Editing Harold Stassen

{{Short description|American politician (1907–2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Harold Stassen
| image               = Gov. Harold E. Stassen LCCN2016877429 Alt Crop.jpg
| caption             = Portrait by [[Harris & Ewing]], 1940
| office              = Director of the [[United States Foreign Operations Administration]]
| president           = [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
| term_start          = August 3, 1953
| term_end            = March 19, 1955
| predecessor         = ''Position established''
| successor           = ''Position abolished''
| office1             = Director of the [[Mutual Security Agency]]
| president1          = Dwight D. Eisenhower
| term_start1         = January 28, 1953
| term_end1           = August 1, 1953
| predecessor1        = [[W. Averell Harriman]]
| successor1          = ''Position abolished''
| office2             = President of the University of Pennsylvania
| order2              = 3rd
| term_start2         = September 17, 1948
| term_end2           = January 19, 1953
| predecessor2        = [[George William McClelland]]
| successor2          = [[William Hagan DuBarry]] (acting)
| office3             = Chair of the [[National Governors Association]]
| term_start3         = January 7, 1941
| term_end3           = June 21, 1942
| predecessor3        = [[William Henry Vanderbilt III]]
| successor3          = [[Herbert O'Conor]]
| order4              = 25th
| office4             = Governor of Minnesota
| lieutenant4         = [[C. Elmer Anderson]]<br />Edward John Thye
| term_start4         = January 2, 1939
| term_end4           = April 27, 1943
| predecessor4        = [[Elmer Austin Benson]]
| successor4          = [[Edward John Thye]]
| office5 = [[County Attorney]] of [[Dakota County, Minnesota]]
| term_start5 = January 5, 1931
| term_end5 = January 2, 1939
| birth_name          = Harold Edward Stassen
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1907|4|13}}
| birth_place         = {{nowrap|[[West St. Paul, Minnesota]], U.S.}}
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2001|3|4|1907|4|13}}
| death_place         = [[Bloomington, Minnesota]], U.S.
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Esther Glewwe|November 14, 1929|October 7, 2000|end=died}}
| education           = [[University of Minnesota]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
| branch              = [[United States Navy]]
| rank                = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]]
| mawards             = [[Legion of Merit]]
| serviceyears        = 1942–1945
| battles             = World War II
}}
'''Harold Edward Stassen''' (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was an American [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] politician, military officer, and attorney who was the [[List of governors of Minnesota|25th governor of Minnesota]] from 1939 to 1943. He was a leading candidate for the [[1948 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican nomination for president of the United States in 1948]]. Though he was considered for a time to be the front-runner, he lost the nomination to [[New York (state)|New York]] governor [[Thomas E. Dewey]]. He thereafter regularly continued to run for the presidency and other offices, such that his name became most identified with his status as a [[perennial candidate]].

Born in [[West St. Paul, Minnesota]], Stassen was elected as the county attorney of [[Dakota County, Minnesota]] after graduating from the [[University of Minnesota]]. He won election as Governor of Minnesota in 1938. Stassen is the youngest person elected to that office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://libguides.mnhs.org/stassen/ov|title=LibGuides: Harold E. Stassen: "Boy Governor" & Presidential Hopeful: Overview|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|website=libguides.mnhs.org|access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref> He gave the keynote address at the [[1940 Republican National Convention]]. He resigned as governor to serve in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], becoming an aide to Admiral [[William Halsey Jr.]] After the war, he became president of the [[University of Pennsylvania]], holding that position from 1948 to 1953. Stassen sought the presidential nomination at the [[1948 Republican National Convention]], winning a significant share of the delegates on the first two ballots of the convention. During the Republican primaries preceding the convention, he engaged in the [[Dewey–Stassen debate]], the first debate between presidential candidates for which [[History of sound recording|an audio recording was made]].

Stassen sought the presidential nomination again at the [[1952 Republican National Convention]], and helped [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] win the nomination by shifting his support to Eisenhower. After serving in the Eisenhower administration, Stassen sought various offices. Between 1958 and 1990, he campaigned unsuccessfully for the positions of [[Governor of Pennsylvania]], [[Mayor of Philadelphia]], United States Senator, Governor of Minnesota, and United States Representative. He further sought the Republican nomination for president in [[1964 Republican Party presidential primaries|1964]], [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries|1968]], [[1976 Republican Party presidential primaries|1976]], [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries|1980]], [[1984 Republican Party presidential primaries|1984]], [[1988 Republican Party presidential primaries|1988]], and [[1992 Republican Party presidential primaries|1992]].

