HAROLD LEVANDER:

Harold LeVander was born in Swede Home, Nebraska, October, 1910, the son of Lutheran minister Peter Magni and Laura (Lovene) LeVander. The family, consisting of three sons, Harold, Bernhard, and Theodor, came to Atwater, Minnesota in 1916, later moving to Watertown. Harold graduated from Watertown High School (1928), Gustavus Adolphus College (1932), and the University of Minnesota Law School (1935). While in high school and college he excelled in sports and debate, participating in many debate contests and winning a national debate in 1931. From 1935 through 1940 he was a part-time debate coach at Macalester College.

In 1935 LeVander joined the South St. Paul law firm of Stassen, Ryan, Olson, Olson, Kelly, and Hall. A number of the firm's members became active in Republican politics: Harold Stassen, governor of Minnesota (1938-1943), Elmer Ryan, member of congress (1940-1946), Arthur Gillen, state legislator (1942-1950), David Durenberger, United States senator (1978-1994), and LeVander himself, who served as governor of Minnesota in 1967-1971 and then returned to the law firm.

A prominent Lutheran layman (Augustana Synod) LeVander was active in a number of religious groups including the Lutheran Brotherhood, Christian Higher Education Commission, the National Lutheran Council, various Lutheran men's clubs, and the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of St. Paul. He also participated in ecumenical groups: the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America and the World Council of Churches.

LeVander was involved in many civic and service organizations in South St. Paul and was legal counsel for a number of banks, the St. Paul Livestock Exchange, and the Rural Electrification Administration in Minnesota.

He married Iantha Powrie in 1938 and had three children: Harold Jr., Jean, and Diane. LeVander died in St. Paul in April, 1992.

Return to top

The collection is in two series: personal papers and the 1966 gubernatorial campaign.

Personal papers consist of correspondence (1943-1983), subject files (1945-1951), photographs, speech files (1931-1985), and a scrapbook (1928-1935).

Correspondence files for 1943-1945 contain LeVander's incoming and outgoing correspondence during World War II describing routine cases handled by the law firm; military activities of firm members in the armed forces; the selection of a new president of Gustavus Adolphus College; some political matters, particularly relating to Harold Stassen's interest in the 1944 presidential nomination; and letters from his brother Bernhard, U.S. Navy, and Theodor, Augustana College. Later correspondence files (1945-1983) are few and relate mainly to LeVander's civic activities, Gustavus Adolphus College, and letter greeting cards from friends and associates.

Subject files (1945-1951) contain minutes, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and printed materials documenting LeVander's interest in the Coalition for a Rural America; organizations devoted to Lutheran higher education and men's clubs; and ecumenical groups: The National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and the World Council of Churches, the latter including files on the Council's meeting in Uppsala, Sweden (1968).

Other personal files include speech transcripts and notes (1931-1985); a small collection of photographs, mainly undated and partially identified, including two family portraits, individual and group photos of LeVander in athletic and debating activities, a group photograph of his University of Minnesota Law School class (1935), and an undated autographed photo of Harold Stassen; and a scrapbook (1928-1935) containing photographs, newspaper clippings, a few letters and telegrams, programs, and similar materials detailing LeVander's athletic and debating activities in high school, college, and law school.

The remainder of the collection documents LeVander's 1966 gubernatorial campaign. Correspondence filed by date contains information on routine campaign matters and financial contributors. Files arranged by professions, groups, and individuals detail support for LeVander and contain information on candidates and other individuals active in the 1966 election.

Files arranged by congressional district and by county contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, and delegate lists, much of it relating to LeVander's quest for delegate support at the 1966 Republican State Convention.

Subject files, which may have been used in the preparation of a series of position papers by the LeVander committee, contain an almost complete set of the position papers (filed at the beginning of the subject files). There are papers on metropolitan and urban affairs, business development, tax reform, education, and highways. There is no paper for human rights. These detailed papers contain the core of LeVander's political and campaign philosophy.

Other campaign files include speech transcripts; campaign schedules; news releases; newspaper clipping summaries; minutes and other records of the LeVander Advisory Committee and Planning Committee; files on volunteers, social events, phone bank, and the Minnesota State Republican Convention (June); campaign literature; and four scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and other materials arranged by date and by topic.

Return to top

These documents are organized into the following sections:

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. LeVander, Harold. Harold LeVander papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 12,544; 13,196; 14,952; 16,732; 16,817

Location of Master Files:

Digital masters of the audiovisual material are maintained on the Society's secure digital collections storage servers and are managed and preserved in accordance with archival best practices.

