Gretchen Quie
| Gretchen Quie | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Minnesota | |
|
In role January 4, 1979 – January 3, 1983 |
|
| Governor | Al Quie |
| Preceded by | Lola Perpich |
| Succeeded by | Lola Perpich |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gretchen Marie Hansen August 4, 1927 Waverly, Iowa |
| Died | December 13, 2015 (aged 88) Minnetonka, Minnesota |
| Spouse(s) | Al Quie (1948–2015; her death) |
| Alma mater | St. Olaf College |
| Occupation | Artist |
Gretchen Marie Quie (August 4, 1927 – December 13, 2015) was an American artist, painter, potter, writer, and advocate for the arts. Quie served as the First Lady of Minnesota from 1979 until 1983 during the administration of her husband, Governor Al Quie. As First Lady, Quie established the State Ceremonial Building Council to oversee the restoration of the Minnesota Governor's Residence. She also opened the Governor's Mansion to the general public through programs including, "Night at the Mansion," which chose Minnesotans through a lottery to spend the night at the residence. Al and Gretchen Quie invited a family of Vietnamese refugees to live at the Governor's Residence's renovated carriage house to encourage Minnesotans to sponsor more refugees.
Her official manuscripts are housed in the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Quie was born Gretchen Marie Hansen to Ella and Sam Hansen on August 4, 1927, in Waverly, Iowa. Her father, Sam Hansen, was a school administrator who relocated the family to Minnesota. The Hansons moved to Harmony, Minnesota, and Benson, Minnesota. They finally relocated to Minneapolis, the state's largest city, where her father opened a business specializing in teacher placement.
Gretchen Hansen from the now defunct Central High School in Minneapolis in 1945. She then majored in art at St. Olaf College, where she met her husband, Al Quie, a retired United States Navy pilot. The couple married in June 1948 and Gretchen Quie left St. Olaf one year before her planned graduation. The Quies relocated to his family farm in Rice County, Minnesota. Quie, now the wife of a farmer, became active in local organizations, including the Grace Lutheran Church in Nerstrand and the Dennison Study Club. They had four children in Rice County prior to Quie's election to the United States House of Representatives in 1958. Their fifth child, Ben, was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, while Quie was a member of Congress.
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