Arlen Ingolf Erdahl (born February 27, 1931) is an American commercial farmer and former politician. He served as 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 ...

from 1963 to 1970, Minnesota Secretary of State from 1971–1975 and was a U.S. Representative 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 t ...

, serving the first district from 1979–1983, in the 96th and 97th congresses. He had Presidential appointments to serve as Country Director and later Associate Director for the Peace Corps from 1983 to 1989 and as Principal Deputy/Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1989 to 1993. He has served on the boards of the United Nations Association of Minnesota, Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Minnesota chapter of People to People, Minneapolis Lodge of the Sons of Norway and Growth & Justice. In 1999 he received the Twin Cities International Citizen Award and in 2011 was recognized for his public leadership and service with the Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Background

Arlen Ingolf Erdahl was born in Blue Earth,

Faribault County Faribault County () is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,921. Its county seat is Blue Earth. History The county was founded in 1855. It was named for Jean-Baptiste Faribault, a settler a ...

, Minnesota to a

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 ...

-born mother and a father of Norwegian descent. He attended

public schools. He graduated from

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

(B.A. 1953) and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

(M.P.A., 1966). He served in

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, ...

from 1954–1956. He was a grain/livestock farmer.

Political career

Erdahl served in the

from 1963 to 1970 and was 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 then served as Minnesota Secretary of State from 1971 to 1975. From 1975 to 1978, Erdahl served on the Minnesota Public Service Commission. Then he served in 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1979 to 1983. His cousin was

Dale Erdahl Dale EmMons Erdahl (November 1, 1931 – May 16, 2005) was an American businessman, farmer, and politician. Erdahl was born in Frost, Minnesota. He went to the Blue Earth County Public Schools and graduated from Blue Earth Area High School, i ...

who also served in the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...

. His successful 1978 Congressional campaign was managed by Arlen Wittrock. For Erdahl's four years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Keith Hall served as his Washington Chief of Staff and Arlen Wittrock served as his Minnesota Chief of Staff.

Later career and legacy

In April, 2011 he was recognized for his public leadership and service with the Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. The Arlen Inglof Erdahl collection at the Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library at the

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

contains materials about his seven years in the Minnesota House of Representatives and his campaign for Minnesota Secretary of State in 1970.

References

External links

*
Arlen Erdahl photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdahl, Arlen 1931 births American people of Norwegian descent Farmers from Minnesota Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Military personnel from Minnesota Peace Corps people People from Blue Earth, Minnesota People from Burnsville, Minnesota Secretaries of State of Minnesota St. Olaf College alumni United States Army soldiers United States Department of Energy officials Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota Members of Congress who became lobbyists