Al Quie

Albert Harold "Al" Quie (born September 18, 1923) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1979, to January 3, 1983.

State and national government service
A Republican, Quie was a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1955 to 1958, representing the old 18th District, which encompassed Rice County in the southeastern part of the state. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election after the death of Representative August Andresen, and served from February 18, 1958, to January 3, 1979. He was a member of the 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 94th and 95th Congresses.

Quie was briefly considered for Vice President of the United States in 1974 after Gerald Ford became president upon the resignation of Richard Nixon. The position was eventually taken by Nelson Rockefeller.

Quie was elected governor of Minnesota in 1978. During his single term, he dealt with an extreme budget crisis, and made some very tough and unpopular choices. He opted not to run again in 1982.

Background, education, and family
Quie was born on his family's farm near Dennison, Minnesota, in Rice County. Three of his grandparents were Norwegian immigrants. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield in 1950 with a degree in political science.

Quie's wife, artist and former First Lady of Minnesota Gretchen Quie, died of Parkinson's disease on December 13, 2015, at the age of 88.

In popular culture
In Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days, Quie is said to be the first governor ever to set foot in the mythical town of Lake Wobegon, "slipping quietly away from his duties to attend a ceremony dedicating a plaque attached to the Statue of the Unknown Norwegian" and making a few remarks.