Representative Haldor Erickson Boen

Haldor Erickson Boen (January 1, 1851 – July 20, 1912) was an American congressman from Minnesota and a member of the Populist Party who served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1893 to 1895. He was born in Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Valdres, a traditional district in Christians amt (county), Norway. In 1868 he immigrated to the United States and settled in Mower County, Minnesota, joining the large community of Norwegian immigrants who were then establishing farms and towns across the Upper Midwest.

Boen pursued his education soon after his arrival in Minnesota. He attended the St. Cloud Normal School in 1869 and 1870, preparing for a career in teaching at a time when the state was rapidly expanding its system of public education. In 1871 he relocated to Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, which would remain the center of his professional and political life. His early work in local government began in 1872, when he was employed in the county auditor’s office and was responsible for computing the first taxes levied in Otter Tail County, an important administrative task in a newly organized and developing county.

From 1874 to 1879, Boen taught in the public schools of Otter Tail County, reflecting his training at St. Cloud Normal School and his commitment to local education. At the same time, he began a long tenure in minor judicial office, serving as justice of the peace from 1875 to 1900. His growing prominence in local affairs led to election as a county commissioner in 1880, and he later served as register of deeds for Otter Tail County from 1888 to 1892. Through these positions he gained extensive experience in county administration, land records, and local governance, which helped establish his reputation as a capable public official and prepared him for higher office.

In November 1892, Boen was elected as a member of the Populist Party to the Fifty-third Congress, representing Minnesota’s newly created 7th congressional district. His term in the United States House of Representatives extended from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1895. During this significant period in American history, marked by economic upheaval and agrarian protest, he contributed to the legislative process as part of the broader Populist movement that sought monetary reform, railroad regulation, and relief for farmers and laborers. As a member of the House of Representatives, Haldor Erickson Boen participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in western Minnesota. He was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection in 1894, ending his congressional service after a single term.

After leaving Congress, Boen returned to Fergus Falls and remained active in public life and political advocacy. He became editor of the Fergus Falls Globe, using the newspaper as a platform to promote reform ideas and to comment on local and national issues. He also resumed agricultural pursuits in Otter Tail County, maintaining his connection to the farming community that had formed the core of his political base. His continued engagement with third-party politics was evident in his later candidacies for Congress: he ran again in 1900 as a member of the Referendum Party and in 1906 as a Socialist, reflecting his enduring commitment to progressive and populist causes even as political alignments shifted at the turn of the twentieth century.

Boen spent his later years in Otter Tail County, where he had long been a teacher, local official, farmer, editor, and congressman. He died on July 20, 1912, in Aurdal Township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. He was interred in Aurdal Cemetery near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in the community that had been the focal point of his public service and political career.