Governor Albert Harold Quie

ALBERT HAROLD QUIE was born in Wheeling Township, Minnesota, on September 18, 1923. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1950. He owned and operated a dairy farm. Quie was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1954 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in 1958 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of August Andresen. He was reelected to the 10 succeeding Congresses, and during his tenure was ranking minority member of the House Education and Labor Committee. He successfully ran for governor in 1978. During his term, Governor Quie tried to continue the service to children and education that he began in the U.S. Congress. However, in his quest for smaller class sizes and other social goals as well as simultaneously reducing spending, Quie miscalculated the state’s expenditures and revenues. Governor Quie’s state budget was misaligned by almost $200 million. The economic recession of the early 1980’s in Minnesota was the worst since the Great Depression and Quie did not win reelection. In 1982 he was appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations. He was a lecturer and teacher from 1983 to 1986. Since 1987 Quie has been executive vice president of Prison Fellowship USA.