Gretchen Marie Quie (August 4, 1927 – December 13, 2015) was an American artist, painter,

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

, writer, and advocate for the arts. Quie served as the First Lady of Minnesota from 1979 until 1983 during the administration of her husband,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Al Quie Albert Harold Quie ( ; born September 18, 1923) is an American politician and farmer. Quie, who served as member of the United States House of Representatives and Governor of Minnesota, is regarded as a moderate Republican. Quie was strongly c ...

. As First Lady, Quie established the State Ceremonial Building Council to oversee the restoration of the

Minnesota Governor's Residence The Minnesota Governor's Residence, informally referred to as the Governor's Mansion, serves as the official home of the governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The house, located at 1006 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, is on of land. The build ...

. She also opened the Governor's Mansion to the general public through programs including, "Night at the Mansion," which chose Minnesotans through a lottery to spend the night at the residence. Al and Gretchen Quie invited a family of

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

refugees to live at the Governor's Residence's renovated

carriage house A carriage house, also called a remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack. In Great Britain the farm building was called a cart shed. These typically were open f ...

to encourage Minnesotans to sponsor more

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s. Her official manuscripts are housed in the collection of 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 ...

Biography

Quie was born Gretchen Marie Hansen to Ella and Sam Hansen on August 4, 1927, in

Waverly, Iowa Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,394 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The sister cit ...

. Her father, Sam Hansen, was a school administrator who relocated the family to Minnesota. The Hansons moved to

Harmony, Minnesota Harmony is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2010 census. The town bills itself as the "Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota" and features the largest Amish community in the state. Hist ...

, and

Benson, Minnesota Benson is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States, along the Chippewa River. The population was 3,240 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. History Benson was platted in 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. As the e ...

. They finally relocated to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, the state's largest city, where her father opened a business specializing in teacher placement. Gretchen Hansen graduated from the now defunct Central High School in Minneapolis in 1945. She then majored in art at

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 ...

and also spent a summer tern at

Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cr ...

in Michigan. She met her husband, Al Quie, a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

pilot while at St. Olaf. The couple married in June 1948 and Gretchen Quie left St. Olaf one year before her planned graduation. The Quies relocated to his family farm in

Rice County, Minnesota Rice County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 67,097. Its county seat is Faribault, Minnesota, Faribaul ...

. Quie, now the wife of a farmer, became active in local organizations, including the Grace Lutheran Church in Nerstrand and the Dennison Study Club. Gretchen continued painting often interpreting familiar scenes around the farm and the Rice County area. Al Quie was elected to the Minnesota State Senate while working the farm. They had four children in Rice County prior to Quie's election to the United States House of Representatives in 1958. Their fifth child, Ben, was born in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

, while Quie was a member of Congress. Quie designed much of the artwork installed in Saint Stephen Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, including the church's

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s, and

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

. She also established a women's art guild at the church and served as the President of the Montgomery County Potters from 1976 to 1977. She resumed her art studies at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. The credits were transferred to St. Olaf College, allowing her to complete her bachelor's degree in art in 1971.

First Lady of Minnesota

Al Quie was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1978. The Governor, First Lady and their youngest son, Ben, moved into the

in 1979. Gretchen Quie found the residence in need of repairs and renovations, which were ongoing at the time. She created the State Ceremonial Building Council to oversee improvements and renovations to the mansion. In 1980, the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

authorized Quie's State Ceremonial Building Council to create an official "architectural master plan" of the mansion to guide its restoration efforts. Quie also founded the 1006 Summit Avenue Society, a volunteer organization created to oversee the ongoing maintenance and remodeling of the Governor's mansion. In 1981, Quie authored "The Governor's Table," a

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

containing

anecdote An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Occasionally humorous ...

s and recipes liked by past Governors of Minnesota, which was published by the 1006 Summit Avenue Society. She also released her autobiography, "In the Potter's Hand," in 1981. Gretchen Quie is credited with opening the Governor's Mansion to the general public. The Governor and First Lady invited a family of Vietnamese

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

to live in their renovated

on the grounds of the mansion to encourage Minnesotans to sponsor more refugees. Gretchen Quie also created "Night at the Mansion." The program selected Minnesota residents through a lottery to have dinner with the Quies and sleep in the Governor's Residence's guest bedroom.

Career and later life

Al Quie decided not to seek re-election in 1982. Al and Gretchen Quie moved to

Minnetonka, Minnesota Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, in 1983, where she continued to pursue her artistic career. Gretchen Quie and her business partner established Celebration Design, a design firm which was located on St. Paul's Grand Avenue in Minnetonka which focused on

religious art Religious art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritu ...

work. She served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the American Refugee Council, Art Education of Minnesota, Committee on Immunization Practices, the Girl Scout Council, KIDS Inc., the Nutrition Education and Advisory Council, the Salvation Army Council, the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, and the World Population Balance. Quie was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in 2005, necessitating her retirement from art. Her husband became her primary caregiver. Gretchen Quie died from Parkinson's disease at Folkstone Presbyterian Homes

Wayzata, Minnesota Wayzata ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Wayzata is situated along the northern shore of Lake Minnetonka about west of Minneapolis. Known for its small-town character and lakeside lo ...

, on December 13, 2015, at the age of 88. She was survived by her husband, former Governor Al Quie; their five children – Fred, Jennifer (Coffin), Dan, Joel, and Ben; her brother, John Hansen; fourteen grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren. Her funeral was held at Christ Presbyterian Church in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota. Edina began as a small farming and mil ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quie, Gretchen First Ladies and Gentlemen of Minnesota 1927 births 2015 deaths American potters American women ceramists American ceramists American autobiographers American cookbook writers American stained glass artists and manufacturers Mosaic artists Women potters Artists from Iowa Artists from Minnesota St. Olaf College alumni People from Minnetonka, Minnesota People from Waverly, Iowa People from Rice County, Minnesota People from Silver Spring, Maryland People from Harmony, Minnesota People from Benson, Minnesota 20th-century American artists 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists 21st-century ceramists Women autobiographers Minnesota Republicans