Clyde Elmer Anderson (March 16, 1912 – January 22, 1998) was an American politician who served from September 27, 1951 to January 5, 1955, as the 28th governor of Minnesota. Anderson also served from 1939 to 1943 as the 30th lieutenant governor of Minnesota and from 1945 to 1951 as the 33rd.
Life and career
Anderson was born in Brainerd, Minnesota, in 1912 to Fred and Anna Anderson, Swedish-speaking Finnish immigrants from Lappfors in Esse, Finland. His father died when he was 14, forcing him to get a job with a magazine and newspaper company to help support the family. He attended Brainerd High School and spent two quarters at the University of Minnesota studying medicine before running out of tuition money and returning home to continue working.
In 1938, he ran for lieutenant governor of Minnesota with Republican gubernatorial candidate Harold Stassen and won. At 31 and 26 years old, respectively, Stassen and Anderson were the youngest governor and lieutenant governor in state history. Anderson was reelected lieutenant governor five more times under three different governors. He holds the record for the most total years served as the state's lieutenant governor.