{{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Joan Growe |image = Joan Growe.JPG |caption = Growe in 2010 |office = 19th Secretary of State of Minnesota |governor = Wendell Anderson<br>Rudy Perpich<br>Al Quie<br>Rudy Perpich<br>Arne Carlson |term_start = January 6, 1975 |term_end = January 4, 1999 |predecessor = Arlen Erdahl |successor = Mary Kiffmeyer |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|9|28}} |birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |spouse = James Kerr {{small|(Divorced)}}<br>Glen Growe {{small|(1965–present)}} |children = 4 |education = St. Cloud State University {{small|(BA)}}<br>University of Minnesota, Twin Cities {{small|(MA)}} }} '''Joan Ruth Anderson Growe''' (born September 28, 1935) is an American politician who served as Secretary of State of Minnesota from 1975 to 1999. Known for her work to encourage voter participation, her 24-year tenure was the second longest of any secretary of state in Minnesota's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/about-the-office/about-the-office/secretaries-of-state-since-1858/|title=Secretaries of State Since 1858|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State|access-date=November 1, 2023}}</ref> In 1984, she unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, losing the election with 41% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bobmeek.blogspot.com/2009/05/june-16-2009-joan-growe-endorsement.html |title=bobmeek: June 16, 2009 Joan Growe Endorsement Reunion |publisher=Bobmeek.blogspot.com |date=2009-05-30 |accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref>
Growe was raised in Buffalo, Minnesota and graduated from Buffalo High School and St. Cloud State University. On August 18, 1956, she married James E. Kerr in Buffalo. That marriage ended in divorce. On June 16, 1965, she married Glen Harry Growe in Anoka County, Minnesota.<ref>"Joan Growe: An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society," http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00043.xml</ref>
Before running for secretary of state, Growe was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974, representing the old District 40A, which included portions of Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metro area. While in the House, she served on the Crime Prevention and Corrections, the Education, the Judiciary, and the Metropolitan and Urban Affairs committees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10219 |title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Growe, Joan R |publisher=Leg.state.mn.us |accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref>
As a state legislator, Growe supported the Minnesota same-day voter registration law (the first in the country) and later, as Secretary of State, she worked to implement it. Since then, Minnesota has consistently had the highest voter turnout in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=4 |title=Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State : Elections & Voting |publisher=Sos.state.mn.us |date=2010-02-07 |accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref>
Growe is widely recognized as an expert on voting and elections, and has been selected to serve as an official election observer in various foreign elections.<ref>[http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/caucus/dem/MemberNews/2004/dist46/20030430_Scheid_Growe.htm ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041222110836/http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/caucus/dem/MemberNews/2004/dist46/20030430_Scheid_Growe.htm |date=December 22, 2004 }}</ref> She is also on the advisory committee for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web |author=JOHN EWOLDT, Star Tribune |url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/18990649.html?location_refer=Lifestyle |title=At home with Joan Growe: Electing to relax |publisher=StarTribune.com |date=2008-05-17 |accessdate=2010-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607062110/http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/18990649.html?location_refer=Lifestyle |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Joan Growe Award for Distinguished Commitment to Expanding Access to Democracy and Justice in Minnesota is named in her honor, and has been issued annually since 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=DFL Party Announces 2023 Humphrey Mondale Award Winners|publisher=Minnesota DFL|date=April 6, 2024|url=https://dfl.org/dfl-party-announces-2023-humphrey-mondale-award-winners/}}</ref>
==Records==
Files documenting Growe's activities as secretary of state are available for research use. They include general and chronological correspondence, telephone logs, appearances, subject files, voter education and elections files, and State Board of Investment files.<ref>[http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr00248.xml Joan Growe Files]</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981111190520/http://www.sos.state.mn.us/ |date=November 11, 1998 |title=Growe's Secretary of State Web Site }} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607062110/http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/18990649.html?location_refer=Lifestyle "At home with Joan Growe: Electing to relax" Star-Tribune May 17, 2008] *[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/16/midday1/ Minnesota Public Radio: Joan Growe – Trailblazing woman in Minnesota politics] {{MN-legdb|10219}} *{{C-SPAN|1008427}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Arlen Erdahl}} {{s-ttl|title=Secretary of State of Minnesota|years=1975–1999}} {{s-aft|after=Mary Kiffmeyer}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Daniel D. Donovan}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Minnesota Secretary of State|years=1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994}} {{s-aft|after=Edwina Garcia}} {{s-bef|before=Wendell Anderson}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Minnesota<br>(Class 2)|years=1984}} {{s-aft|after=Paul Wellstone}} {{s-end}}
{{MNSecretariesofState}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Growe, Joan}} Category:1935 births Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:People from Buffalo, Minnesota Category:Politicians from Minneapolis Category:Secretaries of state of Minnesota Category:St. Cloud State University alumni Category:University of Minnesota alumni Category:Women state legislators in Minnesota Category:21st-century American women Category:20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature Category:20th-century American women politicians