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Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Minnesota Veterans Home

Also known as:
Minnesota Soldiers' Home (1887-1967)
Active dates:1887 -
Function:

The mission of the Minnesota Veterans Home is to oversee and guarantee high-quality health care for veterans and dependents in its care.

History:

The Minnesota Soldiers' Home was established in 1887 by the Minnesota state legislature (Laws of Minnesota 1887, chapter 148). In 1967 the home's name changed to the Minnesota Veterans Home (Laws of Minn. 1967, chap. 148). Its purpose is to provide care for honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. military services who are unable to support and care for themselves.

As of 2025 there are eight veterans’ homes in Minnesota: Minneapolis; Hastings, established in 1978 in the buildings vacated by the Hastings State Hospital; Silver Bay, established in 1991; LuVerne, established in 1994; Fergus Falls, established in 1998; and Bemidji, Montevideo, and Preston, all of which opened in 2024. An Adult Day Center opened in Minneapolis in 2012.

When the first veterans home was established in 1887, the legislature appropriated $50,000 for land and buildings, and $10,000 for the first year of operation. A Soldiers’ Home Fund was created to hold the $20,000 provided by the legislature for annual operation after the first year. A Soldiers’ Relief Fund was also established to pay for care to veterans in their own homes. A board of trustees was created to administer the home.

The board located the first home on 50 acres donated by the city of Minneapolis near the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River. The home opened in November of 1887 in existing buildings. Construction of new buildings began in May of 1888. By 1911 six cottages had been built – five for men and one for women.

Until 1971, the home was operated by a commandant along military lines. The commandant was assisted by an adjutant, who kept records, and a quartermaster, who purchased supplies. A surgeon and a chaplain were also on the staff. In 1971 the position of commandant was abolished and replaced by an administrator. A shift was made away from a military style with emphasis given to creating a homelike atmosphere in the institution.

The Legislature abolished the board of trustees in 1975 and transferred responsibility for the homes to the Department of Veterans Affairs (see Laws of Minn. 1975, chap. 61).

Inspections performed by the Minnesota Department of Health from September 1986 to July 1987 found numerous serious health and safety violations in the homes. For a brief period, Governor Rudy Perpich transferred the administration of the veterans’ homes to the Department of Human Services by Reorganization Order No. 149.

In August of 1987, Governor Perpich appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study operations and governance of the homes as well as the long-term health care needs of Minnesota veterans. On February 18, 1988, Governor Perpich issued Executive Order No. 88-3 creating a transitional board of directors for the Minnesota Veterans Home to plan and manage the transition of the Minnesota veterans’ homes from the Department of Human Services to a permanent board of directors in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 1988 the Legislature reassigned veterans home administration to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and created a new nine-member Veterans Home Board of Directors to oversee operations (see Laws of Minn. 1988, chap. 699).

On November 19, 2007, the Veterans Home Board was eliminated via Reorganization Order No. 194, and the duties and responsibilities of the board were transferred to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2022 the Legislature appropriated $26 million for three additional veterans’ homes to be built in Bemidji, Montevideo, and Preston (see Laws of Minn. 2022, chap. 54, art. 1, sec. 3-4). Planning for these homes had been in the works since about 2019, and the homes opened in 2024.

Agency heads:

Commandants:

  • Unknown, 1887-1890
  • McMillian, Captain Thomas, 1891-1900
  • Compton, Captain James, 1901-1908
  • Barnard, Col. F. H., 1909-1912
  • Harries, Col. W. H., 1913-1918
  • Dubay, Peter F., 1919-1920
  • Towler, Silas H., 1921-1930
  • Boyce, Wm. R., 1931-1934
  • Pederson, F. W., 1935-1936
  • Downey, W. E., 1937-19(46?)
  • None listed in legislative manuals, 1947-1962
  • Soderling, Richard, 1963-1964
  • Renzaglia, Frindo D., 1965-1966
  • Miller, Donald M., 1967-1968
  • Onslett, E. C., 1969-1970

Administrators (Minneapolis Veterans Home):

  • Sherman, Otis C., 1971-1972
  • Gregg, William J., 1973-1979

In 1978, the second veterans home opened in Hastings, and more veterans' homes opened in subsequent years. The Library has not collected historical data on administrators of these homes, or on administrators of the Minneapolis Veterans Home beyond those noted above.

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1980-1994.
Record last updated: 01/17/2025
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

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