Kittel Halvorson (December 15, 1846 – July 12, 1936) 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 ...

Biography

Kittel Halvorson was born near

Tuddal Tuddal is a village in Hjartdal municipality, 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 Scandinavia ...

in Hjartdal parish,

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, Norway. In 1848, he immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled near

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

Walworth County, Wisconsin Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,478. Its county seat is Elkhorn. The county was created in 1836 from Wisconsin Territory and organized in 1839. It is named for Re ...

. They subsequently moved to Columbia County and then to Winnebago County. He attended the public schools in Winchester, Wisconsin. In 1863, Halvorson enlisted in Company C, First Regiment, Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. His service record included participation in the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...

and the Battle of Chattanooga. Halvorson moved to Minnesota in November 1865 and homesteaded near

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. The county was founded in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, the ...

where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

1870 – 1875; chairman of the board of supervisors 1870–1880; township assessor in 1880; town clerk 1880 – 1891 and 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 ...

1886–1888. He was elected as a

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

to the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

, (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892 to the 53rd Congress. He resumed agricultural pursuits near Brooten, Stearns County, Minnesota. He served as an alternate delegate to the Populist Party National Convention in 1896. He moved to Tewaukon Township,

Sargent County, North Dakota Sargent County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Its county seat is Forman, and its most populous city is Gwinner. The county is named in honor of Homer E. Sargent, a 19th-century general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad C ...

in 1900 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was an unsuccessful candidate for representative from North Dakota for the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

in 1906. He returned to Minnesota in 1910 and resuming farming in North Fork until 1924, when he retired. Halvorson died in Havana, North Dakota, on July 12, 1936. His interment was at Big Grove Lutheran Church Cemetery, North Fork Township, near

Brooten, Minnesota Brooten is a city in Stearns and Pope counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, United States. The population was 743 as of the 2010 census. Almost the entire city is within Stearns County, with a small portion in Pope County. The Stearns Count ...

Biography

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References

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