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 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and

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. ...

, is regarded as a moderate Republican. Quie was strongly considered by

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to be

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

during the 1980 presidential election. He was also on

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

's list for possible vice presidents following the resignation of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

in 1974. Quie is currently the oldest living former governor of any U.S. state and the oldest living former member of the United States House of Representatives.Al (Albert Harold) Quie : Governors of Minnesota
. Mnhs.Org. Retrieved on September 18, 2011. He ran for office many times, never losing an election.

Early life

Quie was born on his family's farm near

Dennison, Minnesota Dennison is a city in Goodhue and Rice counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 212 at the 2010 census. Most of Dennison is in Goodhue County, with only a small part that extends into Rice County. History A post office calle ...

, in Rice County. Three of his grandparents were

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrants. The farm on which he was born and grew up on had been first purchased by his grandfather upon returning to

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 ...

from fighting in 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 ...

. A third-generation farmer, he grew up on the farm learning to ride horses. He served in the

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 ...

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 ...

as a fighter pilot, seeing significant active combat, and is one of the last living politicians to have seen active combat in World War II. Following his military service, he graduated from St. Olaf College in

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

in 1950, with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

State and national government service

Like his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father before him, Quie became a dairy farmer. 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 ...

, Quie was a member of the

Minnesota State Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

from 1955 to 1958, representing the old 18th District, which encompassed Rice County in the southeastern part of the state. Quie was elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

in a special election after the death of Representative

August Andresen August Herman Andresen (October 11, 1890 – January 14, 1958) was an American lawyer and politician from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Congress as a Republican for thirty-one years. Background August Herman Andresen was born in Newark, Illin ...

, and served from February 18, 1958, to January 3, 1979. He was a member of the 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 94th and 95th Congresses. Quie voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Quie was briefly considered for

in 1974 after

became president upon the resignation of

. The position was eventually taken by Nelson Rockefeller. Quie was elected governor of Minnesota in 1978. During his single term, he dealt with an extreme budget crisis, and made some very tough and unpopular choices. He opted not to run again in 1982.

Personal life

Quie is a devout

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

. Quie’s grandfather joined the newly founded Republican Party and supported

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

for president in the 1860 United States presidential election. , Quie is the oldest living former governor and oldest living former

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 ...

. Quie married artist Gretchen Quie in 1948. She died of

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 ...

on December 13, 2015, at the age of 88.

In popular culture

In Garrison Keillor's ''

Lake Wobegon Days ''Lake Wobegon Days'' is a novel by Garrison Keillor, first published in hardcover by Viking Press, Viking in 1985. Based on material from his radio show ''A Prairie Home Companion'', the book brought Keillor's work to a much wider audience and a ...

'', Quie is said to be the first governor ever to set foot in the mythical town of

Lake Wobegon Lake Wobegon is a fictional town created by Garrison Keillor as the setting of the recurring segment "News from Lake Wobegon" for the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' broadcast from St Paul, Minnesota. The fictional town serves as the s ...

, "slipping quietly away from his duties to attend a ceremony dedicating a plaque attached to the Statue of the Unknown Norwegian" and making a few remarks.

Electoral history

References

External links

Al Quie Congressional Papers
* as Albert Quie * as Al Quie , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Quie, Al 1923 births Living people American Lutherans United States Navy personnel of World War II American people of Norwegian descent Farmers from Minnesota Republican Party governors of Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Dennison, Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota St. Olaf College alumni