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Dakota County History 101: Edward Thye (1896-1969) Governor and Senator of Minnesota

Thye gained experience in business, agriculture, military affairs and politics.

Edward Thye was born April 26, 1896 in Brown County, SD. At the age of eight, Edward along with his parents and eight siblings moved to Sciota Township in Dakota County. 

As a young adult, Thye enlisted in the Aviation Section of the United States Army (now the Air Force) in 1917. Private Thye was shipped to France in 1918 and served his country during the First World War before being honorably discharged as a 2nd lieutenant in 1919. Upon returning to Minnesota, Thye worked as a sales representative for Deere Webber (now John Deere) for five years before entering the political realm.

Thye served on the Sciota Town Council, as president of the Dakota County Farm Bureau, and as deputy commissioner of agriculture before Harold Stassen selected Thye as his candidate for lieutenant governor in 1942. When Stassen resigned his office in April 1943 to enlist in the Navy, Thye became Minnesota’s new governor. Thye was then elected with 61.6 percent of the popular vote in 1944 and held the governorship for two more years.

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In 1946, Thye was elected to the United States Senate—he held both the offices of governor and senator simultaneously for three days. Thye served two terms as senator before losing his bid for a third term to Eugene J. McCarthy in 1958. 

As the owner of a 563-acre farm in Sciota Township, Thye’s political agenda was rooted in agriculture. The veteran Republican also fought for the interests of small businessmen, aid for education and civil rights while serving the state for sixteen years. Thye suffered a heart attack in 1967 and his health eventually failed on Aug. 28, 1969.

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