Harold Stassen (1907-2001) was the youngest governor of the State of Minnesota (1938-1943). He unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination nine times, in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1988. He also He also ran in 10 other races for lower offices, including governor of Pennsylvania (1958 and 1966), mayor of Philadelphia (1959), senator from Minnesota (1978), Minnesota governorship (1982), and fourth district congressional seat (1986).
As governor, Harold Stassen brought the first black officer into the Minnesota National Guard, well before World War II.
In 1953 President Eisenhower put Stassen in charge of American foreign aid programs. As Special Assistant to the President for Disarmament Policy, Stassen was the chief U.S. negotiator at the failed 1957 London Arms Control Negotiations. Later in life Stassen was involved in conferences on religion and peace.
In 1956 Stassen tried unsuccessfully to convince delegates to the Republican National Convention to remove Richard Nixon as Eisenhower's vice presidential running mate, but later he defended Nixon during Watergate.'
Harold Stassen appears in the following:
Harold Edward Stassen
Tuesday, January 03, 1950
