Harold E. Stassen
| Harold Stassen | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Director of the United States Foreign Operations Administration | |
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In office 1953–1955 |
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| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | N/A (post created) |
| Succeeded by | N/A (post abolished) |
| 3rd President of the University of Pennsylvania | |
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In office 1948–1953 |
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| Preceded by | George William McClelland |
| Succeeded by | William Hagan DuBarry (acting) |
| 25th Governor of Minnesota | |
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In office January 2, 1939 – April 27, 1943 |
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| Lieutenant |
C. Elmer Anderson Edward John Thye |
| Preceded by | Elmer Austin Benson |
| Succeeded by | Edward John Thye |
| District Attorney of Dakota County | |
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In office 1931–1939 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harold Edward Stassen April 13, 1907 West St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2001 (aged 93) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Esther G. Glewwe |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician, candidate |
| Religion | Baptist |
Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. After service in World War II, he was president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1953. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1948, considered for a time to be the front-runner. He thereafter regularly continued to run for that and other offices, such that his name became most identified with his status as a perennial candidate.
Stassen, the third of five children, was born in West St. Paul, Minnesota, to Elsie Emma (née Mueller) and William Andrew Stassen, a farmer and several-times mayor of West St. Paul. His mother was German and his father was born in Minnesota, to German and Czech parents. He graduated from high school at age 14. At the University of Minnesota, Stassen was an intercollegiate debater, captain of the champion university rifle team in 1927, and received bachelor's and law degrees in 1929. After opening a law office with Elmer J. Ryan in South St. Paul that year, he was elected District Attorney of Dakota County in 1930 and 1934, then elected Governor of Minnesota in 1938. Stassen was seen as an "up and comer" after delivering the keynote address at the 1940 Republican National Convention. There he worked to help Wendell Willkie win the Republican Party (GOP) nomination for the presidency.
Stassen, who was reelected as governor of Minnesota in 1940 and 1942, supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt's foreign policy and encouraged the state Republican Party to repudiate American isolationism before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the 1942 campaign, he announced that, if reelected, he would resign to serve on active duty with the United States Naval Reserve, which Stassen had joined with the rank of Lieutenant Commander the previous year. After being promoted to Commander, he joined the staff of Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander of the South Pacific Force, and served for two years. He left active duty at the rank of Captain in November 1945.
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