# Joan Growe *American politician; Secretary of State of Minnesota, 1975–1999* Joan Ruth Anderson Growe (born September 28, 1935) held the office of [[Minnesota Secretary of State]] from 1975 to 1999.[^1][^2][^3] By Wikipedia's account, her 24 years in the post are the second-longest tenure of any secretary of state in [[Minnesota]].[^3] Before taking the office she served one term, 1973 to 1974, in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]].[^1] She sat for the former District 40A, which took in parts of Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park in Hennepin County.[^3] Growe grew up in Buffalo, Minnesota. She finished Buffalo High School and later graduated from [[St. Cloud State University]].[^3] Her first marriage, to James E. Kerr in Buffalo on August 18, 1956, ended in divorce. She married Glen Harry Growe on June 16, 1965.[^3] In the House she was assigned to four committees: Education; Judiciary; Crime Prevention and Corrections; and Metropolitan and Urban Affairs.[^3] Wikipedia credits Growe with work to encourage voter participation.[^3] It records that she backed Minnesota's same-day voter registration law as a legislator and then, as secretary of state, worked to put it into effect.[^3] The same source calls that law the first in the country. It also says Minnesota has since consistently had the highest voter turnout in the United States. This article reports both statements as that source's, not as independently verified findings.[^3] In 1984 Growe challenged the Republican incumbent, Rudy Boschwitz, for a United States Senate seat. She lost, with 41 percent of the vote.[^3] During her tenure, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided *Clark v. Growe* in 1990 under docket C9-90-2346.[^4] The record compiled here does not establish what issues the court decided in that case. Wikipedia describes her as widely recognized as an expert on voting and elections. It says she has acted as an official observer of elections abroad and sits on an advisory committee of the [[University of Minnesota]]'s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.[^3] An annual prize bears her name: the Joan Growe Award for Distinguished Commitment to Expanding Access to Democracy and Justice in Minnesota. It has been presented each year beginning in 2012.[^3] ## Records The Minnesota Historical Society keeps the Joan Growe Papers for research under finding aid 00043.[^5] According to Wikipedia, these files document her work as secretary of state. They include: - general and chronological correspondence; - telephone logs; - records of appearances; - subject files; - voter education and elections files; - State Board of Investment files.[^3][^5] Minnesota Public Radio's archive also maintains a profile page for Growe.[^6] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Joan Ruth Anderson Growe, Minnesota Secretary of State, 1975–1999.[^1][^2] ### What - Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1973–1974. She represented the former District 40A.[^1][^3] - Named party in *Clark v. Growe*, Minnesota Supreme Court, 1990, No. C9-90-2346.[^4] ### When - Born September 28, 1935.[^3] - Secretary of State, 1975–1999.[^1] - Candidate for the United States Senate, 1984.[^3] ### Where - Raised in Buffalo, Minnesota.[^3] - Represented parts of Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park in Hennepin County.[^3] ### How many - Served 24 years as secretary of state, which Wikipedia describes as the second-longest tenure in the office.[^1][^3] - Received 41 percent of the vote in the 1984 Senate race against Rudy Boschwitz.[^3] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Joan Growe* (legislator record) — legislative record and state office biography; Minnesota Secretary of State, 1975–1999. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10191 [^2]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Joan Anderson Growe* — library entry under her full name. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10550 [^3]: Wikipedia, *Joan Growe* (revision 1374169161, retrieved 2026-10-25) — birth date, upbringing, education, marriages, House district and committees, same-day registration, 1984 Senate race, later activities, award since 2012, description of records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Growe [^4]: Minnesota Supreme Court, *Clark v. Growe*, No. C9-90-2346 (1990), via Justia — case caption, court, year and docket. https://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/supreme-court/1990/c9-90-2346-2.html [^5]: Minnesota Historical Society, *Joan Growe Papers* (finding aid 00043) — collection held for research. https://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00043.xml [^6]: Minnesota Public Radio Archive, *Joan Growe* (profile) — archive profile page. https://archive.mpr.org/profiles/joan-growe