Elmer L. Andersen
| Elmer Lee Andersen | |
|---|---|
| 30th Governor of Minnesota | |
|
In office January 2, 1961 – March 25, 1963 |
|
| Lieutenant | Karl Rolvaag |
| Preceded by | Orville Freeman |
| Succeeded by | Karl Rolvaag |
| Member of the Minnesota Senate | |
|
In office 1949–1958 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 17, 1909 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | November 15, 2004 (aged 95) Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor A. Johnson |
| Profession | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Elmer Lee Andersen (June 17, 1909 – November 15, 2004) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and the 30th Governor of Minnesota, serving a single term from January 2, 1961, to March 25, 1963, as a Republican.
Andersen was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Jennie Olivia Johnson (1877–1925), was the daughter of a seaman from Luleå, in northern Sweden, who came to America as a young man and worked in the timbering business. Elmer's father, Arne Kjelsberg Andersen (1866–1926), was an immigrant from Solør, Norway, who had settled in Chicago and became a streetcar motorman, operating on the Halsted streetcar line out of the Ashland Avenue car barns. "My earliest memory," Andersen wrote in his memoirs, "is of riding with him on the streetcar and being permitted to clang the bell as we came to street crossings." His parents separated when he was six years old. Elmer moved with his mother and infant sister, Caroline, to Muskegon, Michigan. His two older brothers, Arnold and Marvin, arrived in Muskegon later. At the age of nine Elmer contracted a mild form of polio but, through exercise, regained his strength.
Andersen's brothers worked for E. H. Sheldon and Company in Muskegon, a manufacturer of specialty school furniture. Too young to work in the factory, Elmer's first job was helping his mother, who took in washing. From there he moved on to selling newspapers, vegetables, specialty products, candy bars and soft drinks. He also carried travelers' bags from the boat docks to the train station. "I love selling," he wrote. "I love the interchange with people. A good salesman gains influence on another person's mind. That makes selling quite a serious undertaking." At the age of fourteen, Andersen joined his brothers at the Sheldon furniture factory. He also wrote short essays on birds that were published in the Muskegon Chronicle. "The thrill I had seeing those columns in print was the start of an abiding attraction to the newspaper business."
Andersen's mother was devoted to church work and saw to it that the children were raised in the Lutheran church; Andersen was confirmed at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Muskegon. During the winter of 1925, his mother contracted a cold that developed into pneumonia. She died at home on March 3, 1925, with Andersen at her bedside. Within a year, his father also died, of a heart attack on a street in Chicago.
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