==Early life (1907–1930)==

Stassen, the third of five children, was born in [[West St. Paul, Minnesota]], to Elsie Emma (née Mueller) and William Andrew Stassen, a farmer and several times mayor of West St. Paul. His mother was German and his father was born in Minnesota, to German and Czech parents.<ref>A Nation Divided: The 1968 Presidential Campaign By Darcy G. Richardson page 219</ref><ref name="penn">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.upenn.edu/faids/upt/upt50/stassen_he.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175239/http://www.archives.upenn.edu/faids/upt/upt50/stassen_he.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 29, 2018 |title=Guide, Harold Edward Stassen Papers, 1940–1957, 1914–1919, University of Pennsylvania University Archives |publisher=Archives.upenn.edu |access-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/05/us/harold-e-stassen-who-sought-gop-nomination-for-president-9-times-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | title=Harold E. Stassen, Who Sought G.O.P. Nomination for President 9 Times, Dies at 93 | first=Albin | last=Krebs | date=March 5, 2001 | access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref>{{r|life19421019122}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M2L5-72R|title=FamilySearch: Sign In|website=[[FamilySearch]] |access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref> At the age of 11 Stassen graduated from elementary school and four years later graduated from high school.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31743909/the_des_moines_register/ |title=Stassen – 'Middle of the Road' Liberal |date=February 5, 1939 |work=The Des Moines Register |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520074935/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31743909/the_des_moines_register/ |archive-date=May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> At the [[University of Minnesota]], Stassen was an intercollegiate debater and orator,<ref>{{cite news |date=April 4, 1927 |title=Wins Oratorical Prize |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31711167/the_minneapolis_star/ |work=Minneapolis Star |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=16 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> and captain of the champion university [[riflery|rifle team]] in 1927.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 24, 1927 |title=Gopher Riflemen Win From Culver Academy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31711172/the_minneapolis_star/ |work=Minneapolis Star |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=18 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>  He received his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] degree in 1927,<ref>{{cite news |date=June 13, 1927 |title=1,200 Students Given Diplomas at 'U' Program: College of Science, Literature and the Arts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31711201/the_minneapolis_star/ |work=Minneapolis Star |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> and his [[bachelor of laws|LL.B.]] degree from the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] in 1929.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 17, 1929 |title=List of Graduating University Seniors: Law School |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31711221/the_minneapolis_star/ |work=Minneapolis Star |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mayer |first=Michael S. |date=2010 |title=The Eisenhower Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIhZxpoZVIQC&pg=PA723 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File |page=723 |isbn=978-0-8160-5387-2}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early political career (1930–1938)===

In 1930, after opening a law office with [[Elmer J. Ryan]] in [[South St. Paul, Minnesota|South St. Paul]], Stassen defeated Alfred Joyce, the incumbent county attorney of Dakota County, and took office on January 5, 1931, months after Joyce was [[Disbarment|suspended]] from practicing law.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744161/star_tribune/ |title=Dakota County Attorney Suspended For 6 Months |date= December 27, 1930 |work=Star Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520083859/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744161/star_tribune/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Three years after taking office Stassen was elected president of the Minnesota County Attorneys' association.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744211/star_tribune/ |title=H. E. Stassen Heads County Attorneys |date= December 31, 1933 |work=Star Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520084813/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744211/star_tribune/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>{{r|life19421019122}}

In 1935, Stassen participated in the creation of the [[Young Republicans]] committee in Minnesota and was one of three elected to be temporary members of the state committee to carry on pre-convention work and would be elected its chairman later that year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744054/st_cloud_times/ |title=Young Republicans Arrange For Minnesota Organization |date= October 22, 1935 |work=St. Cloud Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520081700/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744054/st_cloud_times/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744090/st_cloud_times/ |title=Harold Stassen elected chairman |date= November 2, 1935 |work=St. Cloud Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520082355/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744090/st_cloud_times/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In 1936 Stassen led an effort by the Young Republicans that demanded greater representation for them at county conventions and for their inclusion in state leadership before his tenure as chairman ended later that year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744015/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Harold Stassen Heads Session of Determined Group |date= March 28, 1936 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520081053/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744015/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31754087/star_tribune/ |title=Boom Stassen For Governor |date= October 17, 1936 |work=Star Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520173813/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31754087/star_tribune/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=17 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Stassen was a delegate to the [[1936 Republican National Convention]]. On April 24, 1937, he gave the keynote address at the Minnesota Republican state convention.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31753635/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Stassen To Give Keynote For GOP |date= April 12, 1937 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520172533/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31753635/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31903225/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Minnesota GOP Moving To Iron Out Difficulties |date= June 28, 1937 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525042123/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31903225/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 25, 2019 |url-status=live |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In October he announced his intention to run for governor in [[1938 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1938]], and formally started his campaign in November. Despite being a member of the [[Republican Party of Minnesota|party's]] executive committee Stassen seconded a motion preventing a gubernatorial endorsement at the convention in December.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31753615/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Motion to Kill Autumn Convention Beaten by Tabling |date= November 6, 1937 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520172950/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31753615/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744127/argusleader/ |title=South St. Paul Man In Governor's Race |date= October 17, 1937 |work=Argus-Leader |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520083200/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744127/argusleader/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

