Rudy Perpich

Rudolph " Rudy " Perpich George ( born June 7, 1928 in Carson Lake, Minnesota, † September 21, 1995 in Minnetonka; native Rudolph George Prpić ) was an American politician of the Minnesota Democratic - Farmer-Labor Party. From 1976 to 1979 and 1983 to 1991 he was governor of Minnesota.

Biography

Perpich was born to parents of Croatian descent in Carson Lake. This was also the reason why he only learned the English language in school. After the completion of the Hibbing High School, he went for two years to the United States Army. Then Perpich studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee dentistry. After completing his studies in 1954, he returned to Hibbing to work as a dentist.

His federal career as a politician started in 1962 when he was first elected to the Senate from Minnesota. In the elections four years later he was confirmed in his office. In 1970 he was elected the 39th Lieutenant Governor. As Wendell Anderson resigned at the end of 1976, as governor, to replace the designated Vice President Walter Mondale in the U.S. Senate, was Perpich on December 29, 1976, the 34th Governor of Minnesota. As in 1978, however, in the gubernatorial elections the Republican challenger Al Quie was defeated, he worked at Control Data Corporation before he was re-elected governor in 1982. After he was re-elected in 1986, he lost the 1990 elections against Arne Carlson.

After his political career in 1991 Perpich went to Croatia there to help build the post-communist government. In 1992 he moved to Paris a year later before he returned to Minnesota. On 21 December 1995 Perpich died of complications from colon cancer. His grave is located at the Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.