# Al Quie *American politician; Republican governor of Minnesota, 1979–1983* Albert Harold "Al" Quie (September 18, 1923 – August 18, 2023) was a Minnesota farmer and a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)]]. He represented Minnesota's 1st congressional district in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1958 to 1979 and was the 35th [[Governor of Minnesota]] from 1979 to 1983.[^1] The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library also records his term as governor as 1979–1983.[^2] In the Minnesota record, two state personnel-law instruments carry his signature. The Legislative Reference Library's record says he signed §43A.19 in 1981.[^2] The project's Time Table records the 1981 signing as §43A.191, the state affirmative action mandate.[^3] In 1982 he approved the [[State Government Pay Equity Act]], Laws 1982, chapter 634, on March 23, 1982.[^4] On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a Title VII suit against the State in release No. 26-21. The release is titled "United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime".[^5] The complaint in [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]] cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times. The case was filed in the District of Minnesota, and the record carries no ruling in it.[^6] ## Early life Quie was born on September 18, 1923, the third of four children. He grew up on the family farm in Wheeling Township, near Dennison, in [[Rice County, Minnesota]]. Three of his grandparents had emigrated from Norway.[^1] He finished Northfield High School in 1942 and trained as a Navy fighter pilot during World War II. He completed flight school as the war was ending and never saw combat. He earned a political science degree from St. Olaf College in 1950.[^1] ## State and national government service Quie became a dairy farmer, as three generations of his family had been before him. He lost a 1952 write-in campaign for the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]]. He then held a Minnesota State Senate seat for the old 18th District from 1955 to 1958.[^1] Representative August H. Andresen died in January 1958. Quie won the Republican convention nomination for the 1st district seat. In the February special election he beat [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] nominee Eugene Foley by 655 votes, and he beat Foley again that November for a full term.[^1] He sat in the 85th through 95th Congresses and served on the Agriculture and Education and Workforce committees.[^1] In the House, Quie voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He also voted for the Twenty-fourth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[^1] In 1974 Gerald Ford briefly considered him for [[Vice President of the United States]] before the post went to Nelson Rockefeller. Ronald Reagan weighed him as a running mate in 1980.[^1] ### Governor of Minnesota On November 7, 1978, Quie unseated incumbent governor [[Rudy Perpich]] by 111,775 votes. The project's Time Table gives the margin as more than 110,000, which is consistent with that figure.[^1] He took office on January 4, 1979.[^1][^2] Wikipedia's account says the state faced cash-flow problems during his term. It also says an earlier surplus became a deficit estimated at $600 million or more.[^1] The Legislative Reference Library's record states that Quie signed §43A.19 in 1981.[^2] The project's Time Table assigns the 1981 signing to [[§43A.191]] and cites the Revisor's statute page for it.[^3] The Library record is the higher-ranked of the two sources. The record does not establish which section number the 1981 enactment first carried.[^2][^3] On March 23, 1982, in his final year as governor, Quie approved Laws 1982, chapter 634, the State Government Pay Equity Act. The [[Council on the Economic Status of Women]] had recommended the act.[^4] According to the project's validated record, the act passed with bipartisan support: the Senate voted unanimously and the House voted 100–13. That record also states that Minnesota became the first state to legislate [[Comparable worth]] for its roughly 35,000 state employees. It names the Senate and House Journals as the primary record for the vote counts.[^4] One claim:link row in the project's catalogue gives the signing date as June 11, 1982. The approval date of March 23, 1982, recorded for chapter 634, is the date stated here.[^4] ## Later years After he left politics, Quie worked with a nonprofit prison ministry. He sold the family farm and traveled widely, including on horseback.[^1] ## Personal life and death Quie was a devout Lutheran. On June 5, 1948, he married the artist [[Gretchen Quie]], born Gretchen Hansen, whom he had met at St. Olaf. She died of Parkinson's disease on December 13, 2015.[^1] Quie spent his last decade in a senior living community in Wayzata. He died there of natural causes on August 18, 2023, aged 99, one month short of his 100th birthday.[^1][^7] At his death, no older former U.S. governor or former U.S. representative was living.[^1] On September 9, 2023, he lay in state at the [[Minnesota State Capitol]]. He was buried the same day beside his wife at Valley Grove Cemetery in Nerstrand.[^1] ## In popular culture Garrison Keillor's *Lake Wobegon Days* makes Quie the first governor to visit the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. In the book he comes for the dedication of a plaque on the Statue of the Unknown Norwegian.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The Legislative Reference Library lists Quie as governor from 1979 to 1983 and as the signer of §43A.19 in 1981.[^2] - Quie, a Republican governor, approved Laws 1982, chapter 634, the State Government Pay Equity Act.[^4] ### What - The 1981 instrument appears as §43A.19 in the Legislative Reference Library record.[^2] It appears as §43A.191, "state affirmative action mandate", in the project's Time Table.[^3] - The State Government Pay Equity Act had been recommended by the Council on the Economic Status of Women. The project's validated record describes it as passing with bipartisan support.[^4] - DOJ release No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026) is titled "United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime". Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^5] - The complaint in No. 0:26-cv-00273 is brought under [[Title VII]] of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times, including subd. 3(c)'s requirement that an agency explain its reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^6] - In [[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]], 605 U.S. 303 (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs". The Court rejected the Sixth Circuit's heightened "background circumstances" rule.[^8] - The United States has used "regime" for governments it opposes. The [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-338) states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein".[^9] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages (*[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described.[^9][^5] ### When - 1981: the Library record dates Quie's signing of §43A.19 to this year.[^2] The Time Table dates the §43A.191 signing to the same year.[^3] - March 23, 1982: Laws 1982, chapter 634 was approved.[^4] - January 14, 2026: the federal complaint, No. 0:26-cv-00273, was filed in the District of Minnesota.[^6] ### Where - The State Government Pay Equity Act covered Minnesota's state employees, about 35,000 of them according to the project's validated record.[^4] ### How many - The Senate passed the State Government Pay Equity Act unanimously and the House passed it 100–13, according to the project's validated record.[^4] - The 2026 federal complaint cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Al Quie* (revision 1375757118, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biography: early life, legislative and congressional service, House votes, 1978 election margin, governorship, later years, marriage, death and burial. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Quie [^2]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present: Al Quie* — Governor 1979–1983; signed §43A.19 (1981). https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10825 [^3]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *Minn. Stat. § 43A.191* — statute page cited by the project's Time Table (row TL-0386) for Gov. Quie's 1981 signing of the state affirmative action mandate. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.191 [^4]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *Laws 1982, Chapter 634* (approved March 23, 1982) — the State Government Pay Equity Act and Gov. Quie's approval; the vote counts, the 35,000 figure and the "first state" description are from the project's validated record, which names the Senate and House Journals as the primary record for the votes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1982/0/ch/634/ [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026) — the release title; Attorney General Bondi's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed January 14, 2026) — Title VII action; cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^7]: KARE 11, *Former Minnesota Governor Al Quie dies* (August 2023) — news report of Quie's death. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/al-quie-former-minnesota-governor-congressman/89-38c109cd-b7e1-44f8-aff2-058bb3f6512e [^8]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — holding on Title VII disparate treatment; rejection of the "background circumstances" rule. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf [^9]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein"; cited by the project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf