Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1922-1969 (Creation)
Extent
1.26 linear feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Hjalmar Petersen, former Minnesta governor, Minnesota lieutenant-governor, Minnesota state Representative, Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, and Publisher, was born in Denmark, January 2, 1890. The family came to Chicago in 1891, then moved to Tyler, Minnesota. There at the age of 14, Hjalmar started his career in the newspaper and publishing business. He was employed in several places, including: Milwaukee and Wisconsin (where he was married in August 1914). That same year the Petersens moved to Askov, Minnesota, and that September Hjalmar started publishing his own newspaper, the Askov American, which he was to own and publish for the next fifty years.
Five children were born to the Petersens, four dying in infancy. His first wife died in 1930, just a few months before he was elected Minnesota state representative for the 56th district. He was re-elected in 1932. On June 28, 1934, Hjalmar married Medora B. Grandprey at Owatonna. They had one daughter. In 1934 he was elected lieutenant-governor, and at the death of Governor Floyd B. 0lson in 1936, Hjalmar Petersen became the 23rd governor of the state of Minnesota.
As chairman of the House Tax Committee in 1933, he was instrumental in drawing up Minnesota’s first income tax law, the funds dedicated to education. While serving as governor, he called a special session to enact the unemployment insurance law. In 1938 Hjalmar Petersen was elected to the Railroad and Warehouse Commission where he served until 1943. He was elected again to the Railroad and Warehouse Commission on the DFL ticket in 1954 and 1960. His term ended in 1966 and he then retired from public life.
He and Mrs. Petersen were returning from a vacation trip when he was stricken with a heart attack and died at the home of friends in Columbus, Ohio on March 29, 1968, at the age of 78. Surviving him were his wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection consist of personal correspondence, newspaper articles, campaign materials, one microfilm, and miscellaneous items, all arranged chronologically. The majority of the personal correspondence are letters between Petersen and his wife Medora. Within these letters, the couple discuss various political events and Petersen’s thoughts on political issues. There is also two folders containing correspondence between Petersen and his brother-in-law, Georg Strandvold, discussing political issues.
The collection also contains various political materials, including: correspondences, campaign materials, business cards, speeches, biographical sketches, and other miscellaneous materials. There are a number of newspaper clippings concerning Petersen’s involvement in political issues as well as social events. There are also five, intact copies of the Askov American which Petersen owned and published.
System of arrangement
Personal correspondences, political material, and newspaper articles are arranged in chronological order in each folder.
Records are located at 36A.6f-7b.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no access restrictions.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Permission to publish, quote, and reproduce must be secured from the copyright holder.
Languages of the material
- English
- Dutch
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
These records were reprocessed by Sara Olson in September 2014.