Hjalmar Petersen

Hjalmar Petersen
23rd Governor of Minnesota
In office August 22, 1936 – January 4, 1937
Lieutenant	William B. Richardson (acting)
Preceded by	Floyd B. Olson
Succeeded by	Elmer Austin Benson
28th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office January 8, 1935 – August 24, 1936
Governor	Floyd B. Olson
Preceded by	Konrad K. Solberg
Succeeded by	William B. Richardson
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office 1931–1934
Personal details
Born	(1890-01-02)January 2, 1890 Eskildstrup, Denmark
Died	March 29, 1968(1968-03-29) (aged 78) Columbus, Ohio, United States
Political party	Farmer-Labor
Spouse(s)	Rigmore C. Wosgaard (1st), Medora Grandprey (2nd)
Profession	politician

Hjalmar Petersen (January 2, 1890 – March 29, 1968) was an American politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Minnesota.

Background

Hjalmar Petersen was born in Eskildstrup, Denmark. His career in journalism culminated in his purchase in 1914 of the Askov American in Askov, Minnesota, a weekly newspaper he owned for the rest of his life.

Political career

After serving as Askov's village clerk and mayor, Petersen won two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he sponsored the state income-tax law and urged that tax revenues be spent on public education. Before he ran for the Minnesota Legislature he had been a member of the Republican Party. By the time he ran for office he was a member of the Farmer-Labor Party. He served in the legislature from 1931 to 1934, representing the old House District 56.

Petersen was elected the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 1934 and served with Governor Floyd B. Olson. He was sworn in as governor two days after Olson died of cancer on August 22, 1936. He served the remainder of Olson's term but declined to run for governor himself in the November general election, opting instead to launch a successful bid for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, a position he then assumed after leaving the governship on January 4, 1937. He later ran for governor in 1940 and 1942, losing both times to Harold Stassen.

Personal life

After his term as governor, he served as the president of the American Publishing Company. He was married twice, first to Rigmor C. Wosgaard in 1914 and later to Medora Grandprey in 1934. He died in 1968 in Columbus, Ohio.

Other resources

• The Hjalmar Petersen Papers are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.

Additional reading

• Keillor, Steven J. Hjalmar Petersen of Minnesota: The Politics of Provincial Independence ( Minnesota Historical Society Press. 1987)