Wendell Oliver Erickson (June 17, 1925 – August 8, 2018) was an American politician who was a 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 ...

from southwestern Minnesota.

Service in the Minnesota House

First elected in 1964, Erickson was re-elected every two years until 1986. 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 represented the old Districts 19B and 26B and, later, 27B, which included all or portions of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

Nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

, Pipestone and

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

counties, changing somewhat through

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 ...

in 1970 and 1980. While in the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

, Erickson earned a reputation as a leader on issues relevant to education and agriculture. He allied with the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

at a time when the legislature was still officially

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

, and later identified as a

when party affiliation became required of candidates. Erickson served on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, Education & Higher Education, Environmental Preservation, Judiciary, Labor Relations, Rules & Legislative Administration and Transportation committees, and on various other committee incarnations and subcommittees during his 22 years in office. He was chair of the House Education Committee during his final term in office, having also served previously as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education in 1979. Erickson was, along with senators

Dennis Frederickson Dennis R. Frederickson (born July 27, 1939) is a Republican politician from Minnesota and a former Minnesota State Senator. He was first elected in 1980 when he ran for the seat being vacated by Senator Carl Jensen, who was appointed to the M ...

Earl Renneke Earl W. Renneke (March 10, 1928 – March 3, 2021) was a former Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate from southern Minnesota. Life and career He was first elected in a March 25, 1969, special election to fill the ...

and

Jim Vickerman James Murray Vickerman (May 1, 1931 – January 19, 2021) was an American politician from Minnesota who served as Minnesota Senate, Minnesota State Senator, first elected in 1986 in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's "firestorm" that s ...

, and representatives

Aubrey Dirlam Aubrey W. Dirlam (October 20, 1913 – June 3, 1995) was a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented the old District 14, District 17, District 17A, and District 21B, which included all or ...

Henry Kalis Henry Joseph Kalis (March 2, 1937 – September 12, 2018) was an American politician who was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing southern Minnesota. First elected in 1974, Kalis was reelected every two years until he ...

and

Gilbert Esau Gilbert Donald Esau (October 31, 1919 – July 16, 2012) was a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1962, Esau was re-elected in 1964, 1966 and 1968. After sitti ...

, one of the longest-serving legislators from southern Minnesota in the state's history. He was unseated by

Andy Steensma Andrew Steensma (born September 29, 1942) is a Minnesota politician, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota, and the former mayor of the city of Luverne, Minnesota, Luverne. Steensma was first elect ...

in the wave of Democratic victories that swept southwestern

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 ...

in the DFL Party's "Firestorm" of 1986.

State appointment and Extension Service award

In 1968, Erickson was appointed to the Minnesota Education Council by Governor Harold LeVander, serving for several years. In 1981, he was awarded the

University of Minnesota Extension The University of Minnesota system is a public university system with five campuses spread across the U.S. state of Minnesota. The university system has five campuses, in the Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester. The universit ...

Service's Dean and Director's Distinguished Friend of Extension Award for "superior contributions as a legislative leader in helping others understand the need for strong agricultural support."

World War II and community service

Erickson was born in

Stanchfield, Minnesota Stanchfield is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Stanchfield Township, Isanti County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 103. Isanti County Roads 3 and 36; and State Highway 65 ( ...

, and was raised on the family farm. He graduated from Braham High School, in

Braham, Minnesota Braham is a city in Isanti and Kanabec counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 1,769 at the 2020 census. Braham is 12 miles north of Cambridge, 15 miles southwest of Pine City, 16 miles south-southeast of Mora, and 12 mile ...

. From the city of

Hills A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...

, Erickson was a

farm management Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

instructor and vocational

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

teacher. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, being deployed in the

Asiatic Asiatic refers to something related to Asia. Asiatic may also refer to: * Asiatic style, a term in ancient stylistic criticism associated with Greek writers of Asia Minor * In the context of Ancient Egypt, beyond the borders of Egypt and the cont ...

theatre for two years. Prior to being elected to the legislature, he taught agriculture at Hills-Beaver Creek High School for 17 years. He also taught seventh- and eighth-grade industrial arts and young farmers classes, and was a longtime member of the Rock County Fair Board. He was in active retirement and was involved in his local community. Erickson served as grand marshal of the 125th Hills Celebration Parade in June 2015, after which a celebration was also held marking his 90th birthday.

Death

Erickson died at the age of 93 on August 8, 2018, at Avera McKennan Hospital in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erickson, Wendell 1925 births 2018 deaths Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Military personnel from Minnesota People from Isanti County, Minnesota People from Rock County, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni United States Army personnel of World War II