Edwin J. Chilgren

{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Edwin J. Chilgren | caption = Representative Edwin J. Chilgren | order = 43rd | office = Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | term_start = January 5, 1959 | term_end = January 7, 1963 | predecessor = Alfred I. Johnson | successor = Lloyd L. Duxbury | office3 = Minnesota State Representative | term_start3 = January 4, 1927 | term_end3 = January 4, 1965 | birth_date = {{birth date |1897|7|4}} | birth_place = Jämtland, Sweden | death_date = {{death date and age |1972|8|31|1897|7|4}} | death_place = | alma_mater = | party = Nonpartisan Liberal Caucus | spouse = Fronice Williams | children = 2 | profession = Publisher | footnotes = | image = Edwin J. Chilgren.jpg }}

'''Edwin J. Chilgren''' (July 4, 1897 – August 31, 1972) was an American newspaper publisher. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1927- 1965) and was Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1959– 1963).<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?id=11636|title= Chilgren, Edwin J.|publisher= Minnesota Legislative Reference Library |access-date= May 5, 2016}}</ref>

Chilgren was born in Jämtland, Sweden. He was the son of John Frederick Chilgren (1872–1950) and Brita Kristina (Sjolund) Chilgren (1876–1918). After emigrating from Sweden at the age of seven, he was raised in Blackduck, Minnesota. Chilgren served with the United States Marines during World War I. He was the owner of the ''Littlefork (MN) Times'' in Koochiching County which he bought in 1921. He published this newspaper for 43 years, selling it when he retired in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.leg.mn/archive/LegDB/articles/11636memorial.pdf|title= Biography of former State Representative Edwin J. Chilgren 1897–1972 |publisher= Minnesota State Archives |date= April 19, 1973 |access-date= May 5, 2016}}</ref>

He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1926, where he caucused with the Liberal Caucus in the then-nonpartisan body. He became chair of the Taxes Committee in 1955, and in 1959 he was elected speaker, a position he held until conservatives took control of the House in 1963. Chilgren retired from the legislature after the 1964 elections.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.leg.mn/archive/LegDB/articles/11636Tribuneobit.pdf|title= Chilgren, Edwin J. |publisher=Minneapolis (MN) Tribune|date= September 1, 1972 |access-date= May 5, 2016}}</ref> ==Personal life== In 1920, he married Flonice Lorene (Williams) Chilgren (1902–1969). They were the parents of two daughters. He died in 1972. Both he and his wife were buried in Oakley Cemetery in Littlefork, Minnesota.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chilgren, Edwin J. "E.J., Ed, Big Ed, Edward" - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present |url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=11636 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=www.lrl.mn.gov}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{find a Grave|52020987}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | title=Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | before=Alfred I. Johnson | after=Lloyd L. Duxbury | years=1959–1963}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilgren, Edwin J.}} Category:1897 births Category:1972 deaths Category:People from Jämtland County Category:Lutherans from Minnesota Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Category:Military personnel from Minnesota Category:Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:Swedish emigrants to the United States Category:20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Category:People from Beltrami County, Minnesota Category:20th-century Lutherans Category:20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature