Representative Harold Christian Hagen

Harold Christian Hagen (November 10, 1901 – March 19, 1957) was a Minnesota politician and United States Representative who served six consecutive terms in Congress from 1943 to 1955. Born in Crookston, Polk County, Minnesota, he was of Norwegian ancestry and was raised in the Lutheran faith, part of the broader Norwegian-American community that was influential in northwestern Minnesota in the early twentieth century. His family background and regional ties helped shape his later political identification with agrarian and progressive causes that were central to the politics of rural Minnesota.

Hagen attended the public schools of Crookston and went on to study at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, an institution long associated with the Norwegian Lutheran community. After his college education, he returned to Crookston and entered the newspaper business. He became a publisher and editor of a Norwegian-language newspaper and also served as publisher of the Polk County Leader in Crookston. Through this work in ethnic and local journalism, he developed close connections with his community, gained experience in public affairs, and built a platform that would later support his entry into politics.

Hagen’s early political career developed through his association with the Farmer–Labor movement, which was a dominant force in Minnesota politics during the interwar and World War II years. He served as secretary to Representative Richard T. Buckler, who represented Minnesota’s 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this role, Hagen became familiar with legislative procedure, constituent service, and the policy concerns of a largely rural district, including agriculture, transportation, and veterans’ issues. His work for Buckler provided both practical training in congressional operations and visibility among district voters and party leaders.

Upon the retirement of Richard T. Buckler, Hagen sought election to Congress in his own right. He was first elected as a candidate of the Farmer–Labor Party to the House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 9th congressional district and took his seat in the 78th Congress on January 3, 1943. During this period, the Farmer–Labor Party was in the process of realignment and eventual merger with the state Democratic Party, while Hagen himself moved into the Republican Party. He was subsequently reelected as a Republican and continued to represent the 9th district through the 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, and 83rd Congresses, serving continuously from January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1955.

Hagen’s congressional service spanned a significant period in American history, encompassing the final years of World War II, the immediate postwar reconstruction era, the beginning of the Cold War, and the early years of the Eisenhower administration. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process on issues affecting his largely agricultural constituency as well as broader national concerns. He represented the interests of his district’s farmers, small-town residents, and veterans, and took part in the democratic process at a time of major economic, social, and international change. Over his six terms in office, he contributed to debates and legislation that reflected both his Farmer–Labor roots and his later Republican affiliation.

In the 1954 election, Hagen was defeated in his bid for reelection to the 84th Congress, bringing his twelve-year tenure in the House to a close on January 3, 1955. Following his congressional career, he remained in the nation’s capital and entered the field of public relations in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he drew on his legislative experience, knowledge of federal government operations, and longstanding connections in political and policy circles.

Harold Christian Hagen died on March 19, 1957. His career traced the evolution of mid-twentieth-century Minnesota politics from Farmer–Labor progressivism to Republican representation, and his service in the 78th through 83rd Congresses placed him at the center of some of the most consequential years in modern American history.