# Hjalmar Petersen *American journalist and politician; 23rd governor of Minnesota (1936–1937)* Hjalmar Petersen (January 2, 1890 – March 29, 1968) was a newspaper publisher and Farmer-Labor politician. He became the 23rd [[Governor of Minnesota|governor]] of [[Minnesota]] in August 1936, after the death of Governor [[Floyd B. Olson]].[^1][^2] He held the office for 136 days. That made him the shortest-serving governor in Minnesota's history as of the Wikipedia revision retrieved in October 2026, displacing [[Henry Adoniram Swift]] from that position.[^2] The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library carries an official biography of Petersen among its biographies of the state's governors.[^1] Before becoming governor he was a state representative and then lieutenant governor. In the legislature he sponsored the state income-tax law. After leaving the governorship he became Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, and he later ran three unsuccessful campaigns for the governor's office, one in a primary and two in general elections.[^2] ## Background Petersen's parents, Lauritz and Anna Petersen, brought him from his birthplace of Eskildstrup, Denmark, to Chicago, Illinois, when he was an infant. The family afterward settled at the Danebod in Tyler, Minnesota. His formal schooling ended at the seventh grade.[^2] He entered journalism in 1904. In 1914 he bought the *Askov American*, a weekly paper in Askov, Minnesota, and he remained its owner until his death.[^2] ## Political career Petersen held local office in Askov as village clerk and as mayor. He was then elected twice to the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]]. There he sponsored Minnesota's income-tax law and called for spending its revenue on public schools.[^2] Before his legislative candidacy he had belonged to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]; by the time he sought office he had joined the Farmer-Labor Party.[^2] He sat in the [[Minnesota Legislature]] from 1931 to 1934 for what was then House District 56.[^2] In 1934 Petersen was elected the 28th [[Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota]], serving alongside Governor Olson.[^2] Olson died of cancer on August 22, 1936. Petersen took the oath as governor two days later and completed Olson's term.[^2] He did not seek a full term as governor in the November 1936 election. Instead he ran successfully for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, and he took up that post after leaving the governorship on January 4, 1937.[^2] His successor as governor was Elmer Benson, a Farmer-Laborite from a more radical wing than Petersen's.[^2] Petersen challenged Benson in the 1938 primary and lost the nomination. Wikipedia records that the contest divided the party along factional lines.[^2] In both 1940 and 1942 he was the losing candidate for governor against [[Harold Stassen]].[^2] Petersen had supported Franklin D. Roosevelt, but he opposed Roosevelt's 1940 campaign for a third term.[^2] ## Personal life After his governorship Petersen was president of the American Publishing Company.[^2] His first marriage was to Rigmor C. Wosgaard in 1914, and his second was to Medora Grandprey in 1934.[^2] He died in Columbus, Ohio, in 1968.[^2] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Hjalmar Petersen is the subject of an official governor biography published by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.[^1] ### What - He was the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, elected in 1934, and the 23rd governor of Minnesota.[^2] ### When - Olson died on August 22, 1936. Petersen was sworn in as governor two days later.[^2] - He left the governorship on January 4, 1937.[^2] ### Where - He was born in Eskildstrup, Denmark, and died in Columbus, Ohio.[^2] ### How many - He served 136 days in office as governor.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Governor Hjalmar Petersen* (official governor biography; undated) — establishes Petersen's inclusion among Minnesota's governors in the Library's official biographies. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/mngov/govbio?govid=16 [^2]: Wikipedia, *Hjalmar Petersen* (revision 1367047465, retrieved 2026-10-25) — birth, family, newspaper career, legislative and executive offices, dates of succession and departure, later candidacies, marriages and death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hjalmar_Petersen