Thursday, July 16, 2009

A Man's Reach -- A Transforming Life, 43: True to Convictions

Campaign brochure, front cover, 1962

"I announced on June 8, 1962, just days before the Republican state convention, that I would seek a second term. No one was surprised—least of all the state's active Republicans. But a few of them may have been disappointed. Two years in office had not endeared me to the Republican Party's conservative wing, nor to those who place party loyalty above all other considerations in governing. With them, I had a shaky relationship. I had a habit of appointing people to key positions based on their professional qualifications, not their party connections."

"I was in favor of civil rights legislation and higher spending on education and welfare—none of which appealed to the party's hard-line conservatives. They respected me for being honest and true to my convictions. But they wished my convictions would be a little bit more partisan and not so generous to opposing viewpoints."

Courtesy Minnesota Historical Society

"A Man's Reach -- A Transforming Life" is on display through August 15 in the Exhibit Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus.

No comments: