Edward John Thye

Edward J. Thye
State of Minnesota's official oil painting of governor Edward J. Thye
United States Senator from Minnesota
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1959 Alongside: Joseph H. Ball, Hubert Humphrey
Preceded by	Henrik Shipstead
Succeeded by	Eugene McCarthy
26th Governor of Minnesota
In office April 27, 1943 – January 8, 1947
Lieutenant	C. Elmer Anderson Archie H. Miller
Preceded by	Harold Stassen
Succeeded by	Luther Youngdahl
31st Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office 1943–1943
Governor	Harold Stassen
Preceded by	C. Elmer Anderson
Succeeded by	Archie H. Miller
Personal details
Born	April 26, 1896(1896-04-26) Frederick, South Dakota
Died	August 28, 1969(1969-08-28) (aged 73) Northfield, Minnesota
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Hazel Ramage (1921), Myrtle Ennor Oliver (1942)
Profession	politician
Religion	Lutheranism

Edward John Thye (April 26, 1896 – August 28, 1969) was an American politician. He was the 26th Governor of Minnesota and a United States Senator from Minnesota.

Background

Thye was born near Frederick, South Dakota, the son of Andrew J. Thye, a Norwegian immigrant farmer. His family moved to a farm near Northfield, Minnesota, when he was a young boy. After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War I, he became a tractor expert and salesman for the Deere and Webber Company of Minneapolis. In 1922 he resigned to become manager and, later, owner of a dairy farm near Northfield.

Political career

In 1929, Thye was elected president of the Dakota County Farm Bureau. He was appointed as Minnesota's Dairy and Food Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture (1939–1942).

Thye was elected the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 1942, and became the 26th Governor of Minnesota in 1943 when Governor Harold Stassen resigned to join the United States Navy. He was Governor from 1943 until 1947.

Thye was elected as a United States Senator in 1946 after defeating Henrik Shipstead in the Republican primary and defeating the Democratic candidate, Theodore Jorgenson, with 58.9% of the vote. He served in the Senate from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959, in the 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 85th Congresses. He lost his reelection bid in 1958 to Eugene McCarthy.

Personal information

Thye married Hazel Ramage in 1921; she died in 1936. In 1942, he married Myrtle Ennor Oliver. He died in 1969 in Northfield, Minnesota, aged 73, and is buried at the Oaklawn Cemetery in Northfield.

References

• Edward John Thye at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Minnesota Historical Society

External links

• A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Edward J Thye" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]

Political offices
Preceded by C. Elmer Anderson	Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1943	Succeeded by Archie H. Miller
Preceded by Harold Stassen	Governor of Minnesota 1943 – 1947	Succeeded by Luther Youngdahl
United States Senate
Preceded by Henrik Shipstead	United States Senator (Class 1) from Minnesota 1947 – 1959 Served alongside: Joseph H. Ball, Hubert Humphrey	Succeeded by Eugene McCarthy