| State 1 | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| District 1 | 2nd |
| Predecessor 1 | Joseph P. O'Hara |
| Successor 1 | Tom Hagedorn |
| Order 2 | 34th |
| Office 2 | Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota |
| Governor 2 | C. Elmer Anderson |
| Predecessor 2 | C. Elmer Anderson |
| Successor 2 | Donald O. Wright |
| Office 3 | Member of the Minnesota Senate |
| Term 3 | December 2, 1935 – January 1, 1951 |
| Birth date | October 11, 1904 |
| Birth place | Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Death date | November 30, 1992 (aged 88) |
| Death place | Hutchinson, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Profession | farmer, politician |
| Spouse | Ilo Irene Zimmerman (m. July 31, 1929; died December 27, 1972) Elvern Mildred Krasean (m. December 29, 1973) |
| Term start 1 | January 3, 1959 |
| Term end 1 | December 31, 1974 |
| Term start 2 | January 5, 1953 |
| Term end 2 | May 1, 1953 |
Ancher Nelsen (October 11, 1904 – November 30, 1992), was an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Minnesota and an eight-term congressman.
Biography
Nelsen was born October 11, 1904, near Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, to Danish parents. He attended elementary school in Brownton, Minnesota, and graduated from Brownton High School in 1923. In 1924 he began operation of his 280-acre diversified farm at Hutchinson, McLeod County, Minnesota. In 1929 he married Ilo Irene Zimmerman of Brownton; they had three children.[1] Their son Bruce G. Nelsen served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.[2]
He served on the District 75 Minnesota School Board from 1926 to 1935 and on the Lynn Township School Board from 1929 to 1935. Nelsen was a member of the Minnesota Senate from 1935 to 1951, and a delegate to the 1948 and 1952 Republican National Conventions. In 1952, he was elected the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, but served less than one year (January 5 – May 1, 1953). He resigned to become administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration Program, in Washington, D.C., serving in that post from 1953 to 1956.[3]
In 1956, Nelsen ran for Governor of Minnesota, challenging Orville Freeman. Nelsen was the first gubernatorial candidate to appear on television during his campaign.[4] Prior to official results, Nelsen was expected to win the election.[5] Nelsen would lose by only three points.
Nelsen was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958 and served in the 86th through the 93rd Congresses, from January 3, 1959, to his resignation December 31, 1974, three days before his final term expired. He did not seek renomination in 1974.
Nelsen voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,[6] 1964,[7] and 1968,[8] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[9][10]
He died in Hutchinson, Minnesota, November 30, 1992, at age 88, and is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Hutchinson.
References
- ^ Ancher Nelson Papers
- ^ "Nelsen, Bruce G. - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "Nelsen, Ancher". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ "NELSEN ON TV". St. Paul Pioneer Press. September 8, 1956.
- ^ "Voters Swing to Ancher Nelsen". St. Paul Pioneer Press. November 5, 1956.
- ^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE. -- House Vote #102 -- Mar 24, 1960". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE. -- House Vote #128 -- Feb 10, 1964". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR … -- House Vote #113 -- Aug 16, 1967". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF … -- House Vote #193 -- Aug 27, 1962". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT. -- House Vote #87 -- Jul 9, 1965". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-12-04.