Thor Tollefson

Thor Carl Tollefson (born May 2, 1901 in Perley , Norman County , Minnesota , †  December 30, 1982 in Tacoma , Washington ) was an American politician . Between 1947 and 1965 he represented the state of Washington in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Thor Tollefson came to Tacoma as early as 1912. There he attended public schools including Lincoln High School , which he graduated from in 1924. After a subsequent law degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and his admission as a lawyer in 1930, he began to work in Tacoma in his new profession. Between 1938 and 1946 he was a district attorney in Pierce County there .

Politically, Tollefson was a member of the Republican Party . Between 1936 and 1944 he was a delegate to all regional Republican party conventions in Washington. In the 1946 congressional election he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the sixth constituency of his state , where he succeeded Democrat John M. Coffee on January 3, 1947 , whom he had defeated in the election. After eight re-elections, Tollefson could complete nine consecutive terms in Congress by January 3, 1965 . During this time the Cold War escalated . In addition, the Korean War took place and the Vietnam War began. Domestically, the civil rights movement was at the center of political events. During Tollefson's time in the US House of Representatives, the 22nd , 23rd and 24th amendments were discussed and passed there.

In the 1964 elections he was defeated by the Democrat Floyd Hicks . After leaving Congress, Tollefson became director of the Washington State Fisheries Administration. He later served as an advisor to the Governor of Washington in international negotiations on fisheries issues. Tollefson died on December 30, 1982 in Tacoma and was buried there.

Web links

• Thor Tollefson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Thor Tollefson in the database of Find a Grave (English)