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These oral histories were predominantly done in the 1970s with half conducted in 1973. Some date from the 1980s and early 1990s.  The majority of the interviews are with state legislators and the remaining are with mayors, city councilmen, campaign managers, party managers, widows of politicians, and US Congressmen.  All of the participants were men except three (who were widows) and represented Central Minnesota communities ranging from Sandstone to Brainerd to those locations just north of the Twin Cities.

With some variance, all participants were asked similar questions including personal and family history in Minnesota, early political interests and activities, committee assignments, sponsored bills, the campaign and election process, the legislative process, and their future plans in politics.  Unique questions were asked of individuals as the interview unfolded.  Certain political issues that were significant in the early 1970s are common topics including new party designation requirements, lengths of terms, legislator salaries, and the impact of Nixon’s landslide victory in 1972 on local elections.  The Watergate scandal is also discussed in several interviews.

Since the legislators’ service collectively goes back to 1935, the changes in the atmosphere, organization, and membership of the legislature are discussed in several oral histories.  Many of the interviews reference other participants in this oral history collection. For many, the interview often took place at the beginning or middle of their political careers.

Brief biographical sketches and interview notes are given for all participants.  Type of office, terms of service, and constituency represented are also listed.  Transcripts of interviews are available unless otherwise noted below.

Some interviews were actually transcribed. The typewritten transcripts were keyed into a Word document but have not been checked against the audio. Past experiences has suggested that the transcripts may not be complete. In the meantime, the transcripts are available here as PDFs.

One tape. The two interviews appear on the same reel to reel tape.

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Three tapes. The third tape is specific to the 1948 campaign.

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One 60 minute audio cassette.

One 60 minute audio cassette.

One 60 minute audio cassette.

Two 60 minute audio cassettes.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/legpol_oh/3/ [13649]

Biographical Information: Alcuin Loehr was born on October 20, 1927, in St. Cloud to Arnold and Regina (VonBokern) Loehr. He married Shirley Mae Raden on June 10, 1950. Loehr served in the US Navy from 1945 to 147 and then worked for Great Northern Railroad. He was a field man for the DFL, Minnesota commissioner of Veterans Affairs and Stearns County Civil Defense director. Loehr was mayor of the city of St. Cloud from 1970-1980. Loehr ran for state auditor in 1974 but lost in the DFL primary. From 1980-1990 he was administrative aide for the Minnesota Senate. At the time of his death, he was a staff assistant for US Representative Colin Peterson. Loehr died on April 16, 2013, in St. Cloud.

Transcript Summary: In oral interview recorded July 12 and July 18, 1977, Al Loehr recounted his entry into politics, his service in a variety of roles helping veterans, and the personalities of politicians in the 1970s as the state transitioned to party designation for legislative candidates. At the urging of Minnesota politician Walter Mondale, Loehr entered politics. He lost his first race, for the state Senate, in 1964, to Republican Keith Hughes. After the 1964 election, Minnesota governor Karl Rolvaag appointed him commissioner of Veterans Affairs. In the 1970 city of St. Cloud mayoral election, Loehr asserted that the city now needed a full-time mayor to address issues facing the area while having an impact on legislative issues. He served as mayor until 1980. During Loehr’s tenure as mayor, St. Cloud was named an All-America city, the downtown mall and ring road were built, and the city developed the Municipal Athletic Complex and Whitney Memorial Park. Loehr also discussed the position of state auditor and its authority, which he ran for unsuccessfully in 1974.

US Congressman from Minnesota, 6th District (1949-1962).
Two interviews, one with Fred Marshall and another with him and his wife, were made on the same date.

Minnesota state Senator for District 13 (1978-1982) elected as an Independent Republican and representing Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Kanabec counties. Attended St. Cloud State University in 1955-1956.  Discusses his experiences in agricultural education and his early political history.  The legislative topics discussed include the Stadium Bill, lumber grades, taxes and real estate, environmental concerns, and social issues. Only summary of interview is available.

Biographical information Ed Schrom was born March 17, 1911, in Albany, Minnesota, to John and Julia Schrom. Schrom, a farmer, was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1970. Schrom’s first election to the Legislature occurred before party designation, when Democrats ran under the liberal banner. He was one of the Legislature’s most conservative members. Schrom clashed with US House Sixth District Representative Richard Nolan over Nolan’s backing of Sen. Ted Kennedy instead President Jimmy Carter. Serving from 1971-1980 (District 26, 1971-1972; District 16, 1973-1980), he represented parts western Stearns County and northern Meeker County. Schrom married Dorothy Beumel on August 26, 1936, in Richmond, Minnesota. The couple had three children. Schrom died on January 20, 1980.