===Governorship (1939–1943)===
[[File:HaroldStassenOfficialOil.jpg|thumb|left|Stassen as Governor]]
On January 2, 1939, Stassen was inaugurated by Chief Justice [[Henry M. Gallagher]]. His first action was to order an audit of expenditures in every state department. He later signed into law Minnesota's first civil service law.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31827053/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Stassen Takes Governor's Oath, Demands Reforms In Government |date= January 3, 1939 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522205314/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31827053/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 22, 2019 |url-status=live |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In September 1939 he organized a farm problems conference, attended by the governors of South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Dakota, and Illinois or their representatives.  World War Two's effect on agriculture was the main issue considered.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148458/the_la_crosse_tribune/ |title=6 Governors Accept Invitation To Meet |date=September 19, 1939 |work=The La Crosse Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117085500/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148458/the_la_crosse_tribune/ |archive-date= November 17, 2019 |url-status=live |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> When New York District Attorney and future Governor [[Thomas E. Dewey]] traveled to Minneapolis during the [[1940 Republican Party presidential primaries|1940 presidential campaign]] he was introduced by Stassen.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148652/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Dewey |date=December 6, 1939 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117092953/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148652/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date=November 17, 2019 |url-status=live |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> By the end of 1939 Stassen's approval rating was over 80% and he had the support of over 80% of both [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party|Democrats]] and [[Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party|Farmer-Laborers]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31832160/the_daily_tribune/ |title=Stassen Takes Governor's Oath, Demands Reforms In Government |date=September 18, 1939 |work=The Daily Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522233039/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31832160/the_daily_tribune/ |archive-date= May 22, 2019 |url-status=live |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Despite the fact that Stassen was then [[President of the United States#Eligibility|constitutionally ineligible]] for the presidency because of the requirement for the president to be at least 35 years of age, some Republicans supported his involvement in presidential politics and Secretary of the Interior [[Harold L. Ickes]] commented that Stassen was a political upcomer and was more serious than Dewey.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148719/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Ickes Says Stassen Is a 'Political Comer' |date=December 22, 1939 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117093921/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39148719/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date=November 17, 2019 |url-status=live |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> During his governorship, Stassen created the Interracial Commission, the first civil rights organization of Minnesota and appointed African-American World War I veteran [[Samuel Ransom]] as his military aide.<ref>Funeral of S.L. Ransom, Friday; Minneapolis Tribune, 1970</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center;"
! Year
! Approve
! Disapprove
|- style="font-size:85%"
|-
| style="padding: 7px;" | 1939
| style="padding: 7px;" | 81%
| style="padding: 7px;  | 19%
|-
| style="padding: 7px;" | 1943
| style="padding: 7px;" | 91%
| style="padding: 7px;  | 5%<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31833573/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Gallup Analyzes Stassen's Position |date= May 1, 1943 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523001735/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31833573/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 23, 2019 |url-status=live |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|}

