Representative Magne Alfred Michaelson

Magne Alfred Michaelson (September 7, 1878 – October 26, 1949) was a Republican U.S. Representative from Illinois who served five consecutive terms in the United States Congress from 1921 to 1931. He was born in Kristiansand, in Vest-Agder, Norway, and spent his early childhood there. In October 1885 he immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Chicago, Illinois, where he was raised and would spend much of his professional and political life.

Michaelson attended the public schools of Chicago and pursued teacher training at the Chicago Normal School, from which he graduated in 1898. Immediately after completing his education, he entered the teaching profession. From 1898 to 1914 he taught in the public schools of Chicago, gaining experience in the city’s educational system and establishing himself in local civic life. His years as an educator provided him with a grounding in public service and community affairs that would later inform his political career.

Transitioning from education to politics, Michaelson served as a member of the Chicago City Council from 1915 to 1918. In this role, he participated in municipal governance during a period of rapid urban growth and social change in Chicago. He further expanded his involvement in state-level public affairs as a delegate to the Illinois state constitutional convention in 1920, contributing to deliberations on the structure and powers of state government. These positions helped build his reputation as a public servant and prepared him for national office.

Michaelson was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress and was subsequently reelected to the four succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1921, to March 3, 1931. His decade in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history, encompassing the immediate post–World War I era, the Roaring Twenties, and the onset of the Great Depression. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his Illinois constituents, and contributed to national debates on economic, social, and political issues. On August 15, 1921, he delivered a notable speech on the House floor in which he questioned the patriotism and integrity of the newly formed American Legion, alleging that it was being bought and controlled by the interests of Wall Street, a stance that drew public attention and controversy.

In addition to his congressional duties, Michaelson was active in the financial sector. He served as chairman of the board of directors of the Madison and Kedzie State Bank of Chicago from 1924 to 1927, reflecting his engagement with local banking and commercial affairs while still in public office. His career, however, was not without difficulties. In 1929 he was charged with a violation of the Volstead Act, the federal law enforcing Prohibition. In the ensuing legal proceedings, his brother-in-law pleaded guilty, and the judge imposed a $1,000 fine. The episode occurred near the end of his congressional tenure and during a period of increasing public scrutiny of Prohibition-related offenses.

Michaelson was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1930, bringing his decade of congressional service to a close in March 1931. After leaving Congress, he returned to private life and resumed his position in banking, continuing his involvement in Chicago’s financial community. He lived out his later years in Illinois, remaining associated with the city where he had built his career as a teacher, local official, banker, and legislator. Magne Alfred Michaelson died on October 26, 1949.