Transcript summary In an interview recorded July 16, 1973, Ed Schrom recounted growing up in a family of 12 children on a farm near Albany, Minnesota. Although his father was a Republican, President Franklin Roosevelt’s actions turned him into a Democrat. Especially important, Schrom said, was Roosevelt’s funding of rural electrification. Schrom was a farmer before retiring and running for the Legislature. He was township treasurer for 20 years and then in 1968 attended the Democratic convention in Chicago before deciding to run for the Minnesota state legislature in the 1970 election. Schrom defeated incumbent Henry Harren, a 16-year veteran of the state senate. He ran on the issue of real estate tax relief and favored shifting more of the cost of education from local real estate taxes to statewide income taxes. He opposed the trend at the time of setting up regional development commissions, arguing that they were an unnecessary additional layer of government. Schrom favored opening legislative and conference committee meetings to the public. Schrom served as the vice chairman of the Tax Committee and a member of the Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee. He backed legislation to support the price of milk and to lower liquor taxes.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/legpol_oh/11 [16747]

Biographical Information: John Clawson was born on August 7, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and later relocated to nearby Bloomington with his family. Clawson possessed an interest in politics from a young age, which was spurred on by his work as a student journalist throughout high school and his collegiate studies of history, which he minored in, alongside majors in Latin and Greek. In 1974, at the encouragement of his family and friends, Clawson ran for and won the seat for District 19A in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Democrat. He held this seat for the next 10 years. Clawson passed away on August 17, 2011.

Minnesota state Representative for District 19A (1975-1980) and District 19B (1981-1984) elected a DFL candidate and representing Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine counties.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on October 4, 1977, John Clawson discussed his early life within Minnesota, as well as his career as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Clawson said most of his family were originally Danish immigrants from Schleswig-Holstein, who migrated abroad to escape military conflict between Denmark and Prussia in 1864. In addition, his family had a tradition of political participation as one of his grandfathers served as a sergeant-at-arms in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Clawson described an interest in politics from a young age but never would have run for office himself if not for the encouragement of his family and friends. Clawson discussed part of his legislative record, most of which pertained to urban development, health and wellness, and judicial affairs, and described his personal ideological convictions, identifying himself as a “conservative” at heart, while also distinguishing his beliefs from those of more “reactionary” colleagues in the Republican Party.

Interview conducted by Calvin Gower and John LeDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/legpol_oh/9 [16746]

Biographical Information: Douglas W. Carlson was born in Sandstone, Minnesota on November 1, 1939. Carlson originally studied veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota throughout the 1960s (with a break between 1963 and 1964 for military service), before he decided to pursue a political career. Carlson was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1970 as a Republican, and coauthored several bills that were intended to loosen corporate influence over state agricultural practices and expand student loan opportunities for college freshmen. Carlson passed away on April 22, 2013.

Minnesota state Representative for District 25A (1971-1972), District 14A (1973-1974, 1977-1982), and District 14B (1983-1990) elected from the conservative caucus and representing Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Kanabec, Pine, and St. Louis counties.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on July 30, 1973, Douglas Carlson discussed his life and political career in Minnesota. Carlson noted that he originally sought work as a veterinarian, but was later persuaded to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives at the request of members of the Sandstone community. Carlson said he considered himself more of a non-partisan conservative, and routinely voted in favor of policies proposed by DFL representatives which he believed to beneficial for his constituents. Nevertheless, he campaigned as a Republican at the behest of his traditionally Republican constituency. Carlson expressed disappointment that some of the legislation he coauthored was never fully implemented, such as a bill intended to curb the influence of large corporations within the agricultural industry. Nevertheless, Carlson enjoyed helping to develop his district as a state representative, and was proud of passing another bills which allocated around $30 million for student loans for low-income college freshmen.

Interview conducted by Calvin Gower and James Waldron

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/legpol_oh/10 [16745]

Biographical Information: Florian Chmielewski was born on February 10, 1927, in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota. After completing high school and briefly enlisting in the military, Chmielewski attended La Salle University for four years to study law. Following graduation, Chmielewski worked as a county commissioner for 10 years before successfully running for the Minnesota state Senate, in which he represented District 14 (previously 25) from 1970 to 1996. Chmielewski passed away on April 23, 2024.

