Karl Harold Phillip LeVander (October 10, 1910March 30, 1992) was an American attorney and politician. 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 ...

, he served as the 32nd

governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

from January 2, 1967 to January 4, 1971, after defeating incumbent governor

Karl Rolvaag Karl Fritjof Rolvaag (July 18, 1913 – December 20, 1990) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 31st Governor of Minnesota from March 25, 1963, to January 2, 1967, as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. H ...

in the 1966 election.

Background

LeVander was born in Swedehome, Nebraska (near

Stromsburg Stromsburg is a city in Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,028 as per the 2020 census. History Stromsburg was settled early in Nebraska history. A group of Swedish settlers from the town of Ockelbo arrived in the 1860 ...

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

) and attended high school in

Watertown, Minnesota Watertown is a small city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River, on the outskirts of the Twin Cities metro area. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. History Watertown was platted in 1858, ...

. His father, Peter Magni LeVander, was a Swedish immigrant and clergyman.Knight News Wire. "Ex-Minnesota Gov. LeVander dead at age 82." ''The Daily Dispatch''. Moline, Illinois. April 1, 1992. Print. He graduated magna cum laude from

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...

in 1932, where he served as class president and student council president. He was also on the debate team, winning the National Peace Oratorical Contest, and the football team and track team, where he competed in the high hurdles and pole vault. After graduating from Gustavus, he attended the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent Law ...

. He married Iantha Powrie in 1938, and they raised a family of three children: Harold "Hap," Jean, and Diane LeVander.Iantha LeVander Papers
/ref>"Harold LeVander: a strong governor for Minnesota." LeVander for Governor Volunteers. Print.

Career

After graduation, LeVander worked as assistant county attorney for

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

from 1935 to 1939. He also worked for the law firm of Stassen & Ryan in

South St. Paul South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States, located immediately south and southeast of Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul. It is also east of West St. Paul, Minnesota, West St. Paul. The population ...

, and taught speech and coached debate at

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

. He was active in local commerce, acting as president of South Saint Paul's Chamber of Commerce from 1952 to 1954 and of the South Saint Paul United Federal

Savings and Loan Association A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. The terms "S&L" or "thrift" are mainly used in the United States; simi ...

from 1953 to 1967. He was politically connected, having worked with future governor

Harold Stassen Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was an American politician who was the 25th Governor of Minnesota. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1948, considered for a ti ...

and future

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

Elmer Ryan at their law firm. In 1962, he earned the Greater Gustavus Alumni Award for Distinguished Career in Law. LeVander took the governorship in 1967, and for the first time since 1953, the Republicans held the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. During his term the first Minnesota sales tax was created. He favored "initiative and referendum" and vetoed two bills that did not contain it. He also created the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 pe ...

, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the inaugural Human Rights Department. During his term, the legislature ratified the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which lowered the minimum voting age nationwide to 18. In a surprise move, LeVander declined to seek reelection in 1970, returning to his law practice and business interests, becoming a director of

The St. Paul Companies The Travelers Companies, Inc., commonly known as Travelers, is an American insurance company. It is the second-largest writer of U.S. commercial property casualty insurance, and the sixth-largest writer of U.S. personal insurance through indepen ...

(1973–1981), the

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Traini ...

(1974–1981), and the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce (1975–1978). In 1992 he died from Parkinson's disease at the age of 81.

References

External links

Minnesota Historical Society

"Harold LeVander." Alumni Files.Gustavus Adolphus College and Lutheran Church Archives.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levander, Harold 1910 births 1992 deaths People from Polk County, Nebraska Gustavus Adolphus College alumni University of Minnesota Law School alumni Macalester College faculty Republican Party governors of Minnesota 20th-century American lawyers Minnesota lawyers American Lutherans American people of Swedish descent 20th-century American politicians Neurological disease deaths in Minnesota Deaths from Parkinson's disease