Background
Boen was born in Sør-Aurdal, Valdres, a traditional district in Oppland county, Norway.
United States representative politician
Boen was born in Sør-Aurdal, Valdres, a traditional district in Oppland county, Norway.
He attended the Saint Cloud Normal School in 1869 and 1870.
He immigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in Mower County, Minnesota. Boen relocated to Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County on January 1, 1871. In 1872, he was employed in the county auditor’s office, computing the first taxes levied in Otter Tail County.
He taught in the common schools of that county from 1874 to 1879.
Boen acted as justice of the peace from 1875 – 1900. In 1880, he was elected county commissioner and was a register of deeds from 1888 – 1892.
In November 1892, Boen was elected as a Populist to the 53rd congress, representing the newly created 7th congressional district, March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895. He was unsuccessful in his reelection bid in 1894.
Boen then became editor of the Fergus Falls Globe and resumed agricultural pursuits in Otter Tail County.
He died in Aurdal Township in Otter Tail County and was interred in, near Fergus Falls, Minnesota.