Minnesota state Representative for District 25A (1971-1972), District 14A (1973-1992), and District 8 (1993-1996) elected from the liberal caucus and representing Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Sherburne, and St. Louis counties.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on July 30, 1973, Florian Chmielewski discussed his career as a member of the Minnesota state Senate. Chmielewski noted that he possessed an interest in politics from a young age, but was largely motivated to pursue political office by his father, who encouraged him to run for the position of county commissioner and later for his position in the state Senate. Chmielewski affirmed much of the legislation and committee work was dedicated to state transportation infrastructure like roads and highways. He said that while he belonged to the DFL caucus, he preferred to stay as non-partisan as possible to build goodwill with his colleagues. Likewise, Chmielewski noted that he enjoyed serving his community in the local legislature and expressed pride that its committee meetings and other dealings were open for public attendance.

Interview conducted by Calvin Gower and John Waldron

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/legpol_oh/6/ [13648]

Biographical information: Winston Borden was born on December 1, 1943, in Brainerd, Minnesota, and grew up on farm. He received a Bachelor of Arts with majors in social science and public address from St. Cloud State College in 1965 and a Master of Arts degree in government administration and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1968. Borden served in the Minnesota Senate representing Aitkin, Crow Wing, Kanabec and Morrison counties. As part of the liberal caucus then as a DFL’er, Borden was first elected in 1970 and served until 1978 (District 53, 1971-1972; District 13, 1973-1978). His district covered areas in Aitkin, Crow Wing, Kanabec, and Morrison counties. After his time in the state legislature, Borden practiced law. He married Betty Rae McRoberts. The couple has one child. Borden died on January 20, 2014.

Transcript summary: In an interview conducted on August 7, 1973, Borden recounted his interest in politics started in high school and continued through college at St. Cloud State where he was the president of State Young DFL club. He attended the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and became a candidate for the state Senate in 1970. In that election, Borden defeated Gordon Rosenmeier, who was a member of the conservative caucus and had served since 1941. Borden campaigned on the issue of legislative reform that included roll call votes, verbatim notes, and open meetings in the Senate Rules Committee and conference committees. He also focused on corporate farming, tax lost farming, and gas tax rebates for agricultural production. In his first session, Borden authored the Minnesota Anti-Trust Act of 1971, which became law. He also supported the Emergency School Aid Bill that provided money to the more impoverished school districts. He authored a bill that established the Minnesota Cable Television Commission to regulate cable. The Commission on Personnel Bill provided a system for identifying the most talented public servants and educating them and upgrading their training for advancement. His bill provided the same death benefits for all Minnesota law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Borden authored a number of bills protecting natural resources and the environment including the Minnesota Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

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Two 60 minute audio cassette. This interview was conducted on November 25, 1991, twenty years after the reel to reel interview.

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Minnesota state Representative for District 55 (1955-1958) first elected from the conservative caucus and representing Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne counties.  Held several positions in Pease, Minnesota including mayor, councilman, and school board member.

Discusses family history.  Transcript is incomplete.

Minnesota state Representative for District 17B (1981-1992) and District 16B (1993-1994) elected as an Independent Republican and representing Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties. Discusses family history and personal background in politics.  The campaign of 1980 is extensively covered as well as political activity leading up to the campaign. Only summary of interview is available.

Biographical information: John T. Kosloske was born Dec. 12, 1907, in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, to John Sr. and Wilhelmina (Radomski) Kosloske. He married Marcella House on Sept. 1, 1936 in Austin, Minnesota. Kosloske was Justice of the Peace in Sauk Rapids for more than 20 years, census supervisor in 1970, and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 45 from 1949-1954. District 45 represented portions of Benton and Sherburne counties. He was also mayor of Sauk Rapids from 1966-1967. Kosloske was employed by Burlington Northern Railroad for 28 years and he was a State Farm insurance agent for 34 years. He died on February 4, 2004, in Sartell, Minnesota.

Transcript summary: In an oral history recorded March 18, 1974, John T. Kosloske recalled his election as Justice of the Peace when he was 21 and six years as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Kosloke ran with the “liberal label at a time when candidates ran without party affiliation. While in the Legislature, Kosloske discussed how a state budget deficit was covered by raising the cigarette tax. He worked to keep license plate manufacturing at the St. Cloud Reformatory instead of moving the work to a union shop in the Twin Cities while opposing party designation because a voter could not split a ticket in a primary election. Kosloske discussed why opposed open committee meetings and favored keeping the bi-cameral Legislature.

Minnesota state Representative for District 18B (1973-1982) and District 22A (1983-1992) elected from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus and representing Sherburne and Wright counties.  He also served as mayor of St. Michael, Minnesota (1966-1972). Discusses his family history and political experience.  The topics include his campaigns and issues of the day (education, farmers and labor, and infrastructure). Only summary of interview is available.