====World War II====
[[File:Harold E. Stassen.jpg|thumb|right|Commander Harold E. Stassen, USNR while serving as Aide to Admiral [[William F. Halsey]], Commander, Third Fleet]]
{{external media| float = right| width=230px| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?14513-1/eisenhower-turning-world-peace ''Booknotes'' interview with Stassen on ''Eisenhower: Turning the World Toward Peace'', October 14, 1990], [[C-SPAN]]}} 
Stassen, who was reelected as governor of Minnesota in [[1940 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1940]] and [[1942 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1942]], supported President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s foreign policy and encouraged the state Republican Party to repudiate [[United States non-interventionism#Non-interventionism shortly before World War II|American isolationism]] before the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. During the 1942 campaign, he announced that, if re-elected, he would resign to serve on active duty with the [[United States Naval Reserve]], which Stassen had joined with the rank of lieutenant commander earlier that year.<ref name="life19421019122">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA123 | title=Governor Stassen | magazine=Life | date=October 19, 1942 | access-date=November 21, 2011 | pages=122}}</ref><ref name="usmil">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-s/h-stassn.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010711104328/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-s/h-stassn.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 11, 2001| title = Captain Harold E. Stassen, USNR, (1907–2001)| publisher=Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center | date = March 10, 2001 | access-date = January 15, 2010 }}</ref>

Stassen was re-elected governor in November 1942 and, true to his campaign promise, resigned as governor on April 23, 1943, prior to reporting for active duty with the Navy. Although he would run in 13 more elections in his life, this was the last time he would hold an elected office.{{citation needed|date = March 2022}}

After being promoted to the rank of commander, he joined the staff of [[Admiral]] [[William F. Halsey]], Commander of the [[United States Third Fleet|Third Fleet]] in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater]]. He was awarded the [[Legion of Merit]] for meritorious service in this position.  After almost two and a half years of service, he was promoted to the rank of captain on September 27, 1945, and was released from active duty in November of the same year.<ref name="usmil"/>

Stassen lost some of his political base while overseas, whereas Republican candidates such as [[Thomas E. Dewey]] had a chance to increase theirs.  Stassen was a delegate at the San Francisco [[United Nations Conference on International Organization|Conference]] that established the United Nations and was one of the US signatories of the [[United Nations Charter]]. He served as president of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] from 1948 to 1953. His attempt to increase the prominence of the [[Penn Quakers football|university football team]] was unpopular and soon abandoned.{{r|penn}} From 1953 to 1955, he was the director of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s short-lived [[United States Foreign Operations Administration|Foreign Operations Administration]].<ref name="Krebs">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/05/us/harold-e-stassen-who-sought-gop-nomination-for-president-9-times-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | first=Albin | last=Krebs | title=Harold E. Stassen, Who Sought G.O.P. Nomination for President 9 Times, Dies at 93 | date=March 5, 2001}}</ref>

===Presidential politics (1944–1964)===

Stassen was later best known for being a [[perennial candidate]] for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, seeking it nine times between 1944 and 1992 ([[1944 Republican Party presidential primaries|1944]], [[1948 Republican Party presidential primaries|1948]], [[1952 Republican Party presidential primaries|1952]], [[1964 Republican Party presidential primaries|1964]], [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries|1968]], [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries|1980]], [[1984 Republican Party presidential primaries|1984]], [[1988 Republican Party presidential primaries|1988]], and [[1992 Republican Party presidential primaries|1992]]). He never won the Republican nomination, much less the presidency; in fact, after 1952, he never even came close, but continued to campaign actively and seriously for president until just a year before his death.

Due to his victory in the gubernatorial race, status as America's youngest governor and overwhelming approval rating Stassen was touted as a possible future Republican presidential nominee starting in [[1940 Republican Party presidential primaries|1940]] despite the fact that he would not be [[President of the United States#Eligibility|constitutionally eligible to serve]] until 1942 due to the requirement that a President be at least 35 years of age.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31903866/the_minneapolis_star/ |title=Dew Is Leading Popular Choice of GOP for 1940 |date= May 1, 1943 |work=The Minneapolis Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525045352/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31903866/the_minneapolis_star/ |archive-date= May 25, 2019 |url-status=live |page=12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Stassen's strongest bid for the Republican presidential nomination was in 1948 when he won a series of upset victories in early [[Partisan primary|primaries]].{{citation needed|date = February 2023}}  His challenge to the front runner, New York Governor and [[1944 United States presidential election|1944 G.O.P. presidential nominee]] [[Thomas E. Dewey]], was serious enough that Dewey challenged Stassen to a debate on the night before the Oregon Republican primary. The May 17 [[Dewey–Stassen debate]] was the first recorded modern [[United States presidential election debates|debate between presidential candidates]] to take place in the United States. The debate, which concerned the criminalization of the [[Communist Party of the United States]], was broadcast over the radio throughout the nation.

