Al Quie

Early life

The third of four children, Quie was born on September 18, 1923, on his family's farm in Wheeling Township, Rice County, Minnesota near Dennison, Minnesota, in Rice County, Minnesota. The farm on which he was born and grew up on had been purchased by his grandfather upon returning to Minnesota from fighting in the American Civil War. A third-generation farmer, Quie grew up on the farm learning to ride horses and milk cows.

Quie graduated from Northfield High School in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1942. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a fighter pilot, finishing flight school just as the war ended. Quie never saw active combat. Following his military service, he graduated from St. Olaf College in 1950, with a degree in political science. It was during this time that he met his future wife Gretchen Hansen.

State and national government service

Like his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father before him, Quie became a dairy farmer. A Republican, Quie ran a campaign as a write-in candidate to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1952, but lost. He served in the Minnesota State Senate from 1955 to 1958, representing the old 18th District.

Congress

United States House of Representatives member August H. Andresen died in January 1958 and Quie ran in the by-election to succeed him as the representative for . Quie won the Republican nomination at a party convention and then defeated Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party nominee Eugene Foley by 655 votes in the February special election. He served on the United States House Committee on Agriculture and the United States House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Quie voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as well as the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Quie was briefly considered for Vice President of the United States in 1974 after Gerald Ford became president upon the resignation of Richard Nixon. The position was eventually taken by Nelson Rockefeller.

Governor of Minnesota

Quie ran for governor of Minnesota in 1978 against incumbent Rudy Perpich, Quie won the election by 111,775 votes. During his term, he grappled with a budget crisis. Cash-flow problems soon overtook the state government. The old surplus turned into a deficit, estimated at between $600 million and $700 million. A strike by state employees that year symbolized Minnesota’s newfound economic woes. The state had not previously run a deficit since World War II.

Minnesota’s fiscal troubles gave James Florio, a Democratic politician running for governor in New Jersey, ammunition for attacking supply-side economics, the theory, then growing in popularity among Republicans, which holds that cutting taxes, spending and regulations fosters economic growth.

After having promised not to raise taxes, Quie was finally forced to do so, “causing much of his political support to evaporate,”. He did not run for re-election in 1982.

In November 1979, 5 foreign students were arrested for allegedly plotting to kidnap Quie, they were later released due to a lack of evidence.

Later years

After leaving politics, Quie became involved with a nonprofit prison ministry. He sold the family farm and traveled extensively, including horseback riding excursions.

Personal life and death

Quie's grandfather joined the newly founded Republican Party and supported Abraham Lincoln for president in the 1860 United States presidential election.

Quie was a devout Lutheran. He married artist Gretchen Quie, who was born Gretchen Hansen, whom he met at St. Olaf, on June 5, 1948.

Quie lived in a senior living community in Wayzata, Minnesota for the last decade of his life. Although his health had been declining for months into 2023, he was reportedly healthy in his last few days. He died from natural causes on August 18, 2023 in Wayzata at the age of 99, one month before his 100th birthday.

At the time of his death, he was both the oldest living former American governor and the oldest living former U.S. representative. Quie lay in state in the Rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol on Saturday, September 9, and was buried at Valley Grove Cemetery in Nerstrand, Minnesota later that day, next to his late wife Gretchen.

In popular culture

In Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days, Quie is said to be the first governor ever to set foot in the mythical town of Lake Wobegon, "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

References

1. (September 3, 2008). "Quie, Carlson and Ramstad speak".
2. "United States Census, 1930".
3. (March 17, 1968). "Article clipped from The Winona Daily News". Newspapers.com.
4. (September 18, 2017). "As Al Quie turns 94, a tribute".
5. Emma Nelson. (August 19, 2023). "Former Minnesota Governor Al Quie Dies at Age 99".
6. "House – March 24, 1960". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
7. "House – April 21, 1960". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
8. "House – February 10, 1964". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
9. "House – July 2, 1964". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
10. "House – August 16, 1967". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
11. "House – April 10, 1968". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
12. "House – August 27, 1962". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
13. "House – July 9, 1965". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
14. "House – August 3, 1965". [[United States Government Publishing Office.
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121022102604/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942978-2,00.html The Talent Search – Time]. Time.com (August 19, 1974). Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
16. [http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/gov/gov_37.htm Al (Albert Harold) Quie : Governors of Minnesota] {{Webarchive. link. (June 17, 2010 . Mnhs.Org. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.)
17. [http://www.minnpost.com/iricnathanson/2009/05/13/8747/crossing_the_partisan_divide_minnesota_budgets_and_politics_in_the_1980s Crossing the partisan divide: Minnesota budgets and politics in the 1980s] {{Webarchive. link. (June 1, 2010 . MinnPost. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.)
18. (September 18, 2017). "As Al Quie turns 94, a tribute".
19. "Quie, Albert Harold "Al" – Legislator Record – Minnesota Legislators Past & Present".
20. (2023-08-19). "Former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie dies at 99".
21. Nelson, Emma. (August 19, 2023). "Former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie dies at age 99". Star Tribune.
22. (2023-08-24). "Albert Quie, Conservative Who Was Ahead of His Time, Dies at 99 (Published 2023)".
23. (September 9, 2023). "Quie remembered as principled leader with deep faith".
24. Baude, Emily. (2023-09-09). "Former Gov. Al Quie laid to rest Saturday".
25. "Our Campaigns – MN District 1 – Special Election Race – Feb 18, 1958".
26. "U.S. House, District 01, 1958 Election - Special". University of Minnesota Libraries.
27. (November 5, 1958). "The Winona Daily News 05 Nov 1958, page 16". Newspapers.com.
28. "U.S. House, District 01, 1958 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
29. (November 9, 1960). "The Winona Daily News 09 Nov 1960, page 8". Newspapers.com.
30. "U.S. House, District 01, 1960 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
31. (November 7, 1962). "The Winona Daily News 07 Nov 1962, page 3". Newspapers.com.
32. "U.S. House, District 01, 1962 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
33. (November 4, 1964). "The Winona Daily News 04 Nov 1964, page 8". Newspapers.com.
34. "U.S. House, District 01, 1964 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
35. (November 9, 1966). "The La Crosse Tribune 09 Nov 1966, page 3". Newspapers.com.
36. "U.S. House, District 01, 1966 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
37. (November 6, 1968). "The Bismarck Tribune 06 Nov 1968, page 17". Newspapers.com.
38. "U.S. House, District 01, 1968 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
39. "The Minneapolis Star, 17 Nov 1970, page 9". Newspapers.com.
40. "U.S. House, District 01, 1970 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
41. (November 9, 1972). "Star Tribune 09 Nov 1972, page Page 8". Newspapers.com.
42. "U.S. House, District 01, 1972 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
43. (November 6, 1974). "The La Crosse Tribune 06 Nov 1974, page 8". Newspapers.com.
44. "U.S. House, District 01, 1974 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
45. (November 3, 1976). "The Winona Daily News 03 Nov 1976, page 28". Newspapers.com.
46. "U.S. House, District 01, 1976 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.
47. (November 8, 1978). "St. Cloud Times 08 Nov 1978, page Page 8". Newspapers.com.
48. "Governor, 1978 Election - General". University of Minnesota Libraries.