Ted Wane

Theodore "Ted" Schwinden (born August 31, 1925 in Wolf Point , Roosevelt County , Montana ) is a former American politician . He was the 19th governor of the state of Montana between 1981 and 1989  .

Early years and political advancement

Ted Schwinden attended local schools in his homeland. After graduating from Wolf Point High School , he joined the US Army in 1943 . He remained in the military until 1946. After returning to civilian life, he continued his education at the Montana School of Mines . At the University of Montana in Missoula he studied history and political science until 1950. Since 1954 he ran a farm in Roosevelt County.

Schwinden is a member of the Democratic Party . In 1958 he was elected to the Montana House of Representatives. He stayed there for two legislative terms. In 1965 he became president of the Montana Grain Growers Association . Between 1969 and 1976 he acted as a government commissioner for state lands . In 1976 he was elected lieutenant governor of his state; so he was deputy to Governor Thomas Lee Judge . In the 1980 gubernatorial elections, Schwinden succeeded in defeating incumbent Judge in the primary elections and winning his party's nomination. He then prevailed against Republican Jack Ramirez in the actual election with 55.4 percent of the vote .

Governor of Montana

Schwinden took up his new office on January 5, 1981. After a re-election in 1984, he was able to exercise it until January 1, 1989. During these eight years the state suffered from economic problems which the governor was able to keep under control through a clever budgetary policy. Otherwise, his term of office passed without any particular incident. After the end of his term of office, shrinking was no longer politically apparent. Instead, he taught politics at Carroll College and the University of Montana. After retiring, he spends his time alternately in Helena and Phoenix , Arizona . His wife Jean Christianson, with whom he has three children, died on March 24, 2007.

Web links

• Dwindle in the National Governors Association (English)
• Of Governors of Montana short biographies (English)