Ancher Nelsen (October 11, 1904 – November 30, 1992), was an American politician who served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and an eight-term congressman.

Biography

Nelsen was born October 11, 1904, near

Buffalo Lake, Minnesota Buffalo Lake is a city in Renville County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 733 at the 2010 census. History Buffalo Lake was platted in 1881, and named after a nearby lake. A post office has been in operation at Buffalo Lake since ...

, to Danish parents. He attended elementary school in

Brownton, Minnesota Brownton is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 762 at the 2010 census. History Brownton was platted in 1877, and named for Alonzo L. Brown, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in oper ...

, and graduated from Brownton High School in 1923. In 1924 he began operation of his 280-acre diversified farm at Hutchinson,

McLeod County, Minnesota McLeod County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,771. Its county seat is Glencoe. McLeod County comprises the Hutchinson, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Minneapolis-St. ...

. In 1929 he married Ilo Zimmerman of Brownton; they had three children. Their son Bruce G. Nelsen served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

.Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Bruce G. Nelsen
/ref> He served on the District 75 Minnesota School Board from 1926 to 1935 and on the Lynn Township School Board from 1929 to 1935. Nelsen was a member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the 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 U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

, 1935–1949, and a delegate to the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

and

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s. In 1952, he was elected the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, but served less than one year (January 5-May 1, 1953). He resigned to become administrator of the

Rural Electrification Administration The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...

Program, in Washington, D.C., serving in that post from 1953 to 1956. Nelsen was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1958 and served in the 86th through the 93rd Congresses, from January 3, 1959, to his resignation December 31, 1974, three days before his final term expired. He did not seek renomination in 1974. He died in Hutchinson, Minnesota, November 30, 1992, at age 88.

References

Minnesota Historical Society biographyMinnesota Legislators Past and Present

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelsen, Ancher 1904 births 1992 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators School board members in Minnesota American Lutherans American people of Danish descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota 20th-century American politicians People from Hutchinson, Minnesota Farmers from Minnesota 20th-century Lutherans