Andrew Grindeland (November 20, 1856 – October 28, 1932) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

and Minnesota state senator. Andrew Grindeland was born in

Highlandville, Iowa Highlandville is an unincorporated community in northeastern Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The community is located along local roads northeast of the city of Decorah, the county seat of Winneshiek County. The community's elevation is 9 ...

. He was the son of Ingebrit Grindeland and Lucie Halstensdattir, both immigrants from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He educated at the Decorah Institute in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

. He graduated from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or U ...

in 1882. He opened a law practice that year in the frontier town of

Warren, Minnesota Warren is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,605 at the 2020 census. History Warren was platted in 1879, and named for Charles H. Warren, a railroad official. A post office has bee ...

. He served on the city council and as city recorder. He drafted the Warren city charter. He engaged in the real estate firm of Grindeland & Forsberg. From 1889 to 1900, he was

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

Marshall County, Minnesota Marshall County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,040. Its county seat is Warren. Marshall County was the location of a claimed UFO incident in 1979, the Val John ...

. He served one term in 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 ...

from 1899 to 1903, giving up his seat to unsuccessfully seek the

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 ...

nomination to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1902, he took on as an associate

Julius J. Olson Julius J. Olson (February 22, 1875 – May 22, 1955) was a lawyer and justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Biography Julius Johann Olson was born on the island of Dønna in Nordland, Norway. He emigrated to Lake Park, Minnesota at age eigh ...

, who late became a Minnesota Supreme Court justice. In March 1903, Governor Samuel Van Sant appointed him to the district court bench. He was elected in 1904, and re-elected in 1910, 1916, 1922, and 1928. He retired on November 26, 1930. Grindeland married Inger Forde of Big Canoe in

Winneshiek County, Iowa Winneshiek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,070. The county seat is Decorah. History A largely rural and agricultural county, Winneshiek County has a rich cultural history from ...

in 1882. They had one son and six daughters. His granddaughter Katherine married Oscar R. Knutson, chief justice of Minnesota, in 1968. In addition to his judicial work, he served on the boards of the

Norwegian Lutheran Church of America The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) was a Lutheran denomination that existed from 1917, when it was founded as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA), until 1960, when it joined two other church bodies to form the second American Luthe ...

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

, Luther College in Decorah and Grand Forks College in

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

. While on the bench, he served as president of the Warren Commercial Club. He died in Warren on October 28, 1932, of a heart attack. His papers are reposited at the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

References

External links

Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grindeland, Andrew 1856 births 1932 deaths American people of Norwegian descent People from Winneshiek County, Iowa People from Warren, Minnesota Minnesota state court judges Republican Party Minnesota state senators Minnesota lawyers American Lutherans University of Iowa College of Law alumni St. Olaf College people People from Decorah, Iowa

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Further reading

External links