Arne Carlson

Advisory Board Member

Arne Carlson was born in the Bronx of New York City to Swedish immigrant parents. His father was a handyman and his mother a waitress. He was awarded a full scholarship to the Choate School in Connecticut, better known as the home of Adlai Stevenson and John Kennedy. He continued on a full scholarship to Williams College and did his graduate work at the University of Minnesota.

After employment in business, he was elected to the Minneapolis City Council and became its Majority Leader. In 1970, he was elected to the Minnesota legislature and served as the Minority Whip. In 1978, he defeated the incumbent State Auditor and served there for twelve years before successfully challenging the sitting Governor. 

As Governor from 1991 – 1999, he worked with a legislature controlled by the opposing party and built an impressive record of bi – partisan accomplishment including creating the Minn-Care health system, instituting a  “ no net loss “  of wetlands policy with a program of sustainable development, innovating a  welfare reform approach that became a national model, initiating  the development of light rail transportation system, creating school choice, enacting legislation that made discrimination based on sexual orientation unlawful, instituting  long-term financial planning and discipline which led to the restoration of the AAA bond rating from all rating agencies – a feat that has not accomplished  since.  His strong stance on human rights for all and his support of a woman’s right to choose caused the Republican Party to deny him endorsement in 1994 and he went onto to a landslide primary victory and a record setting landslide in the general election garnering over 64% of the vote. In 2000, a poll conducted by the St Paul Pioneer Press listed Hubert Humphrey, Arne Carlson, and Walter Mondale as the three outstanding statesmen of the 20th century.  

Since retiring in 1999, Carlson served on the Board of Directors of River source Funds, now Columbia Funds, became its Chairman, and in 2007 was chosen as the nation’s outstanding Director of large mutual funds. He also served as a Trustee of Schwan Foods. In retirement, he writes commentaries and blogs and that is what brings him here today.