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Elmer Austin Benson

Elmer Austin Benson
Elmer Austin Benson.jpg
24th Governor of Minnesota
In office
January 4, 1937 – January 2, 1939
Lieutenant Gottfrid Lindsten
Preceded by Hjalmar Petersen
Succeeded by Harold Stassen
United States Senator
from Minnesota
In office
December 27, 1935 – November 3, 1936
Preceded by Thomas D. Schall
Succeeded by Guy V. Howard
Personal details
Born (1895-09-22)September 22, 1895
Appleton, Minnesota, United States
Died March 13, 1985(1985-03-13) (aged 89)
Appleton, Minnesota, United States
Political party

Farmer-Labor (until April 15, 1944)

Democratic-Farmer-Labor (after April 15, 1944)
Spouse(s) Francis Lillian Miller
Alma mater William Mitchell College of Law
Profession politician
Religion Lutheranism
Military service
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1918–1919
Rank Private
Battles/wars World War I

Farmer-Labor (until April 15, 1944)

Elmer Austin Benson (September 22, 1895 – March 13, 1985) was an American lawyer and politician from Minnesota. In 1935, Elmer Benson was appointed to the U.S. Senate following the death of Thomas Schall. He served as the 24th governor of Minnesota, defeating Republican Martin Nelson in a landslide victory in Minnesota's 1936 gubernatorial election. He lost the governorship two years later following his defeat to Republican Harold Stassen in the 1938 gubernatorial election.

Born in 1895 in Appleton, Minnesota, he studied law at William Mitchell College of Law (then the St. Paul College of Law) and served for a year in the U.S. Army during World War I. Benson never practiced law after returning from active duty, choosing instead to pursue a banking and business career.

He was a close ally of Governor Floyd B. Olson, another member of the Farmer-Labor Party, who helped orchestrate Benson's political rise. Olson appointed Benson state Commissioner of Securities before choosing him to replace Thomas D. Schall in the United States Senate after Schall's death in December 1935. Benson served in the 74th congress, until November 3, 1936.

After Olson's premature death from cancer in 1936 and the interregnum of Lieutenant Governor Hjalmar Petersen, Benson stepped into the breach and was elected the 24th Governor of Minnesota by the largest margin in state history. He served as the 24th Governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1937, to January 2, 1939. He lost his bid for reelection in 1938. His defeat by a record margin in 1938 is seen as the end of the Farmer-Labor Party as an independent political force, and a setback for progressive politics in Minnesota. In 1940, he ran for the United States Senate against Henrik Shipstead, an incumbent senator who defected from the Farmer Labor Party to join the Republicans. Benson took second place, receiving 25% of the vote, in a race that also involved a Democrat, while Shipstead was reelected. He ran for the Senate for the last time in 1942, and was defeated by Republican Joseph H. Ball in a four-way race.


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