JOHN SARGENT PILLSBURY (1912- ):

John S. Pillsbury, Jr. was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 28, 1912 to flour manufacturer John Sargent Pillsbury and his wife Eleanor (Lawler) Pillsbury. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in 1935, and worked for the Pillsbury Company in 1936 and 1937.

Pillsbury earned an LL.B. degree from the University of Minnesota law school in 1940, and subsequently joined the Faegre & Benson law firm as a practicing attorney. He served in the United States Navy as an air combat intelligence officer in the Pacific theater during World War II (1942-1945). He returned to Faegre & Benson upon completion of his military service, and from 1946 to 1956 he was a partner in the firm. In 1956 he was named president of Northwestern National Life Insurance Company, Minneapolis.

Pillsbury ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor in 1966. South St. Paul attorney Harold LeVander won the Republican nomination. LeVander defeated the Democratic nominee, Lieutenant Governor A. M. "Sandy" Keith, in the general election.

Pillsbury married Katharine ("Kitty") Harrison Clark in June 1936. The couple had four children: John Sargent, Donaldson Clark, Lynde Harrison, and Katharine Clark. The family for many years made their home in the upscale Minneapolis suburb of Orono.

Pillsbury's great-uncle John Sargent Pillsbury (1827-1901) served as governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882. His brother George S. Pillsbury (b.1921) represented District 42, which included Hennepin and Wright counties, in the Minnesota state senate (1971-1982 ).

Return to top

The bulk of the collection consists of an oversize scrapbook of newspaper clippings (and two oversize folders containing additional loose scrapbook pages of newspaper clippings) documenting Pillsbury's campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1966. There are news stories reporting Pillsbury's announcement of his candidacy, editorials, articles about Republican county and district conventions and endorsements, and stories reporting on Pillsbury's campaign appearances throughout Minnesota. There are articles about the campaigns of fellow Republican contenders Harold LeVander and William B. Randall; efforts to bring former Republican governor Elmer L. Andersen into the race; the campaigns of Democratic contenders Governor Karl F. Rolvaag and Lieutenant Governor A. M. ("Sandy") Keith; and the state Republican and Democratic conventions in June 1966. There are columns and analysis pieces, and discussion about the candidates' positions on such issues as tax reform, legislative reapportionment, highway construction, the possible introduction of a sales tax, a Rolvaag proposal to abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor, and campaign promises to "restore excellence and integrity in government." Many of the stories describe the enmity and bitterness between Rolvaag and Keith.

There are also eight file folders of loose papers and photographs. These are housed in a gray archival box located within the larger Box 2. These include newspaper clippings, campaign literature and ephemera, a director's resolution from Northwestern National Life Insurance Company upon Pillsbury's retirement as chairman of the board (1981), and a booklet from Pillsbury Company on the occasion of Pillsbury's retirement from its board of directors (1980). Photographs include portraits of Pillsbury that were probably used for campaign purposes, and a reprint (1990) of an 1898 photograph of the University of Minnesota football team.

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. John Sargent Pillsbury (1912- ) Gubernatorial Campaign Files. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,004

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, September 2004

Catalog ID number: 990029459420104294

Return to top

The John S. Pillsbury (1827-1901) and family papers are in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

Gubernatorial records of Governor John S. Pillsbury are in the Minnesota State Archives and the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

State Senator George S. Pillsbury's legislative papers are in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

Return to top

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Businessmen -- Minnesota -- Political activity.

Elections -- Minnesota.

Governors -- Minnesota -- Election.

Political campaigns -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Andersen, Elmer L., 1909-2004.

Keith, A. M., 1928- .

LeVander, Harold, 1910-1992.

Randall, William B.

Rolvaag, Karl F., 1913-1990.

Organizations:

John Pillsbury Jr. for Governor Volunteer Committee (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Northwestern National Life Insurance Company (U.S.) -- Presidents.

Pillsbury Company.

Republican Party (Minn.)

Types of Documents:

Photographs.

Occupations:

Political candidates -- Minnesota.

Return to top