The original audio reels, audiocassettes and videocassette were disposed after the material was digitally reformatted into wav and mov files.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, February 1994; additions by David B. Peterson, June 2013

Digital audiovisual transferred from the master film recording, audio reels, audiocassettes and videocassette by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes, (April, 2019).

Catalog ID number: 001730497

Return to top

Return to top

Sound and visual materials:

Governor and Iantha interview by Mel Jass, WTCN, December 26, 1966. 1 master audio file (14 minutes, 22 seconds): WAV (72.5 MB) and 1 user audio disc (CD); 4 3/4 inches.

Jass was a WTCN-TV personality. Note: interview ends abruptly.

Minnesota governors: Harold LeVander, 1967-1971, February 11, 1981. 1 master video file (30 minutes): MOV (6.8 GB) and 1 user video disc (DVD); 4 3/4 inches.

A documentary featuring LeVander.

Location

Shelf Q-11-B (Room B-105.7)

LeVander, undated. 1 film reel (6 minutes, 45 seconds): sound, b&w; 16mm and 1 user video file: MP4 (66 MB).

Content note: Compilation of four political campaign commercials, Harold LeVander for governor.

Digital version

Location

Internet

G.O.P. convention, nominating session, 16th ballot, June 1966. 1 master audio file (2 hours, 32 minutes): WAV (768 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (100 MB).

Digital audio

State Republican Convention, Minneapolis Auditorium, June 1966. 1 master audio file (2 hours, 33 minutes): WAV (776 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (99.4 MB).

Note: Recording contains loud levels at times making the audio difficult to understand.

Digital audio

Campaign '66, KSTP, September 12, 1966. 1 master audio file (57 minutes, 26 seconds): WAV (289 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (38.8 MB).

Digital audio

LeVander news conference, November 5, 1966. 1 master audio file (2 hours, 21 minutes): WAV (713 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (95.7 MB).

Note: recording ends abruptly.

Digital audio

Campaign '66, KSTP, November 7, 1966. 1 master audio file (52 minutes, 43 seconds): WAV (266 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (35.1 MB).

Digital audio

Minnesota my home state, December 16, 1966. 1 master audio file (6 minutes, 43 seconds): WAV (33.9 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (5 MB).

A proposed Minnesota state song, "Minnesota my home state," composed and sung by Laura B. Jackson of St. Charles, Minnesota. Also contains political radio spots.

Digital audio

Dedication of Minnesota garden memorial, September 17, 1970. 1 master audio file (44 minutes, 56 seconds): WAV (226 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (34.3 MB).

The Minnesota Garden Memorial was created to honor the Minnesota men and women who served in the Vietnam War.

Digital audio

LeVander [campaign for governor] reunion, 1986. 1 master audio file (45 minutes, 58 seconds): WAV (232 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (29.4 MB).

Note: recording ends abruptly.

Digital audio

Return to top

Papers and oral history interview transcript of Iantha LeVander are also available in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscripts collections.

Gubernatorial records of LeVander are in the Minnesota State Archives.

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:

Campaign literature.

Councils and synods, Ecumenical.

Debates and debating -- Minnesota.

Ecumenical movement.

Elections -- Minnesota.

Law firms -- Minnesota -- South Saint Paul.

Lutheran Church -- Minnesota.

Lutheran universities and colleges.

Lutherans -- Minnesota.

Lutherans, Swedish -- Minnesota.

Men -- United States -- Societies and clubs.

Political campaigns -- Minnesota.

Political conventions -- Minnesota.

Politics, Practical -- Minnesota.

Presidents -- United States -- Election, 1944.

Public opinion polls.

Religious gatherings -- Sweden.

Religious gatherings -- United States.

Swedish Americans -- Minnesota.

Universities and colleges -- Minnesota -- Saint Peter.

World War, 1939-1945.

Persons:

LeVander, Bernhard, 1916-2008.

LeVander, Theodor.

Rolvaag, Karl F., 1913-1990.

Stassen, Harold E. (Harold Edward), 1907-2001.

Organizations:

Coalition for a Rural America.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of North America.

Federation of Lutheran Clubs.

Gustavus Adolphus College.

Minnesota Conference on Brotherhood.

National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Republican Party (Minn.)

University of Minnesota. Law School.

World Council of Churches.

Places:

South Saint Paul (Minn.)

Document Types:

Photographs.

Speeches.

Occupations:

Governors -- Minnesota -- Elections.

Lawyers -- Minnesota -- South Saint Paul.

Politicians -- Minnesota.

Return to top