# Wendell R. Anderson *Governor of Minnesota (1971–1976) and United States Senator (1976–1978)* Wendell Richard "Wendy" Anderson (February 1, 1933 – July 17, 2016) was a DFL politician from [[Minnesota]] and an Olympic hockey player.[^1] He was the 33rd [[Governor of Minnesota]] from 1971 to 1976 and then a United States senator until the end of 1978.[^1][^2] Anderson won the governorship in 1970. In 1971 he signed the school-funding and tax legislation known as the "Minnesota Miracle".[^3] In December 1976 he resigned as governor. His successor, [[Rudy Perpich]], then appointed him to the Senate seat that [[Walter Mondale]] gave up on becoming [[Vice President of the United States]].[^2][^4] Rudy Boschwitz (R) defeated him in the 1978 Senate election. Anderson left the Senate a few days early so that Boschwitz would gain seniority.[^2][^5] The project's merged master lists two federal actions against the State next to Anderson's name. One is the history line of §201.091, the voter-list statute, which reads "Anderson 1973", then five amendments under Walz, then no repeal. That statute is the subject of a federal voter-rolls action, docket 0:25-cv-03761, filed September 25, 2025.[^6][^7] ## Background Anderson was born in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], in 1933.[^1] He went to the city's Johnson High School and then to the [[University of Minnesota]], where he took a B.A. in 1954. He finished a law degree at the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] in 1960.[^2] From 1955 to 1957 he served in the U.S. Army and reached the rank of first lieutenant. He afterward belonged to an Army Reserve intelligence unit.[^2] ## Hockey career Anderson played defense for the University of Minnesota from 1951 to 1954. In each of his final two seasons the Gophers reached the NCAA championship final, losing to Michigan and to RPI.[^2] He won a silver medal with the U.S. team at the 1956 Winter Olympics.[^2] In 1972, while he was governor, the Minnesota Fighting Saints chose him in the first World Hockey Association draft. He stayed in office.[^2] ## Political career According to the Legislative Reference Library's legislator record, Anderson held a seat in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] from 1959 to 1963 and in the Minnesota Senate from 1963 to 1971.[^8][^2] He was elected governor on November 3, 1970, at 38.[^2] The 1971 "Minnesota Miracle" paired school-funding reform with a restructuring of state taxes.[^3][^9][^10] The Wikipedia account gives these figures: - The state's share of education funding rose from 43% to 65%. - The increase was financed through sales taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, a progressive income tax he had pledged as a candidate, and a higher inheritance tax. - 96% of school districts gained funding while property taxes fell.[^2] *Time* magazine's cover of August 13, 1973 pictured Anderson on a lake under the line *The Good Life in Minnesota*.[^2] He won a second term in 1974, an election in which the DFL carried every statewide office.[^2] Mondale's 1976 election as vice president left the governor to name a Senate successor.[^2] Anderson and Lieutenant Governor Perpich agreed that Anderson would step down and that Perpich, once governor, would appoint him.[^2][^4] Anderson resigned on December 29, 1976, and Perpich became governor. On December 30 Perpich named Anderson to Mondale's seat.[^2][^4] On November 7, 1978, Boschwitz beat Anderson by more than 250,000 votes.[^5] The DFL's 1978 losses came to be called the "Minnesota Massacre". They included Perpich and both of the party's Senate nominees, Anderson and Bob Short, although the DFL kept other posts such as attorney general.[^2][^4] Accounts of those losses treat the self-appointment, and Perpich's role in it, as a central factor. Anderson later called the appointment his big mistake.[^2][^4] He left the Senate a few days before his term ran out, which gave Boschwitz seniority.[^2] From 1989 to 2002 Anderson was Sweden's honorary consul general in [[Minneapolis]].[^2] ## Personal life In 1963 Anderson married Mary Christine McKee (1939–2018) of Bemidji. They had three children and divorced in 1990.[^2] During the 1970s he appeared on the television panel show *What's My Line?*, and the panel did not identify him as Minnesota's governor.[^2] In 1975 two Swedish District lodges of the Vasa Order of America named him Swedish-American of the Year.[^2] He died on July 17, 2016, aged 83, of complications of Alzheimer's disease. His cremated remains were interred at [[Lakewood Cemetery]] in August 2019.[^2][^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The master's table of governors carries the entry "W. Anderson DFL" with the notation "Fiscal none located".[^11] - Perpich (DFL) made the December 30, 1976 appointment after succeeding Anderson as governor.