Val Bjornson

thumb|K. Valdimar Bjornson, known in politics as Val Bjornson, in his 20s.'''Kristjan Valdimar "Val" Bjornson''' (August 29, 1906 – March 10, 1987) was an American writer, newspaper editor, and politician who served as the state treasurer of Minnesota for more than two decades.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/12/obituaries/val-bjornson.html?sec=&spon= | work=The New York Times | title=Val Bjornson | date=March 12, 1987 | access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>

Bjornson was born in Minneota, Minnesota of Icelandic descent.<ref>''CQ Weekly Report'', Volume 12, page 1040. Congressional Quarterly, 1954</ref> In World War II, he served in Navy intelligence, stationed in Iceland.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.icelandminnesota.com/scholarship.htm |title=Iceland Minnesota |access-date=2009-11-20 |archive-date=2010-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621060857/http://www.icelandminnesota.com/scholarship.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Besides English, he was fluent in Icelandic, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=|first=|date=September 27, 1954|title=National Affairs: Who Won|magazine=Time|url=https://time.com/vault/issue/1954-09-27/page/18/|access-date=January 7, 2021}}</ref>

He was part owner of the ''Minneota Mascot'' newspaper and an associate editor at the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/500519.html?nav=5015 | title=Craving some quiet }}</ref>

Running as the Republican candidate in the 1954 United States Senate elections, Bjornson lost to Hubert Humphrey, with whom he sometimes shared a car to travel around the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/7666/ |title= Column: Thoughts of Val Bjornson, and a Worthington visit | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota|website=www.dglobe.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710122745/http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/7666/ |archive-date=July 10, 2011}}</ref>

Bjornson died in Minneapolis on March 10, 1987.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/bismarck-bjorseth.html#RLJ0XYUMN | title=The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Bishoprick to Blacey }}</ref> The University of Minnesota, his alma mater, and the University of Iceland have a student exchange scholarship named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/2005/UR_47605_REGION1.html | title=News & Events }}</ref>

==Bibliography== {{cite book |title=The History of Minnesota |last=Bjornson |first=Val |year=1969 |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing |location=West Palm Beach, Florida }}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{S-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Julius A. Schmahl}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Minnesota State Treasurer|years=1950, 1952}} {{s-aft|after=Duane R. Lund}} {{s-bef|before=Joseph H. Ball}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Minnesota<br />(Class 2)|years=1954}} {{s-aft|after=P. Kenneth Peterson}} {{s-bef|before=Duane R. Lund}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Minnesota State Treasurer|years=1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1970}} {{s-aft|after=J. Robert Stassen}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Julius A. Schmahl}} {{s-ttl|title=Treasurer of Minnesota|years=1951–1955}} {{s-aft|after=Arthur Hansen}} {{s-bef|before=Arthur Hansen}} {{s-ttl|title=Treasurer of Minnesota|years=1957–1975}} {{s-aft|after=Jim Lord}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjornson, Val}} Category:1906 births Category:1987 deaths Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II Category:American people of Icelandic descent Category:Military personnel from Minnesota Category:Minnesota Republicans Category:People from Minneota, Minnesota Category:State treasurers of Minnesota Category:United States Navy sailors Category:University of Minnesota alumni Category:Writers from Minnesota Category:20th-century American politicians