Kristjan Valdimar "Val" Bjornson (August 29, 1906 – March 10, 1987) was an American writer, newspaper editor, and politician who served as the State Treasurer of Minnesota for more than two decades.
Bjornson was born in Minneota, Minnesota of Icelandic descent. In World War II, he served in Navy intelligence, stationed in Iceland. Besides English, he was fluent in Icelandic, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
He was part owner of the Minneota Mascot newspaper and an associate editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Running as the Republican candidate in the 1954 United States Senate elections, Bjornson lost to Hubert Humphrey, with whom he sometimes shared a car to travel around the state.
Bjornson died in Minneapolis on March 10, 1987. The University of Minnesota, his alma mater, and the University of Iceland have a student exchange scholarship named in his honor.
Bibliography
Bjornson, Val (1969). The History of Minnesota. West Palm Beach, Florida: Lewis Historical Publishing.
References
- "Val Bjornson". The New York Times. March 12, 1987. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- CQ Weekly Report, Volume 12, page 1040. Congressional Quarterly, 1954
- "Iceland Minnesota". Archived from the original on 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- "National Affairs: Who Won". Time. September 27, 1954. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- "Craving some quiet".
- "Column: Thoughts of Val Bjornson, and a Worthington visit | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota". www.dglobe.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011.
- "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Bishoprick to Blacey".
- "News & Events".
Party political offices | ||
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Preceded byJulius A. Schmahl | Republican nominee for Minnesota State Treasurer 1950, 1952 |
Succeeded byDuane R. Lund |
Preceded byJoseph H. Ball | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Minnesota (Class 2) 1954 |
Succeeded byP. Kenneth Peterson |
Preceded byDuane R. Lund | Republican nominee for Minnesota State Treasurer 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
Succeeded byJ. Robert Stassen |
Political offices | ||
Preceded byJulius A. Schmahl | Treasurer of Minnesota 1951–1955 |
Succeeded byArthur Hansen |
Preceded byArthur Hansen | Treasurer of Minnesota 1957–1975 |
Succeeded byJim Lord |
Minnesota State Treasurers | ||
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(office abolished in 2003) |
This article about a Minnesota politician is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1906 births
- 1987 deaths
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- American people of Icelandic descent
- Military personnel from Minnesota
- Minnesota Republicans
- People from Minneota, Minnesota
- State treasurers of Minnesota
- United States Navy sailors
- University of Minnesota alumni
- Writers from Minnesota
- 20th-century American politicians
- Minnesota politician stubs