Joanne Benson

Joanne E. Benson (born January 4, 1943) was the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from January 3, 1995 to January 4, 1999. An Independent Republican, she was elected on the gubernatorial ticket with Governor Arne Carlson, competing for the party endorsement with Allen Quist and Doug McFarland, and later in the election against John Marty. She is a former Minnesota state senator noted for being somewhat more conservative than the moderate Carlson.

Benson ran in the 1998 Republican primary for governor, starting off as the initial front-runner in the GOP primary. However, despite attempting to garner enough support within the GOP establishment to ward-off any primary challengers, a late entrant to the race, St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, garnered enough delegates to win the Republican endorsement at the GOP state convention in summer 1998. Placing third in the race for delegates (behind Coleman and Allen Quist), she agreed not to challenge Coleman in that fall's primary, but as the Republican nominee, Coleman eventually placed second in the race to Reform candidate Jesse Ventura.

Upon leaving office in 1999, Benson became the first chief education officer of the Minnesota Business Academy. In that capacity, she worked with civic and state leaders in raising money in benefit of the school's success.

Benson was born in Le Sueur, Minnesota, became an educator and married Robert R. Benson. She has two children and six grandchildren.

External links

• Joanne Benson at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present

References

• Minnesota Historical Society