households, and 149 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,160.7 people per square mile . There were 244 housing units at an average density of 501.2 per square mile...
, Erickson was a farm management
Agricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
instructor and vocational agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
teacher. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, being deployed in the Asiatic
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
theatre for two years. Prior to being elected to the legislature, he was also a member of the Rock County Fair Board.