Representative August Herman Andresen

August Herman Andresen (October 11, 1890 – January 14, 1958) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Minnesota who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for thirty-one years. Over the course of sixteen terms in Congress between 1925 and 1959, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Minnesota constituents and participating actively in the democratic process.

Andresen was born on October 11, 1890, in Newark, Illinois, to Reverend Ole Andresen and Anna Andresen. Raised in a minister’s household, he grew up in a setting that emphasized public service, education, and civic responsibility. His early life in the Midwest shaped his understanding of rural communities and agricultural concerns, themes that would later become central to his congressional career.

Pursuing higher education in Minnesota, Andresen graduated from St. Olaf College in 1912. He then undertook legal studies at the St. Paul College of Law, later known as William Mitchell College of Law, receiving his law degree in 1914. That same year he married Julia Lien, marking the beginning of a family life that ran parallel to his emerging professional and political career. After his admission to the bar, he practiced law in Minnesota, establishing himself in the profession and building the local reputation that would support his eventual entry into elective office.

Andresen’s national political career began with his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1925. A member of the Republican Party, he first represented Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District from 1925 to 1933, serving in the 69th, 70th, 71st, and 72nd Congresses. Following a brief interruption in service after the 72nd Congress, he returned to the House as the representative of Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in 1935. From that point, he served continuously through the 74th, 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 85th Congresses, remaining in office until his death. Across these sixteen terms, his tenure spanned the late 1920s, the Great Depression, World War II, the early Cold War, and the beginnings of the modern civil rights era.

Within Congress, Andresen became particularly influential on agricultural policy. By 1948 he was the ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture, a position that gave him substantial authority over legislation affecting farmers, rural communities, and national food policy. His expertise and seniority in this area were widely recognized, and in 1952 he was considered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as one of the finalists for the post of Secretary of Agriculture. Andresen ultimately declined the opportunity, choosing instead to retain his seat in the House and continue representing his Minnesota district directly. In 1947–1948, he also served on the Herter Committee, a special congressional committee that examined U.S. foreign aid and helped lay groundwork for postwar international economic and security policy.

Andresen’s long service in Congress included participation in major legislative decisions of the mid-twentieth century. Notably, he voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, supporting one of the first significant pieces of federal civil rights legislation enacted since Reconstruction. This vote placed him among those lawmakers who backed early federal efforts to address racial discrimination and protect voting rights, reflecting his engagement with the evolving national debate over civil rights during the 1950s.

August Herman Andresen died in office on January 14, 1958, at the age of 67, while still serving as the Republican representative from Minnesota. His death brought to a close more than three decades of continuous involvement in federal lawmaking and constituent service. Remembered as a dedicated legislator with particular influence in agricultural affairs and postwar policy deliberations, he left a record of sustained public service during a transformative era in American political and social history.