Edward William Christiansen Jr. (February 2, 1914 – March 28, 2000) was an American politician who served as a state representative and lieutenant governor in Montana.

Life

On February 24, 1914, Edward William Christiansen Jr. was born to Edward William Christiansen and Mabel C. Cork in Fargo, North Dakota. After graduating from North Dakota State University he married Hattie James on December 27, 1947, and moved to

Hardin, Montana Hardin is a city in and the county seat of Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,818 at the 2020 census. It is located just north of the Crow Indian Reservation. History The city was named for Samuel Hardin, a friend o ...

. In 1964, he was elected to the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

after defeating Republican Sam Denny and also served as one of Montana's presidential delegates to the

1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnes ...

. In 1971, the Democratic caucus in the House elected him as the House Minority Leader. Although he was initially interested in running for governor in the 1972 election, he later chose to run for lieutenant governor after incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Thomas Lee Judge Thomas Lee Judge (October 12, 1934 – September 8, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Montana f ...

announced that he would run for the governorship. Christiansen won the lieutenant gubernatorial election, but announced in 1976 that he wouldn't seek reelection and rejected a draft movement that attempted to have him primary Governor Thomas Lee Judge. During the

1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries From January 21 to June 3, 1980, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1980 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Jimmy Carter was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary electio ...

he endorsed Senator

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

. On March 28, 2000, Christiansen died in Helena, Montana.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Bill 20th-century American politicians 1914 births 2000 deaths Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of Montana North Dakota State University alumni People from Fargo, North Dakota People from Hardin, Montana