Harold Stassen

Harold Stassen
Stassen in 1940
Director of the United States Foreign Operations Administration
In office August 3, 1953 – March 19, 1955
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Director of the Mutual Security Agency
In office January 28, 1953 – August 1, 1953
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	W. Averell Harriman
Succeeded by	Position abolished
3rd President of the University of Pennsylvania
In office September 17, 1948 – January 19, 1953
Preceded by	George William McClelland
Succeeded by	William Hagan DuBarry (acting)
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office January 7, 1941 – June 21, 1942
Preceded by	William Henry Vanderbilt III
Succeeded by	Herbert O'Conor
25th Governor of Minnesota
In office January 2, 1939 – April 27, 1943
Lieutenant	C. Elmer Anderson Edward John Thye
Preceded by	Elmer Austin Benson
Succeeded by	Edward John Thye
Personal details
Born	Harold Edward Stassen (1907-04-13)April 13, 1907 West St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 4, 2001(2001-03-04) (aged 93) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Esther Glewwe ​ ​ (m. 1929; died 2000)​
Education	University of Minnesota (BA, LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Legion of Merit

Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was an American Republican Party politician, military officer, and attorney who was the 25th governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 1948. Though he was considered for a time to be the front-runner, he lost the nomination to New York governor Thomas E. Dewey. He thereafter regularly continued to run for the presidency and other offices, such that his name became most identified with his status as a perennial candidate.

Born in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Stassen was elected as the county attorney of Dakota County, Minnesota after graduating from the University of Minnesota. He won election as Governor of Minnesota in 1938. Stassen is the youngest person elected to that office.^[1] He gave the keynote address at the 1940 Republican National Convention. He resigned as governor to serve in the United States Navy during World War II, becoming an aide to Admiral William Halsey Jr. After the war, he became president of the University of Pennsylvania, holding that position from 1948 to 1953. Stassen sought the presidential nomination at the 1948 Republican National Convention, winning a significant share of the delegates on the first two ballots of the convention. During the Republican primaries preceding the convention, he engaged in the Dewey–Stassen debate, the first debate between presidential candidates for which an audio recording was made.

Stassen sought the presidential nomination again at the 1952 Republican National Convention, and helped Dwight D. Eisenhower win the nomination by shifting his support to Eisenhower. After serving in the Eisenhower administration, Stassen sought various offices. Between 1958 and 1990, he campaigned unsuccessfully for the positions of Governor of Pennsylvania, Mayor of Philadelphia, United States Senator, Governor of Minnesota, and United States Representative. He further sought the Republican nomination for president in 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992.