Herman Carl Andersen (January 27, 1897 – July 26, 1978) was a

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 ...

from

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 ...

Background

Herman Carl Andersen was born in

Newcastle, Washington Newcastle is an Eastside city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,380 at the 2010 census and an estimated 12,292 in 2019. Although Newcastle was not incorporated until 1994, it has been an important settlement an ...

. He was the son of Charles Carl Andersen (1858-1940?) and Lorena Nielson (1868–1946). Charles C. Andersen had emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the late 1870s. The family moved to a farm near

Tyler, Minnesota Tyler is a city in Lincoln County, Minnesota, United States. The population in was 1,143 at the 2010 census. History Tyler was platted in 1879. It was named for C. B. Tyler, a Minnesota land agent and newspaper editor. A post office has been in ...

in 1901. Andersen's father returned to mining and became superintendent of a large coal mine owned by

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

Red Lodge, Montana Red Lodge is a city and county seat of Carbon County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,257. History On September 17, 1851, the United States government signed a treaty with the Crow Nation, cedin ...

, where Andersen graduated from high school in 1913. He attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and later the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

. While aboard the battleship in 1917, a gun blast partially impaired his hearing and he was unable to qualify for further service.

Career

Andersen engaged in cattle raising and agricultural pursuits 1919 – 1925 and as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

1925 – 1930. From 1926 to 1928 he was employed in the

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

. He resumed agricultural pursuits near Tyler, Minnesota, 1930 – 1938. He served as member of 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 ...

for one term from 1935 to 1937. He 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 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 86th and 87th congresses from 1939 to 1963. Andersen voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, but voted present on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the 1962 election, his district was eliminated as part of

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

. He also faced backlash from the Republican party related to a business deal with fraudster

Billie Sol Estes Billie Sol Estes (January 10, 1925 – May 14, 2013) was an American businessman and financier best known for his involvement in a business fraud scandal that complicated his ties to friend and future U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. Early life E ...

. He lost the Republican primary election to

Robert J. Odegard Robert J. Odegard (December 22, 1920 – September 20, 2013) was an American businessman and politician. Life and career Born in Princeton, Minnesota, Odegard served in the United States Navy during World War II. He received his bachelor's de ...

(who in turn lost to Democrat

Alec G. Olson Alec Gehard Olson (born September 11, 1930) is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a former state senator, who served as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. He was born in Mamre Township in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. ...

in the general election) and did not return to politics.

Later years

After leaving politics, Andersen retired to

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...

where he ran a small business and managed his farming interests in Minnesota. He died in 1978. He was cremated and his ashes interred in Danebod Lutheran Cemetery in Tyler, Minnesota.

References

External links

*Th
H. Carl Andersen Papers
including records of his congressional service, are available for research use at th
Minnesota Historical Society.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Herman Carl 1897 births 1978 deaths People from Newcastle, Washington American people of Danish descent Lutherans from Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota Minnesota Independents Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives People from Tyler, Minnesota 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Lutherans United States Navy officers United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Washington (state) Military personnel from Minnesota

Background

Career

Later years

See also

References

External links