Memorial service for Gov. Wendell Anderson set for Aug. 15

Former Gov. Wendell Anderson, an Olympian who's credited with passing the state's most impressive bipartisan agreement in the "Minnesota Miracle," will be laid to rest on Monday, Aug. 15, officials announced Friday evening.

Anderson, 83, died of pneumonia Monday while in hospice care in St. Paul. He'd previously struggled with Alzheimer's disease, his family has said.

A public reception and memorial service will be held beginning at 1 p.m. at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, 5025 Knox Av. S., Minneapolis. The service will start at 2 p.m.

Following Anderson's death, Gov. Mark Dayton ordered state flags lowered to half-staff to honor his service to Minnesota. They will again be lowered on the day of Anderson's funeral.

In just six years in office, Anderson upended Minnesota government, shifting the tax burden from property levies to the more progressive income tax while equalizing school funding between rich and poor districts — a policy and political achievement historians dubbed the "Minnesota Miracle."

Fellow DFLer Dayton called Anderson "one of Minnesota's greatest governors" for dramatically improving the state's public education system, transforming it into one of the best in the country.

Anderson, elected in 1970 at age 37, became a political wunderkind who projected youthful vigor, achieving his policy goals — despite initial resistance from conservative legislators — with a telegenic presence and considerable political gifts that allowed him to bridge GOP and DFL, labor and business, the working class and the rich.

In 1973, Anderson appeared on the cover of Time magazine with a big northern pike and a wide grin as a symbol of his state's good life.

He was considered a shoo-in for Jimmy Carter's running mate until fellow Minnesotan Sen. Walter Mondale got the nod.

Anderson was raised from humble beginnings on St. Paul's East Side and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1954. During his undergraduate years, he played on the U hockey team and won a silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics.

His star power quickly faded when he arranged to have himself appointed to the U.S. Senate seat that had been held by Mondale, who had become vice president. Voters took a dim view of his ambitions, and Republican plywood magnate Rudy Boschwitz defeated him in the 1978 race for that Senate seat.

A comeback attempt in the 1980s failed, ending his life in public office.

Anderson is survived by two brothers, Rod and Orv; three children with former wife Mary Christine McKee — Brett and Amy Anderson and Elizabeth Crow — and five grandchildren.

Staff writer Patrick Coolican contributed to this report. Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648