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Christianson, Theodore Andrew

House 1915-24 (District 24)

Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election

Counties Served:  Lac Qui Parle

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 9/12/1883
Birth Place: Lac Qui Parle Township, Minnesota
Birth County: Lac Qui Parle
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 12/9/1948
Gender: Male
Religion: Christian
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected): Dawson
Occupation (when first elected): Newspaper Editor, Dawson

EDUCATION

Dawson High School; Secondary;
University of Minnesota, Arts College; College Graduate; Minneapolis Campus, 1906
University of Minnesota, Law School; Law Degree; 1909; Admitted to the Bar, 1909

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Municipal Council/Aldermen: Dawson, Minnesota (Village Council, President); 1910 to 1911
State Governor: Minnesota; 01/06/1925 to 01/06/1931 [Elected]
U.S. Representative: At Large Congressional District, Minnesota; 03/04/1933 to 01/1935 [Elected]
U.S. Representative: 5th Congressional District, Minnesota; 01/03/1935 to 01/03/1937 [Elected]

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Ruth E. Donaldson Christianson (first wife, married June 4, 1907; she died in August of 1944); Mayme Bialeschki Bundy Christianson (Shipley) (second wife, married May 30, 1946)
Children: Two children: Robert J. and Theodore, Jr. (sons)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He was of Norwegian ancestry.

He was born on a farm.

He sought and lost the nomination to the United States Senate in 1930.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1936.

He was a member of the Republican Party.

His son, Theodore Christianson, Jr. was an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

He is buried at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Religion provided by In Memoriam.

Total Days Served: 3654

SESSIONS SERVED

43rd Legislative Session (1923-1924)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1923
Body: House
District: 24
Elected: 11/7/1922
Residence: Dawson
Term of Office: 1/1/1923 to 1/4/1925
Oath Date: 1/2/1923
Counties Represented: Lac Qui Parle
Occupation: Practicing Law/Owner and Publisher, Dawson Sentinel
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Appropriations (Chair)
  • Judiciary

42nd Legislative Session (1921-1922)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1921
Body: House
District: 24
Elected: 11/2/1920
Residence: Dawson
Term of Office: 1/3/1921 to 12/31/1922
Oath Date: 1/4/1921
Counties Represented: Lac Qui Parle
Occupation: Practicing Law/Owner and Publisher, Dawson Sentinel
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Appropriations (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Soldiers Home and State Bonus Act

41st Legislative Session (1919-1920)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1919
Body: House
District: 24
Elected: 11/5/1918
Residence: Dawson
Term of Office: 1/6/1919 to 1/2/1921
Oath Date: 1/7/1919
Counties Represented: Lac Qui Parle
Occupation: Practicing Law/Owner and Publisher, Dawson Sentinel
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Appropriations (Chair)
  • Board of Control and Public Buildings
  • Civil Administration
  • Judiciary

40th Legislative Session (1917-1918)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1917
Body: House
District: 24
Elected: 11/7/1916
Residence: Dawson
Term of Office: 1/1/1917 to 1/5/1919
Oath Date: 1/2/1917
Counties Represented: Lac Qui Parle
Occupation: Newspaper Editor
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Appropriations (Chair)
  • Education
  • Elections
  • Judiciary

39th Legislative Session (1915-1916)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1915
Body: House
District: 24
Elected: 11/3/1914
Residence: Dawson
Term of Office: 1/4/1915 to 12/31/1916
Oath Date: 1/5/1915
Counties Represented: Lac Qui Parle
Occupation: Newspaper Editor, Dawson
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Pleading and Criminal Law
  • Judiciary: Remedial Law
  • Printing
  • Public Accounts and Expenditures
  • State Hospitals
  • State School at Owatonna

Articles & Books About

Articles & Books By

  • Christianson, Theodore. Minnesota: the Land of Sky-Tinted Waters: a History of the State and its People, Chicago: American Historical Society, 1935.