Val Bjornson
Encyclopedia
Kristjan Valdimar "Val" Bjornson (August 29, 1906-March 3, 1987) was a Minnesota
writer, newspaper editor, and politician who served as state treasurer
for more than two decades.
He was born in Minneota, Minnesota
of Icelandic descent. In World War II
, he served in Navy intelligence
, stationed in Iceland
. He was able to speak Icelandic, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
He was part owner of the Minneota Mascot newspaper and an associate editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press
.
As the Republican
candidate in the United States Senate elections, 1954, he lost to Hubert Humphrey
, with whom he sometimes shared a car to travel the state.
He died in Minneapolis
. The University of Minnesota
, his alma mater, and the University of Iceland
have a student exchange scholarship named in his honor.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
writer, newspaper editor, and politician who served as state treasurer
Minnesota State Treasurer
The Minnesota State Treasurer was an elected officer under the Minnesota Constitution until 2003. Before statehood, the Minnesota Territory had the same office.In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years...
for more than two decades.
He was born in Minneota, Minnesota
Minneota, Minnesota
Minneota is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,392 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
of Icelandic descent. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served in Navy intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
, stationed in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. He was able to speak Icelandic, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
He was part owner of the Minneota Mascot newspaper and an associate editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the eastern metro region, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, along with western Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and Anoka County,...
.
As the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate in the United States Senate elections, 1954, he lost to Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
, with whom he sometimes shared a car to travel the state.
He died in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. The University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, his alma mater, and the University of Iceland
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about...
have a student exchange scholarship named in his honor.