Harold Stassen

Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943.

Related Topics:
April 13 - 1907 - March 4 - 2001 - Governor of Minnesota - 1939 - 1943

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Born near West St. Paul, Minnesota, at 33 he was the youngest governor to serve in Minnesota and was seen as an "up and comer" after delivering the keynote address at the 1940 Republican National Convention. At that convention, he helped secure the GOP nomination for Wendell Wilkie.

Related Topics:
West St. Paul, Minnesota - 1940 Republican National Convention - GOP - Wendell Wilkie

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Stassen resigned from office in 1943 to join the United States Navy during World War II. He was a delegate at the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations, and president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1953.

Related Topics:
United States Navy - World War II - United Nations - University of Pennsylvania - 1948 - 1953

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He was later best known for having been a perennial candidate for the Republican Party nomination for President, seeking it nine times between 1948 and 1992. However, he never won the nomination.

Related Topics:
Perennial candidate - Republican Party - President - 1992

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He also ran for:

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• governor of Minnesota on four occasions,
• governor of Pennsylvania twice,
• United States Senate twice, and
• mayor of Philadelphia once.

Stassen's strongest bid for the presidential nomination was in 1948 when he won a series of upset victories in early primaries. Polls showed that he would beat Harry S. Truman if nominated. He lost the nomination to Thomas Dewey, however.

Related Topics:
Primaries - Harry S. Truman - Thomas Dewey

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Stassen played a key role in the 1952 Republican contest when he released his delegates to Dwight David Eisenhower. This helped Eisenhower to defeat Robert Taft on the first ballot.

Related Topics:
1952 - Dwight David Eisenhower - Robert Taft

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He gained a reputation as a liberal, particularly when, as president of the American Baptist Convention in 1963, he joined Martin Luther King in his march on Washington, D.C..

Related Topics:
Liberal - American Baptist Convention - 1963 - Martin Luther King - Washington, D.C.

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On the death of A. B. "Happy" Chandler, Stassen became the earliest governor of any U.S. state still living. When he died, the title was passed to Charles Poletti, a former governor of New York.

Related Topics:
A. B. "Happy" Chandler - Charles Poletti - New York

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