# Karl Rolvaag *Governor of Minnesota from 1963 to 1967, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member* Karl Fritjof Rolvaag (July 18, 1913 – December 20, 1990) was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) politician and diplomat. He held office as the 31st [[Governor of Minnesota]] from March 25, 1963, to January 2, 1967.[^1][^2] His father was the author and professor Ole E. Rølvaag.[^2] Voters went to the polls on November 6, 1962, but the outcome was not known until a 139-day recount ended in March 1963. Rolvaag unseated the Republican incumbent, [[Elmer L. Andersen]], by 91 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast. It was the narrowest gubernatorial result in the state's history.[^3][^2] He is one of five Minnesota Democrats to have won a governor's race while a Democrat held the presidency.[^2] A project analysis, *The Instrument No One Will Name*, dates Minnesota's State Planning Agency to 1965 and to Rolvaag. That analysis also says the agency survived near-annual abolition attempts and was rebranded under Carlson in 1991. It says the agency was abolished by Pawlenty in 2003 and rebuilt under Walz in 2019. The analysis labels this sequence dossier-sourced, with the 1965 and 1991 session laws and the 2003 abolition not yet pulled.[^4] ## Background Rolvaag was a native of Northfield, Minnesota.[^2] After his father died in 1931, he moved around the West, changing places and occupations. During that period he considered joining the Communist Party and became a member of the IWW.[^2] He came back to Northfield to study at St. Olaf College. There he co-founded an antiwar student group, Patriots for Peace, and he graduated in 1941.[^2][^5] In World War II he commanded a tank and reached the rank of lieutenant. His decorations included a Silver Star, a Purple Heart and two Croix de Guerre.[^2] After the war he spent time in Norway learning about politics, then returned to Minnesota. He was a candidate for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1946, 1948 and 1952.[^2] He chaired the DFL from 1950 to 1954. In 1954 he won election as lieutenant governor, and Ray Hemenway took over as party chairman.[^2][^5] ## Governorship Rolvaag was the first Minnesota governor to hold a four-year term.[^1][^2] Conservatives dominated the [[Legislature]] throughout that term, and he issued more vetoes than any governor before him.[^2] He took a leading part in reforming the state's institutions for the mentally disabled. The reforms led to better conditions and treatment for people with developmental disabilities.[^2] He also reorganized the junior colleges, each of which had been run separately by a local school board. Under his plan they became a coordinated statewide system meant to put every Minnesotan within commuting distance of a higher-education institution.[^2][^5] He opposed the state colleges' expansion plans and opposed designating a second state research university.[^2] [[Fort Snelling]] was restored as a museum while he was in office.[^2] [[Hubert Humphrey]] was elected [[Vice President of the United States]] in 1964, and Rolvaag then appointed [[Walter Mondale]] to Humphrey's seat in the [[United States Senate]].[^2] The project's Time Table dates the appointment to December 30, 1964.[^6] In May 1965, HF bill 1400 reached the governor. The bill would bar Minnesota counties from restricting alcohol sales. Rolvaag neither signed nor vetoed it, and after three days it became state law without action.[^2] For the 1966 race, the DFL withheld its endorsement from Rolvaag and endorsed Lieutenant Governor [[Sandy Keith]]. Rolvaag ran in the DFL primary under the slogan "Let the people decide!" and defeated Keith. He then lost the general election to the Republican nominee, [[Harold LeVander]].[^2][^5] A Time Table row says the endorsement went to an "AG candidate"; the Wikipedia account, the higher-ranked source in the pack, identifies Keith as lieutenant governor.[^2] ## Later life After leaving office in 1967, Rolvaag was appointed United States Ambassador to Iceland by President [[Lyndon Johnson]].[^2][^5] He returned to Minnesota in 1970 and won election to the Minnesota [[Public Utilities Commission]]. He resigned from the commission in 1975 to seek treatment for alcoholism.[^2] His alcohol addiction contributed to the end of his first marriage after 37 years; he had two children from that marriage. He overcame the addiction in the 1980s.[^2] For the rest of his life he stayed out of politics. During those years he helped others with alcoholism, attending meetings and giving talks from Northfield to Sweden.[^2] In 1982 he married Marian Rankin Mackenzie, a high-school friend.[^2] He died at his Northfield home on December 20, 1990, at age 77.[^1][^2] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - A project analysis associates the State Planning Agency, dated 1965, with Rolvaag. The analysis is dossier-sourced, and the 1965 session law has not been pulled.[^4] ### When - November 6, 1962: Rolvaag defeats Andersen by 91 votes, and the recount runs 139 days.[^3] - March 25, 1963: Rolvaag is inaugurated after the recount.[^2] - December 30, 1964: he appoints Walter Mondale to the U.S. Senate.[^6] - 1965: the State Planning Agency is created, as dated by the project analysis.[^4] - 1966: he loses the DFL endorsement, wins the primary and loses the general election.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Gov. Karl F. Rolvaag* (n.d.) — official governor biography: office, term and party. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/mngov/govbio?govid=7 [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Karl Rolvaag* (revision 1370360233, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biography, 1962 election and recount, governorship, Mondale appointment, HF 1400, 1966 race, later life and death; Time Table rows TL-0134 and TL-0184. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Rolvaag [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Elmer L. Andersen* (retrieved 2026-10-25) — 1962 result by 91 votes and 139-day recount (Time Table rows TL-0129, TL-0130). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_L._Andersen [^4]: Project analysis, *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 2026-06-18), text and footnote 31 — the State Planning Agency (1965, Rolvaag), its 1991 rebranding, 2003 abolition and 2019 rebuilding; self-described as dossier-sourced, with session laws not yet pulled. [^5]: Minnesota Historical Society, *MNopedia: Rolvaag, Karl Fritjof (1913–1990)* (n.d.) — biographical reference entry. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/rolvaag-karl-fritjof-1913-1990 [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Walter Mondale* (retrieved 2026-10-25) — appointment by Rolvaag to the U.S. Senate, dated December 30, 1964 (Time Table row TL-0157). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mondale