J. A. O. Preus
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| Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus | |
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| In office January 5, 1921 – January 6, 1925 |
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| Lieutenant | Louis L. Collins |
| Preceded by | Joseph A. A. Burnquist |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Christianson |
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| Born | August 28, 1883 Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | May 24, 1961 (aged 77) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Idelle Louise Haugen |
| Profession | politician, insurance executive |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus [PROICE] (August 28, 1883 – May 24, 1961) was an American politician, born in Columbia County, Wisconsin. He served as the state auditor for Minnesota from January 5, 1915 to January 5, 1921 and as the 20th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1921 to January 6, 1925. He was a Republican. He was a 1903 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
The grandson, son, and father of Lutheran ministers, he chose to serve the state rather than the church. As a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School he cut his political teeth in Washington as executive clerk to Senator Knute Nelson. Back home after three years, he continued his climb up the Republican ladder of state service toward the governor's office.
When Preus first ran for governor in 1920, he adamantly opposed the Farmer-Labor Party, a coalition of discontented farmers and laborers who had formed a new political organization. The party, he declaimed, represented "socialism - a political cult that would destroy the principles of private property, our religion, and our homes."
Despite his reservations about the Farmer-Labor philosophy, Governor Preus nonetheless encouraged the legislature to meet some of the farmers' demands by broadening the legal powers of cooperatives, making low-interest loans available through the Rural Credit Bureau, and creating the Department of Agriculture. Preus also demanded higher taxes from the owners of ore-rich mines on the Iron Range, expanded highway construction, and improved equal rights and election procedures. His political savvy, combined with an apparent desire to correct inequities, made Minnesota's twentieth governor a surprisingly prolific reformer.
After completing his second term, Preus became an insurance executive in Chicago. He returned to Minneapolis in 1958 and served until his death as board chairman of Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal insurance society he had co-founded in 1917. He also founded the Aid Association for Lutherans, which consolidated in the 1990s to become Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Preus' son, Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus II, was a theologian, professor, author, and president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. His other son, Robert Preus, was a Lutheran pastor, professor, author, theologian, and president of Concordia Theological Seminary.
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| Preceded by Joseph A. A. Burnquist |
20th Governor of Minnesota 1921 – 1925 |
Succeeded by Theodore Christianson |
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