Stafford King

Stafford "Staff" King (October 27, 1893 – August 21, 1970) was a Minnesota Republican politician who served as Minnesota State Auditor nearly four decades.

Stafford King
10th Minnesota State Auditor
In office
January 6, 1931 – March 7, 1969
GovernorFloyd B. Olson
Hjalmar Petersen
Elmer A. Benson
Harold Stassen
Edward J. Thye
Luther W. Youngdahl
C. Elmer Anderson
Orville L. Freeman
Elmer L. Andersen
Karl F. Rolvaag
Harold LeVander
Preceded byRay P. Chase
Succeeded byWilliam O'Brien
Personal details
Born(1893-10-27)October 27, 1893
Fair Haven, Minnesota
DiedAugust 21, 1970(1970-08-21) (aged 76)
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Bertha King
ResidenceRamsey County, Minnesota

Life and career

King was born in 1893 in Fair Haven, Minnesota to Cyrus Murdock King and Minnie King (née Cooper). His parents were the descendants of early settlers of the state and had been involved in local causes and politics in and around Itasca County, Minnesota. He was raised on the family homestead in Itasca County and attended school in Deer River, Minnesota. Later he attended the University of Minnesota and the St. Paul College of Law.[1]

During World War I King served in the army, first as an enlisted soldier on the Mexican border and later as a first lieutenant. After the war he worked in a variety of state and local government positions and also became active with the American Legion. In 1930 he won election as Minnesota State Auditor, a position he held for ten terms. During World War II he left his position on an unpaid leave of absence to serve as a lieutenant colonel with the United States Air Force.[1][2]

Between his political connections as state auditor and his social connections through various civic and community organizations, King made several attempts to win higher office (most notably running in the Republican primaries for governor against Luther Youngdahl in 1947 and against C. Elmer Anderson in 1952).

King retired from office in 1969, and died just over a year later in 1970.[3] After his death, a review of his personal papers found he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.[4][5]

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References
  1. Björnson, Val (1969). The History of Minnesota, Vol. 3. Lewis Historical Pub. Co. p. 35.
  2. "Letter to Secretary of State Mike Holm from Stafford King, March 30th, 1942" (PDF). Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  3. "Stafford King, Former State Auditor, Dies". Fergus Falls Daily Journal. August 22, 1970.
  4. Hatle, Elizabeth Dorsey (2013). The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 127. ISBN 9781540208989.
  5. Olson, Thomas L. (July 29, 2018). "The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota by Elizabeth Dorsey Hatle: A Book Review and Essay" (PDF). Minnesota Legal History Project. p. 6. The connection recurs throughout Hatle’s book and especially identifies long-time State Auditor Stafford King as a Klan member as well as a leader of the American Legion.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ray P. Chase		 Minnesota State Auditor
1931 – 1969		 Succeeded by
William O'Brien
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