At the [[1948 Republican National Convention|convention]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Osro Cobb]], the then Republican state chairman in [[Arkansas]], made a seconding speech for Stassen, having been motivated by Stassen's promise if nominated to campaign actively in the [[American South|South]]. Cobb described the South as "the last frontier to which we can turn for substantial gains for our party – gains that can be held in the years to come. There is a definite affinity between the southern farmer and the grassroots Midwestern Republicans. …Our party simply cannot indulge the luxury of a [[Solid South]], handed on a silver platter to the opposition every four years...."<ref>[[Osro Cobb]], ''Osro Cobb of Arkansas: Memoirs of Historical Significance'', Carol Griffee, ed. (Little Rock, Arkansas: Rose Publishing Company, 1989), pp. 99–100</ref>

In the first two rounds of balloting, Stassen finished third behind Dewey, the front runner, and Robert Taft.  After the second round, Stassen and Taft bowed out and Dewey was selected unanimously as the nominee on the next ballot.  In all Republican conventions since 1948, the nominee has been selected on the first ballot.

Stassen was elected to the [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1949.<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Harold+Stassen&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=March 3, 2023 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref> Stassen attended "the notorious State Department Policy Conference of October 1949"<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Buckley |first1=William Francis |title=McCarthy and His Enemies The Record and its Meaning |last2=Bozell |first2=Leo Brent |date=1954 |publisher=Henry Regnery Company |location=Chicago |pages=118 |language=en}}</ref> which although initially not designated secret was given that moniker which Stassen objected to and insisted his contributions were recorded, which was granted.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UshEAQAAMAAJ |title=Nomination of Philip C. Jessup Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate Eighty-Second Congress First Session on Nomination of Philip C. Jessup to be United States Representative to the Sixth General Assembly of the United Nations |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |year=1951 |location=Washington |pages=711 |language=en}}</ref> In later Senate testimony he claimed there was a prevailing bias in opposition to his own view on Asiatic policy and ultimately that they, including [[Philip Jessup|Philip Caryl Jessup]], [[Owen Lattimore]] and [[Lawrence Kaelter Rosinger]], were undermining the free-world by pursuing the communist line.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UshEAQAAMAAJ |title=Nomination of Philip C. Jessup Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate Eighty-Second Congress First Session on Nomination of Philip C. Jessup to be United States Representative to the Sixth General Assembly of the United Nations |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington |publication-date=1951 |pages=714–721 |language=en}}</ref>

His home-state delegation played a key role in the 1952 Republican contest when, over his objection, his delegates were released to [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. This swing helped Eisenhower to defeat [[Robert A. Taft]] on the first ballot.<ref>Jean Edward Smith, Eisenhower in War and Peace, p. 519</ref> Stassen served in the Eisenhower Administration, filling posts including director of the Mutual Security Administration (foreign aid) and Special Assistant to the President for Disarmament.<ref name="Krebs"/> During this period, he held cabinet rank and led a quixotic effort (perhaps covertly encouraged by Eisenhower, who had reservations about [[Richard Nixon]]'s maturity for the presidency)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/essays/biography/3|title=American President|publisher=Millercenter.org|access-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006172554/http://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/essays/biography/3|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> to "dump Nixon" at the [[1956 Republican National Convention]].<ref name="Krebs"/>

==Later life (1964–2001)==

Stassen also ran for:{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}
* Dakota County Attorney (he won in 1930 and 1934);
* Governor of Minnesota on four occasions (he won on his first three attempts in [[1932 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1938]], 1940, and [[1942 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1942]], but was unsuccessful in [[1982 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1982]]);
* [[United States Senate]] twice ([[1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1978]] and [[1994 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1994]] in Minnesota);
* [[Governor of Pennsylvania]] twice ([[Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1958|1958]] and [[1966 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|1966]])
* Mayor of [[Philadelphia]] once ([[1959 Philadelphia mayoral election|1959]]);
* [[U.S. Representative]] once (he was the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee against [[Bruce Vento]] of [[Minnesota]] in [[1986 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota|1986]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barone |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Barone (pundit) |last2=Ujifusa |first2=Grant |title=[[The Almanac of American Politics|The Almanac of American Politics 1988]]|work=[[National Journal]] |year=1987 |page=636}}</ref>

After leaving the Eisenhower Administration, Stassen campaigned unsuccessfully for governor of Pennsylvania (1958 and 1966) and for mayor of Philadelphia (1959). In 1978, Stassen moved back to Minnesota and ran a campaign for the U.S. Senate. In 1982, he campaigned for the Minnesota governorship and in 1986 for the fourth district congressional seat. He campaigned for the Republican Party presidential nomination in every election except 1956, 1960, and 1972.<ref name="mnhs.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/gov/gov_27.htm|title=Governors of Minnesota|publisher=Mnhs.org|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725110811/http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/gov/gov_27.htm|archive-date=July 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was on the ballot in the 1988 New Hampshire Republican primary and received 130 votes, and also received 1 vote in the Democratic primary.

