The Boy Governor of Minnesota

"His presidential bids came in 1944, 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. Given his repeated and hopeless efforts for the presidency, Harold Stassen provided limitless fodder for television jokesters. Whether it was the Jack Parr Show, That Was the Week That Was, Laugh In, or Saturday Night Live, you could count on a barrage of Stassen jokes every four years. Yet many Americans were not old enough to remember that Stassen had had a credible and creditable career. At age 31 he was elected governor of Minnesota, the youngest candidate ever to win an American governorship. He won 60 percent of the vote, ousting the incumbent of the Farmer-Labor Party. He went on to win two more terms but resigned as governor to enter the Navy for World War II service. Stassen's career saw some important accomplishments other than running for president. He was one of eight Americans to sign the U.N. Charter (after leading a failed effort to convince his fellow-Americans to drop plans for a veto in the Security Council). He was president of an ivy league school, the University of Pennsylvania. He was a successful attorney practicing international law. Yet almost every four years, Stassen would announce his presidential candidacy and hit the campaign trail. Did he expect to win? After 1948, no. But he did find that even weak presidential candidates had a chance to get their ideas before the people (participating in candidate forums and debates, for example). Many observers pointed out that Stassen had an under-developed sense of humor, and the perpetual hopeful did not always enjoy the jokes about his candidacy. He did crack one good joke, however, in 1996, when he offered to serve as Bob Dole's vice-presidential candidate. Stassen explained that his own age of 89 would deflect attention from Dole's."