[^2][^4] ### What - §201.091 (voter lists) is one of three instruments named in the master's "bipartisan-maintenance finding", described as "each a single statute whose history line stacks amendments from every party without repeal".[^6] - For §201.091 the master records "Anderson 1973 → Walz ×5, every era, no repeal". It pairs the statute with [[Steve Simon]].[^6] - The master states that its finding is amendment without repeal "of the specific instruments now in federal court", and not amendment in itself.[^6] - The master's federal-actions table lists a [[Title IX]] action, 0:26-cv-02078, against MSHSL/MDE. Its row reads "Anderson 1973 / Walz" against the "policies" instrument and also lists "Perpich II 1989".[^12] - The record does not set out what either complaint alleges or the current status of either case.[^7][^12] - The same master row associates Anderson with a 1973 environmental package.[^11] - In a separate suit, the [[United States Department of Justice]] titled its release No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026) *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified that case as a matter of general public importance.[^13] The record does not connect Anderson to that suit. ### When - November 3, 1970: elected governor.[^2] - 1971: signed the Minnesota Miracle legislation.[^3] - 1973: the year recorded for his entry in the §201.091 history line.[^6] - December 29–30, 1976: resigned as governor and was appointed to the Senate.[^2][^4] - November 7, 1978: defeated for the Senate.[^5] - September 25, 2025: the voter-rolls action was filed.[^7] - March 30, 2026: the Title IX action was filed.[^12] ### How - Anderson resigned first, and the new governor then made the appointment, under the arrangement the two men agreed.[^2][^4] ### How many - §201.091 carries five amendments under Walz after the 1973 entry, with no repeal.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, *Anderson, Wendell (A000202)* (n.d.) — official congressional biographical record of Anderson. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/A000202 [^2]: Wikipedia, *Wendell R. Anderson* (revision 1381480331, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biography, hockey, political career, Senate appointment, personal life; also time-table rows TL-0233, TL-0268, TL-0284, TL-0300, TL-0301. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_R._Anderson [^3]: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, *Minnesota Miracle legislation* (n.d.) — Anderson signs the 1971 school-funding reform and tax restructuring (time-table row TL-0237). https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/thing/minnesota-miracle-legislation [^4]: Star Tribune, *DFL's mishandling of 1976 Senate appointment led to party's 'Minnesota Massacre'* (n.d.) — the Anderson–Perpich arrangement of December 30, 1976 and the 1978 DFL defeats (time-table rows TL-0302, TL-0333). https://www.startribune.com/dfl-s-mishandling-of-1976-senate-appointment-led-to-party-s-minnesota-massacre [^5]: Wikipedia, *1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota* (n.d.) — Boschwitz defeats Anderson by more than 250,000 votes, November 7, 1978 (time-table row TL-0335). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_United_States_Senate_election_in_Minnesota [^6]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), *The laminates (maintenance concentrated)* (n.d.) — §201.091 history line "Anderson 1973 → Walz ×5, every era, no repeal" and the master's statement of its finding. [^7]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), *Federal actions table, row FA-4* (n.d.) — Voter rolls, 0:25-cv-03761, §201.091, Anderson 1973, Walz, filed 09/25/25. [^8]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Minnesota Legislators Past & Present — Anderson, Wendell Richard* (n.d.) — official record of Anderson's legislative service. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10020 [^9]: MinnPost (MNopedia), *Wendell Anderson pulls off the Minnesota Miracle* (April 2025) — Anderson's role in the 1971 legislation. https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2025/04/wendell-anderson-pulls-off-the-minnesota-miracle/ [^10]: Star Tribune, *Wendell Anderson and the Minnesota Miracle* (n.d.) — Anderson and the 1971 legislation. https://www.startribune.com/wendell-anderson-and-the-minnesota-miracle/387348651 [^11]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), *Governors table* (n.d.) — "W. Anderson DFL Fiscal none located"; 1973 env. package. [^12]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), *Federal actions table, row FA-2* (n.d.) — Title IX, 0:26-cv-02078, MSHSL/MDE, "Anderson 1973 / Walz (filed 03/30/26) policies", Perpich II 1989. [^13]: 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 (Jan. 14, 2026) — 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