On the death of [[Happy Chandler]] in 1991, Stassen became the earliest serving governor of any U.S. state still living. When he died, the title was passed to [[Charles Poletti]], a former governor of [[New York State]]. Stassen died of natural causes in 2001 in [[Bloomington, Minnesota]], at the age of 93 and is buried at the [[Acacia Park Cemetery, Mendota Heights|Acacia Park Cemetery]] in [[Mendota Heights, Minnesota]]. The [[Minnesota Department of Revenue]] headquarters near the [[Minnesota State Capitol|State Capitol]] is named for him.

===Religious life===
Raised as a Baptist, Stassen was active with regional Baptist associations as well as many other religious organizations.  During the 1960s, he gained a reputation as a [[American liberalism|liberal]], particularly when, as president of the [[American Baptist Convention]] in 1963, he joined [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] in his [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]].{{r|penn}} Much of Stassen's political thought came from his religious beliefs. He held important positions in his denomination and in local and national councils of churches.{{r|life19421019122}}  In the latter 1960s and early 1970s, Stassen also participated with the U.S. Inter-religious Committee on Peace, which sponsored a series of conferences on religion and peace.<ref name="mnhs.org"/>  Baptists writing memorials remembered him as much as a church figure as a political candidate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstbaptistwhiteplains.org/WhoStassen.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307103525/http://www.firstbaptistwhiteplains.org/WhoStassen.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 7, 2009 |title=Who are we? Harold Stassen |author=First Baptist Church, White Plains, NY |access-date=June 23, 2011 }}</ref>  His son [[Glen Stassen]] was a prominent Baptist theologian.

==Political positions==

Throughout his life, Stassen was a [[Rockefeller Republican|liberal Republican]] and challenged the more conservative elements of the Republican Party such as when he opposed Senator [[Robert A. Taft]], [[favorite son]] and a leader of the [[conservative coalition]], in Taft's home state of Ohio during the [[1948 Republican Party presidential primaries|1948 Republican primary]].  He was seen as breaching political etiquette and was defeated.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31770823/oakland_tribune/ |title=Strange Saga of Harold Stassen |date= November 28, 1967 |work=Oakland Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521021239/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31770823/oakland_tribune/ |archive-date= May 21, 2019 |url-status=live |page=22 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> During the primaries, Taft attacked Stassen's liberalism, believing that he was a disguised [[New Deal coalition|New Dealer]].<ref>TAFT SAYS STASSEN SEEMS NEW DEALER; Senator Tells Ohioans Rival Must Be That If He Is All the Time Against Him; Walter W. Ruch, The New York Times, April 23, 1948</ref>

===Economics and relations with labor===

During the 1938 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign Stassen ran against the imposition of a sales tax and later in life supported a form of [[Basic income|universal basic income]] in which unemployed mothers of two or more children would be given $115 per month.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31754391/st_cloud_times/ |title=Both Wrong |date= September 6, 1933 |work=St. Cloud Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520174920/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31754391/st_cloud_times/ |archive-date= May 20, 2019 |url-status=live |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31824990/the_portsmouth_herald/ |title=Harold Stassen: Man with a plan $115 Per Month for Millions of Mothers! |date= February 21, 1964 |work=The Portsmouth Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522195459/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31824990/the_portsmouth_herald/ |archive-date= May 22, 2019 |url-status=live |page=7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> At a speech for 900 people at the [[Waldorf Astoria New York|Waldorf-Astoria Hotel]], Stassen expressed support for low tariffs, believing that the Republican Party's support of high tariffs were no longer beneficial to the American people.

