Hjalmar Petersen

Background

Hjalmar Petersen was born in Eskildstrup, Denmark.

Career

His career in journalism culminated in his purchase in 1914 of the Askov American in Askov, Minnesota, a weekly newspaper he owned for the rest of his life. He served in the legislature from 1931 to 1934, representing the old House District 56. Petersen was elected the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 1934 and served with Governor Floyd B. Olson.

He was sworn in as governor two days after Olson died of cancer on August 22, 1936.

He served the remainder of Olson"s term but declined to run for governor himself in the November general election, opting instead to launch a successful bid for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, a position he then assumed after leaving the governship on January 4, 1937. He later ran for governor in 1940 and 1942, losing both times to Harold Stassen.

Keillor, Steven J. Hjalmar Petersen of Minnesota: The Politics of Provincial Independence ( Minnesota Historical Society Press 1987).

Achievements

• After serving as Askov"s village clerk and mayor, Petersen won two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he sponsored the state income-tax law and urged that tax revenues be spent on public education.

Politics

Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party, Republican Party.

Membership

Before he ran for the Minnesota Legislature he had been a member of the Republican Party. By the time he ran for office he was a member of the Farmer-Labor Party.