Asle Jorgenson Gronna (December 10, 1858May 4, 1922) was an American politician who served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, and one of the six to vote against the United States declaration of war leading to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Biography

Gronna was born in Elkader,

Clayton County, Iowa Clayton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,043. Its county seat is Elkader. The county was established in 1837 and was named in honor of John M. Clayton, United States Senator f ...

, of

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 ...

ancestry, and was raised in

Houston County, Minnesota Houston County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 18,843. Its county seat is Caledonia. Houston County is included in the La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan statistical area. History The area c ...

. He attended the public schools of Houston County and

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

Academy. After graduating, he obtained his qualification as a school teacher and taught in Wilmington, Minnesota. In 1879, Gronna moved to the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

, where he farmed, taught school, and was active in several business ventures. He served as president of

Lakota, North Dakota Lakota is a city in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Nelson County Lakota is located 63 miles west of Grand Forks and 27 miles east of Devils Lake. The population was 683 at the 2020 census, making Lakota t ...

's village and president of Lakota's board of education. 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 was elected to the Dakota Territorial House of Representatives in 1889. Gronna was a successful

candidate for 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 ...

in 1904. He was reelected in 1906 and 1908, and served in the 59th , 60th, and 61st Congresses. In 1911 he was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, filling the vacancy caused by the death of

Martin N. Johnson Martin Nelson Johnson (March 3, 1850October 21, 1909) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States representative and senator from North Dakota. Early life and education Born to Norwegian immigrants in Racine County, Wisc ...

. Gronna was re-elected in 1914 and served in the 62nd through 65th Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 and left office on March 3, 1921. In Congress, Gronna earned the reputation of a Republican who reflected the attitudes of his region - progressive and isolationist. He blamed munition makers for the preparedness movement and World War I and was part of the "little group of willful men," who opposed President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. In 1919 he was a staunch isolationist who opposed the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

treaty because it further entangled the United States in foreign relationships and limited national decision making.

Personal life

He and his wife Bertha were the parents of James D. Gronna who served as

Secretary of State of North Dakota The North Dakota Secretary of State is an elected office in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The incumbent was Alvin A. Jaeger. Duties of the Secretary of State include being the custodian of the state's Great Seal and other official state docume ...

. Asle Gronna died on May 4, 1922, and was buried in the Lakota Cemetery. ''Asle Gronna'' (Find a Grave)
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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gronna, Asle Jorgenson 1858 births 1922 deaths American people of Norwegian descent Republican Party United States senators from North Dakota People from Elkader, Iowa People from Houston County, Minnesota People from Nelson County, North Dakota Members of the Dakota Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota

Biography

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links