Having established good relationships with both labor unions and business during his time as governor of Minnesota, Stassen had reservations with the [[Taft-Hartley Act]], opposing the law that required union officers to sign affidavits that attested that they were not communists.<ref>Harold Stassen: Eisenhower, the Cold War, and the Pursuit of Nuclear Disarmament; Lawrence B. Kaplan, 2018</ref>

===Views on healthcare===

In his 1947 book ''Where I Stand!'', Stassen favored a federal-state government health insurance program that paid only the heaviest hospital and medical bills. Every person under Social Security would have been provided with insurance while those not insured by Social Security could have enrolled in the program through payment of an annual fixed fee.<ref>Where I Stand!, Harold Stassen, 1947</ref>

In his failed 1992 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Stassen proposed expanding the [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] program for pregnant women and children under 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-02-24-9201180021-story.html|title=MINNESOTA'S OLD POLS JUST KEEP RUNNING AND RUNNING AND RUNNING|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=February 24, 1992 }}</ref>

===Civil rights===

Throughout his life, Stassen was a staunch supporter of civil rights for African-Americans, having appointed World War I African-American veteran [[Samuel Ransom]] to the staff of the [[Minnesota National Guard]] during his time as governor of the state, believing that it was the right thing to do. In his earlier years at the [[University of Minnesota]], Stassen participated in a debate squad, where he also was important in integrating it, by accepting [[Earl Wilkins]], the younger brother of [[NAACP]] leader [[Roy Wilkins]].

During his time as President of the [[University of Pennsylvania]], Stassen had a hand in integrating African-Americans into the university's football team, and also fought for blacks to be integrated into the faculty of the university, as well as for the university to search for black medical students, having found out that there had never been a black at the medical school until he became president.

Stassen later participated in the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]] in 1963, and as president of the [[American Baptist Convention]] supervised the raising of funds to support [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s activities.<ref>Interview with Harold Stassen, Minnesota Historical Society, 1991</ref>

===Foreign policy===

Despite having called for the banning of the Communist Party in the United States, Stassen differed from the majority of conservatives with his stances against the [[United States embargo against Cuba|embargo on Cuba]] and military intervention in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]], instead favoring both North and South Vietnam joining the United Nations, where their problems could be settled.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31770358/the_portsmouth_herald/ |title=Eisenhower Called Him His "Secretary For Peace" |date= February 27, 1964 |work=The Portsmouth Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521015030/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31770358/the_portsmouth_herald/ |archive-date= May 21, 2019 |url-status=live |page=9 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31771211/the_philadelphia_inquirer/ |title=What Makes Stassen Run? |date= January 4, 1968 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521021618/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31771211/the_philadelphia_inquirer/ |archive-date= May 21, 2019 |url-status=live |page=27 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In 1995, Stassen described the Vietnam War as a "tragic mistake" and was frustrated at being unable to convince [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] to open up negotiations that would have allowed North and South Vietnam to join the United Nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.mpr.org/stories/1995/05/29/voices-minnesota-harold-stassen|title=Voices of Minnesota: Harold Stassen}}</ref>

===United Nations===

Stassen was one of the founders of the United Nations and supported it throughout his life. When he died on March 4, 2001, aged 93, he was the last living signer of the United Nations Charter.{{citation needed|date = March 2022}}

==Military awards==
* [[Legion of Merit]]
* [[Navy Commendation Medal|Navy Commendation Ribbon]]
* [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with four [[battle star]]s
* [[World War II Victory Medal]]

===Legion of Merit citation===
Commander Harold E. Stassen, United States Navy, is awarded the Legion of Merit for ''exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Assistant Chief of Staff, Administration, and Aide and Flag Secretary on the staff of Commander, THIRD Fleet, from 15 June 1944 to 26 January 1945.''<ref>{{cite web|title=Valor awards for Harold E. Stassen|url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=311464|website=Military Times|access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref>

General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 337 (April 1945) & No. 363 (May 1947)

Action Date: June 15, 1944 – January 26, 1945

==Electoral history==
[[File:Harold Stassen 1980.jpg|thumb|Stassen at the [[1980 Republican National Convention]]]]
{{main|Electoral history of Harold Stassen}}
In his political career, Stassen ran many campaigns for public office. He was elected governor of Minnesota three times, in [[1938 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1938]], [[1940 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1940]], and [[1942 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1942]].

