he late Sen. Hubert Humphrey once quipped that contrary to what the rest of the country may believe, there is no provision in the state constitution requiring that a Minnesotan run for president. Humphrey was making a small Securities Company, a massive SOTA S joke, of course, but the one-liner railroad conglomerate. Its later NE TA T N T I E spoke volumes about the place gov- breakup was the first step toward M G ernment holds in the minds of many making then President Theodore S O E Minnesotans. Roosevelt’s reputation as a trust buster. V I E 1 R R E State government programs That strong tradition of government N M T S such as the highly touted open regulation of business, borne from the E N enrollment education initiative and Populist roots of the Democratic- the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) in 1944, State have consistently led the way for the continues to this day. And it’s a rest of the nation. constant point of friction at the But the state is perhaps more widely State Capitol between the DFL and Profile known for the steady stream of national the Republican Party (R), whose leaders it has produced, from Harold traditional roots are also very strong Stassen, the “boy wonder” governor in the state. change. DFLer Mark Dayton won the and one-time serious presidential There have been long stretches governor's race, but Republicans picked candidate, to the quartet of of Republican domination — despite up 25 House seats, and gained 16 Senate Minnesota senators who also Minnesota’s reputation as a liberal seats, and for the first time since 1972, ran for president: Humphrey, state. In 1932, Franklin Delano they controlled that body. Eugene McCarthy, Walter Roosevelt was the first Democratic But just as with the weather, Mondale and Amy presidential candidate to win Minnesotans seem to like to change Klobuchar. Minnesota’s electoral votes. things up. After the 2012 election, the From the And it wasn’t until 1972 DFL remained solidly in control of beginning, the that the DFL gained the House and but picked up enough Minnesota a majority in both seats to regain control of the Senate. tradition has the state House and And once again, Minnesota state largely been a Senate. government was under one-party liberal one. One The 1998 elections control. Two years later Republicans of the first acts of threw a new wrin- took back the House. ▼ the Minnesota kle into the po- Legislature was litical history to authorize the of the state. Legend sale of $5 million One-time he popular slogan on in railroad bonds profession- Minnesota license plates to stimulate al wrestler boasts that the state is the business in Jesse Ven- “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Actu- the wake of the tura was ally, there are 11,842 lakes of economic panic of 1857. elected governor, giving the more than 10 acres each, giv- And when business is perceived Reform Party, later changed to the In- ing the state more shoreline as posing a threat to the people, dependence Party, its first significant thanT California, Florida and Hawaii Minnesota hasn’t shied away from victory. And voters elected a majority combined. imposing government regulations. of Republicans to the House for the The creation myth of the Ojibwe In 1871, when big railroads were first time in 12 years. With the DFL Indians of northern Minnesota holds commonly looked upon as the holding a majority in the Senate, that the earth was created when enemy, Minnesota created its own Minnesota began an experiment with Winabijou, a legendary trickster, railroad commission — years before tripartisan government. finds himself at the top of a pine the federal Interstate Commerce The House returned to DFL control tree surrounded by water. He asks Commission was formed. after the 2006 election, setting up show- a muskrat to retrieve mud from At the turn of the century, downs between the Legislature and the bottom. The muskrat does, and conservative Gov. Samuel VanSant Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Winabijou makes an island which began a lawsuit against the Northern But in 2010, voters again sought grows to the size of the earth. Minnesota pioneers turned to Paul Although Germans comprised the Among small cities, Mankato ranks Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox for their largest group of settlers, Minnesota is 16th, Rochester 37th, and St. Cloud creation story. Legend has it that Paul said to be the only state in the country 20th in Forbes 2019 ranking of “Best and Babe, headed west from Maine to where Smith isn’t the most common Small Places for Business and Careers.” Washington, and are responsible for name in the telephone book; it’s The state received nearly $786.5 creating “the Land of 10,000 Lakes” Peterson, an indication of the state’s million in venture capital investments with their deep footprints. deep Scandinavian roots. in 2018. But the textbook explanation is Minnesota also played a role in the Companies bring high-paying that four large glacier systems melted annals of African-American history: quality jobs to the state, in part, as they receded north and created Dred Scott came to Fort Snelling in because of a dedicated and highly Lake Agassiz, which at one time 1836 as the property of a military educated workforce. Minnesota ranks was larger than all the Great Lakes surgeon — even though slavery third in the nation with 93.4 percent combined. As the lake level receded, was outlawed in the territory. Scott of adults having at least a high school the many depressions on Minnesota’s later appealed for his freedom in the diploma, while 36.7 percent have a landscape were filled in. The 10,000 federal courts, but was turned down bachelor’s degree or higher, ranking lakes slogan, although inaccurate, by the Supreme Court in 1857. The 11th in the country. is a holdover from 19th century final disposition of the slavery question Seventy percent of Minnesotans promotion brochures designed to raised by Dred Scott came only after participate in the state’s labor force lure immigrants to the state. ▼ four years of the tragic Civil War. ▼ in 2019, the highest rate in the nation, with the per capita personal income ranking 13th in the country in 2018. History Economy The state also ranked 14th in median he abundance of water innesota’s early household income in 2018 at $70,315. in Minnesota is also re- economy was Minnesota ranked 13th in a 2018 flected in the very name dominated by the Proserity Now Scorecard. The report chosen for the state. “Min- lumber, agriculture indicated Minnesota showed strength nesota” is the Dakota word and mining in measures of financial assets for “cloudy” or “sky-tinted industries. Each and income, education and home water” that was applied to the continues to play a ownership. Triver of that name because of its color. large role in the state’s economy, but M More than 95 percent of Minnesotans The two main groups of American they are no longer alone. have health insurance, and our life Indians in Minnesota are the Ojibwe The state’s dynamic economy has expectancy of 80.7 years is third- and the Dakota. Their presence is most resulted in an increase of Fortune 500 best, trailing only visible in the place names of many companies calling the state home from Hawaii and Minnesota towns and counties. Fifteen 14 in 2000 to 21 in 2010. That California. ▼ of Minnesota’s 87 counties took their number is 17 in names from the Dakota language, 2019. The state either directly or through translation; ranks fourth 12 came from the Ojibwe language. nationwide in The French were the first Europeans Fortune 500 to explore the area that is now known companies as Minnesota. So extensive was their per capita. contact with the Indians that the French According to greeting, “bonjour,” is still used by the Department the Ojibwe. The greeting, however, is of Employment pronounced “boozhoo.” and Economic Minnesota became a territory in Development, 1849 and the nation’s 32nd state in Minnesota is 1858. The first U.S. Census, conducted home to 24 Fortune in 1850, listed the state’s population at 1,000 companies, 6,077 — a fraction of the 5.66 million representing a wide people who live here today. variety of industries. twitter.com/MNHouseInfo facebook.com/MNHouseInfo youtube.com/user/MNHouseInfo Sources: Lass, William E., Minnesota: A History; Upham, Warren, Minnesota Geographic Names; Department of Employment and Economic Development; Department of Natural Resources; U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 2003; Forbes; CEO.com; Department of Education, CQ Press; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Bureau of Labor Statistics; Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. This document can be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities by calling 651-296-2146 or 800-657-3550 toll free (voice). © Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services • 175 State Office Building • 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.4 • St. Paul, MN 55155-1298 • 651-296-2146 Printed on recycled paper which is 70% preconsumer and 30% postconsumer waste • SG1 12/6/19.