Theodore Christianson

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Theodore Christianson
Theodore Christianson
21^st Governor of Minnesota
In office January 6, 1925 – January 6, 1931
Lieutenant(s)	William Ignatius Nolan Charles E. Adams
Preceded by	J. A. O. Preus
Succeeded by	Floyd B. Olson

Born	September 12, 1883 Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota
Died	December 9, 1948 Dawson, Minnesota
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ruth E. Donaldson (1st) Mayme Bialeschki Bundy (2nd)
Profession	lawyer, publisher

Theodore Christianson (September 12, 1883 – December 9, 1948) was an American politician. He served as the 21st Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1925 until January 6, 1931, and did not seek re-election. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1937 in the 73rd congress. He was a Republican.

Born in Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota, "More Ted, Less Taxes" was the campaign promise of Theodore Christianson when he ran for governor in 1924. "Tightwad Ted," as he was affectionately dubbed, kept his word. During his administration, he limited taxes and cut expenditures at every level of state government. Voters—in a conservative mood after the turmoil of World War I—expressed their approval of his cautious fiscal policy and his disdain for socialism by re-electing him twice.

Efficiency was as crucial as thrift to Minnesota's twenty-first governor and he incorporated both priorities in his 1925 Reorganization Act. To firm up a flabby bureaucracy, he appointed a three-man Commission of Administration and Finance. This so-called "Big Three" unleashed the veto power of the chief executive, who slashed budget appropriations he considered extravagant.

Before entering politics, Christianson had pursued dual careers in western Minnesota, where he both practiced law and was for 15 years the editor and publisher of the Dawson Sentinel. Five consecutive terms as a Republican legislator convinced him that government reorganization was in order.

Christianson's bid for nomination to the U.S. Senate in 1930 failed and he left politics temporarily. During a three-year hiatus, the former newspaperman continued to serve his native state by writing its history, a five-volume work published in 1935 (Minnesota: The Land of Sky-Tinted Waters: A History of the State and its People). He rounded out his public career with two terms in Congress.

Later, Christianson moved to Chicago and an executive position with a national trade association. He had recently retired to Dawson, Minnesota when he died of a heart attack while trying to start his car on a winter night. He was 65 years old.

[edit] References

Minnesota Historical Society

Preceded by J. A. O. Preus	21st Governor of Minnesota 1925 – 1931	Succeeded by Floyd B. Olson
Preceded by August H. Andresen	U.S. Representative from Minnesota (at large) 1933 –1935	Succeeded by Ernest Lundeen
Preceded by Magnus Johnson	U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district 1935 – 1937	Succeeded by Dewey Johnson