Stassen ran for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. As then-Governor of Minnesota, his 1940 bid was just as a favorite-son candidate and after delivering the keynote address, he endorsed the eventual nominee, [[Wendell Willkie]]. His 1948 and 1952 campaigns saw him run competitively, whilst his later candidacies never approached viability and were [[perennial candidate]] operations.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
Stassen's Republican presidential candidacy results
|-
!Year
!Primary vote percentage 
!Convention votes
|-
|1944
|3.0%
|0
|-
|1948
|22.0%
|157
|-
|1952
|11.3%
|20
|-
|1964
|1.9%
|0
|-
|1968
|0.7%
|2
|-
|1980
|0.2%
|0
|-
|1984
|0.2%
|0
|-
|1988
|0.0%
|0
|-
|1992
|0.1%
|0
|}
Stassen would run many unsuccessful campaigns for other public offices. He ran unsuccessfully for [[Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania]] and twice ran unsuccessfully for [[Governor of Pennsylvania]], in [[1958 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|Republican primary for Governor of Pennsylvania, 1958]] and [[1966 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|1966]]. He ran unsuccessfully for [[Mayor of Philadelphia]] in [[1959 Philadelphia mayoral election|1959]]. He twice ran unsuccessfully for [[United States Senate]] from [[Minnesota]], in [[1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1978]] and [[1994 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1994]]. He ran unsuccessfully for the [[Minnesota's 4th congressional district|Minnesota's 4th district]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1986.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Gunther|first=John|author-link=John Gunther|chapter=Stassen: Young Man Going Somewhere|title=Inside U.S.A.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/insideusa00guntrich/page/293 293–308]|location=New York City, London|publisher=[[Harper & Brothers]]|year=1947|title-link=Inside U.S.A. (book)}}
* Kirby, Alec, Dalin, David G., Rothmann, John F.. ''Harold E. Stassen – The Life and Perennial Candidacy of the Progressive Republican'' (McFarland, 2013) 235pp
* Pietrusza, David ''1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Changed America'', Union Square Press, 2011.
* Smemo, Kristoffer. "A "New Dealized" Grand Old Party: Labor and the Emergence of Liberal Republicanism in Minneapolis, 1937–1939." ''Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas'' (2014) 11#2 pp: 35–59.
* Werle, Steve, ''Stassen Again,'' (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press), 2015.

===Archives===
In the Harold E. Stassen Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society, digital content is available for researcher use ({{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00202.xml|title=Harold E. Stassen: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society|publisher=Mnhs.org|access-date=October 6, 2014}}), including speech files, handwritten notes, memoranda, annotated briefings, correspondence, war diaries, working papers, and draft charters for the United Nations.
The entire Harold E. Stassen collection includes campaign and political, naval service, United Nations, Eisenhower administration, and organizational membership files of the Minnesota Governor (1938–1943), Naval Officer (1943–1945), United Nations delegate (April–June 1945), Presidential contender (1948), and Eisenhower cabinet member and Director of the Mutual Security Agency (1953–1958), documenting most aspects of Stassen's six-decade career, including all of his public offices, campaigns, and Republican Party and other non-official activities.
Digital selections from this manuscript collection were made based on user and researcher interest, historic significance, and copyright status.

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.mnopedia.org/person/stassen-harold-1907-2001 Harold Stassen in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia]
* {{Find a Grave|20853}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130725110811/http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/gov/gov_27.htm Biographical information], [http://mnhs.mnpals.net/F/?func=find-c&ccl_term=wcl%3Dsanb+and+wau%3Dgovernor+stassen&adjacent=N gubernatorial records]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, and [http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00202.xml Finding Aid: Harold E. Stassen Papers] at the [[Minnesota Historical Society]]
* {{C-SPAN|15962}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=gov.archives.arc.95905|description="Longines Chronoscope with Harold E. Stassen}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/016999}}

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{{Governors of Minnesota}}
{{Eisenhower cabinet}}
{{National Governors Association chairs}}
{{University of Pennsylvania presidents}}
{{United States presidential election, 1944}}
{{United States presidential election, 1948}}
{{United States presidential election, 1952}}
{{United States presidential election, 1964}}
{{United States presidential election, 1968}}
{{United States presidential election, 1976}}
{{United States presidential election, 1980}}
{{United States presidential election, 1984}}
{{United States presidential election, 1988}}
{{United States presidential election, 1992}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stassen, Harold}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Activists for African-American civil rights]]
[[Category:Baptists from Minnesota]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1944 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1948 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1952 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1964 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1966 United States elections]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1968 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1976 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1978 United States elections]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1982 United States elections]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1984 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1986 United States elections]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1988 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1992 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1994 United States elections]]
[[Category:Chief administrators of the University of Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Eisenhower administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Minnesota]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Minnesota]]
[[Category:Minnesota lawyers]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania lawyers]]
[[Category:People from West St. Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Politicians from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]
[[Category:American anti-communists]]