Floyd B. Olson

Memorial to Floyd B. Olson in Minneapolis

Floyd Bjornstjerne Olson (born November 13, 1891 in Minneapolis , Minnesota , † August 22, 1936 in Rochester , Minnesota) was an American politician and governor of the state of Minnesota from 1931 to 1936 .

Early years and advancement

Floyd Olson attended the University of Minnesota and then studied law at North West Law College until 1915 . In between he spent some time in Canada , Alaska, and Washington State . He started practicing the profession in Minneapolis after he was admitted to the bar. Between 1920 and 1930, Olson was a district attorney in Hennepin County . In this capacity he investigated corrupt business people. A lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan earned him the respect of the general public, as well as death threats from the Klan. In 1924, Olson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives .

After winning a case against employers' representatives in 1923, he became very popular with workers and unions. Together with the farmers in Minnesota, they formed the so-called Farmer-Labor Party . This party was mainly active in Minnesota and had four governors, three US senators and eight members of the US House of Representatives between 1918 and 1940 . The party later merged with the Democrats. Since 1944 this party has been called the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party . In 1924, Olson was nominated as a Farmer-Labor Party candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. In the election he was defeated by Theodore Christianson . In 1928, Olson declined to run again.

Minnesota governor

Two years later, however, Olson accepted his party's nomination. On November 4, 1930, he was elected the first governor of that party. It was confirmed in 1932 and 1934. Those years were overshadowed by the Great Depression, which hit Minnesota workers and farmers hard. They had placed their hopes on Olson, who first had to deal with a Republican majority in the legislature, which often stopped the government's plans. Nevertheless, some landmark laws were passed during his tenure. A progressive income tax was passed and pension insurance was introduced. Environmental programs were drawn up as part of the job creation measures. Women in the public service received the same wages as their male colleagues for the same work. In addition, a minimum wage and unemployment insurance were prescribed by law. The expansion of the road network was also promoted as part of job creation. This, together with the measures taken by the federal government under the New Deal policy, led to the gradual overcoming of the crisis.

In 1936, Governor Olson was planning to run for the US Senate. He fell ill with stomach cancer, which he succumbed to on August 22, 1936 at the age of 44. He was married to Ada A. Krejci, with whom he had a child.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Floyd Olson in the National Governors Association (English)
• Floyd B. Olson in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Minnesota Historical Society