 | The examples and perspective in this articlemay notinclude all significant viewpoints. Pleaseimprove the article ordiscuss the issue.(June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office December 30, 1915 – January 5, 1921 | |
| Lieutenant | George H. Sullivan Thomas Frankson |
| Preceded by | Winfield Scott Hammond |
| Succeeded by | J. A. O. Preus |
| 20th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 7, 1913 – December 30, 1915 | |
| Governor | Adolph Olson Eberhart Winfield Scott Hammond |
| Preceded by | Samuel Y. Gordon |
| Succeeded by | George H. Sullivan |
| 21st Attorney General of Minnesota | |
| In office January 2, 1939 – January 3, 1955 | |
| Governor | Harold Stassen Edward John Thye Luther Youngdahl C. Elmer Anderson |
| Preceded by | William S. Ervin |
| Succeeded by | Miles Lord |
| Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office 1909–1912 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1879-07-21)July 21, 1879 Dayton, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 1961(1961-01-12) (aged 81) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lakewood Cemetery |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist (July 21, 1879 – January 12, 1961) was an American attorney andRepublican politician in Minnesota. He served in theMinnesota State Legislature from 1909 to 1911, was elected the 20th Lieutenant Governor ofMinnesota in 1912, and then served as the19th Governor of Minnesota from December 30, 1915, to January 5, 1921. He became governor after the death of GovernorWinfield Scott Hammond (1863–1915).
Elected in 1938, Burnquist returned to serve asMinnesota Attorney General from January 2, 1939, until January 3, 1955, establishing what is now the second-longest record of continuous service in that position.[1]
Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist was born inDayton, Iowa, to parents of Swedish descent. He attendedCarleton College inNorthfield, Minnesota, and earned his law degree in 1905 from theUniversity of Minnesota Law School.[2]
After a brief time practicing law inSaint Paul, he was elected to theMinnesota House of Representatives in 1908, serving from 1909 to 1912.[3]
During his second term as lieutenant governor, Burnquist succeeded Governor Hammond to office on December 30, 1915, after Hammond died unexpectedly.
Social and political tensions increased during the next two years, as Americans became concerned about the war in Europe. At the same time, labor unions were organizing and workers went on strike for better wages and conditions. Turbulent times surrounded the United States' entrance into the Great War (World War I) in 1917. Having attracted waves of European immigrants in the previous decades, US officials were anxious about the loyalties of these new residents and their native-born citizen descendants. Many classes in foreign languages were dropped from American public schools.
In 1917, ten days after the US entered the war, Burnquist signed legislation to create the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety (MCPS) to monitor public sentiment toward the war. The seven-member commission, ostensibly nonpartisan, opposed groups and actions its members considered suspect, such as immigrants, labor unions, and theNon-Partisan League. Burnquist and the commission were granted near-dictatorial powers, which they used to advance their own business interests by suppressing labor unions. The MCPS also played into anti-German sentiment by targeting ethnic German Minnesotans. Governor Burnquist threatened German-American citizens inNew Ulm, Minnesota, with deportation on suspicion of loyalty toPrussia.[4]
TheSedition Act of 1918 curtailed free speech during time of war, and theImmigration Act of 1919 allowed officials to deport any alien or naturalized citizen who advocated the overthrow of the government by force.
But Burnquist also worked in other areas. He initiated legislation to improve state highways, disaster assistance programs, labor relations, and, especially the welfare of children. He was elected to a full term in November 1918.[5]
After leaving office, Burnquist practiced law for 17 years. During the 1920s, Burnquist wrote several works in the series "Minnesota and its People" athis home in Saint Paul.[6]
In 1939 he was elected as stateAttorney General. Repeatedly re-elected, he served 16 years and 1 day, nearly establishing the record for the longest-serving attorney general of Minnesota. (Skip Humphrey served 16 years and 3 days by the end of his tenure in 1999, winning this ranking.)
Burnquist was president of the Saint Paul chapter of theNAACP from 1914 and ca. 1921. TheDuluth lynchings occurred during his tenure in this position and also during his second term as governor;[7][8] however, his responses to the event were cautious and limited.[9][10][11][12]
Burnquist was married on January 1, 1906, to Mary Louise Cross (1880–1966). Burnquist died inMinneapolis at the age of 81.[13] He was buried inLakewood Cemetery.[14]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1912,1914 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Minnesota 1916,1918 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forAttorney General of Minnesota 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952 | Succeeded by Bernhard LeVander |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Minnesota 1915–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1913–1915 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minnesota Attorney General 1939–1955 | Succeeded by |
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
