Luther W. Youngdahl | |
|---|---|
 Youngdahl in 1949 | |
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
| In office May 29, 1966 – June 21, 1978 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
| In office August 29, 1951 – May 29, 1966 | |
| Appointed by | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Thomas Alan Goldsborough |
| Succeeded by | John Lewis Smith Jr. |
| 27th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 8, 1947 – September 27, 1951 | |
| Lieutenant | C. Elmer Anderson |
| Preceded by | Edward John Thye |
| Succeeded by | C. Elmer Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Luther Wallace Youngdahl (1896-05-29)May 29, 1896 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 21, 1978(1978-06-21) (aged 82) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | Oscar Youngdahl (brother) |
| Education | Gustavus Adolphus College (B.A.) Mitchell Hamline School of Law (LL.B.) |
Luther Wallace Youngdahl (May 29, 1896 – June 21, 1978) was an American judge and politician who served as the27th governor of Minnesota and aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Born on May 29, 1896, inMinneapolis, Minnesota, Youngdahl graduated fromMinneapolis South High School. He then received aBachelor of Arts degree in 1919 fromGustavus Adolphus College and aBachelor of Laws in 1921 from the Minnesota College of Law (nowMitchell Hamline School of Law). He served as a Second Lieutenant in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I. He was an assistant city attorney for Minneapolis from 1921 to 1924 and in private practice from 1924 to 1930. He was a judge of the Minneapolis Municipal Court from 1930 to 1936 and of theMinnesota District Court for the Fourth Judicial District from 1936 to 1942. He was an associate justice of theMinnesota Supreme Court from 1942 to 1946. A member of theRepublican Party, he was the governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1947, to September 27, 1951.[1]
As governor, one of Youngdahl's biggest concerns was mental health, and he made reforms to Minnesota's mental health care system. In October 1949, Youngdahl burned more than 300 straitjackets and restraints. He also increased funding for public education, expanded public housing, increased benefits for war veterans, created activities to improve the health of young people, desegregated the state's National Guard, passed anti-discrimination laws in employment, and banned slot machines and strengthened anti-liquor laws, despite the legislature's opposition.[2]
Youngdahl was a popular governor who won reelection easily in 1950, but as early as 1949 he expressed to a friend his desire to return to the judiciary, this time at the federal level. Believing that Youngdahl would be the strongest candidate the Republicans could run against him when he sought reelection in 1954, upon learning of JudgeThomas Alan Goldsborough's death from a heart attack, Minnesota's junior U.S. senator,Hubert Humphrey, proposed nominating Youngdahl to Goldsborough's now-vacant seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia in a meeting with PresidentHarry S. Truman on July 2, 1951. Noting that Youngdahl was the only governor who had written a letter commending him for his recent decision to fire GeneralDouglas MacArthur, Truman agreed to the suggestion.[3]
After meeting with Youngdahl on July 5, Truman appointed him the next day to the vacancy on the D.C. district court. TheUnited States Senate confirmed Youngdahl on August 28, 1951, and he received his commission the next day. He assumedsenior status on May 29, 1966, his 70th birthday.[1]
As a senior judge, Youngdahl advocated education and job training for incarcerated criminals and less crowded programs to rehabilitate drug users, believing that harsh punishments failed to reduce crime.[4] In an address to Congress in 1971, Youngdahl praised Democrats for supporting revenue sharing and decentralization and Republicans for their proposedFamily Assistance Plan, which would have guaranteed families a minimum income. He said both parties needed to rise above partisan politics and work together.[5]
He died on June 21, 1978,[6] at his home inWashington, D.C. at the age of 82 after suffering from a "lingering illness",[7][8] and was interred inArlington National Cemetery.[9]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Minnesota 1946,1948,1950 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | 27th Governor of Minnesota 1947–1951 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia 1951–1966 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
