PoliticalGraveyard.com

Politicians Who Were Involved in Professional Sports in Minnesota
as players, owners, commissioners, sports journalists, etc.

Robert Lee Backlund (b. 1950) — also known as Bob Backlund — of Glastonbury, Hartford County, Conn. Born in Princeton, Mille Lacs County, Minn., August 14, 1950. Republican. Professional wrestler; former WWF World Champion; candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 1st District, 2000. Still living as of 2009.   See also Wikipedia article — Internet Movie Database profile   John Thomas Davies (b. 1932) — also known as Jack Davies — of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn. Born in Harvey, Wells County, N.Dak., January 6, 1932. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict; member of Minnesota state senate, 1959-82 (31st District 1959-62, 42nd District 1963-72, 60th District 1973-82). Worked as sports editor on KSTP-TV. Still living as of 1982.   See also Minnesota Legislator record   George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (1924-2005) — also known as George Mikan; "Mr. Basketball" — of Minnesota. Born in Joliet, Will County, Ill., June 18, 1924. Republican. Professional basketball player and coach for the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1940s and 1950s; candidate for U.S. Representative from Minnesota 3rd District, 1956; member, Basketball Hall of Fame. Croatian ancestry. Died, from complications of diabetes, in Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Ariz., June 1, 2005 (age 80 years, 348 days). Interment at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.; statue at Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.   Relatives: Married to Patricia Lu Daveny.   See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial   Frederick Andrew Seaton (1909-1974) — of Manhattan, Riley County, Kan.; Hastings, Adams County, Neb. Born in Washington, D.C., December 11, 1909. Republican. Radio announcer; sports reporter; editor, manager, and publisher of newspapers; vice-chair of Kansas Republican Party, 1934-37; campaign secretary for Gov. Alfred M. Landon, 1936; member of Nebraska unicameral legislature, 1945-49; U.S. Senator from Nebraska, 1951-52; U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1956-61; candidate for Governor of Nebraska, 1962. Methodist or Episcopalian. Member, Freemasons; Shriners; Elks; Rotary; Navy League; American Academy of Political and Social Science; Beta Theta Pi; Pi Kappa Delta. Recipient, Medal of Freedom. Died in St. Mary's Hospital, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn., January 16, 1974 (age 64 years, 36 days). Interment at Parkview Cemetery, Hastings, Neb.   Relatives: Son of Fay Noble Seaton and Dorothea Elizabeth (Schmidt) Seaton; married, January 23, 1931, to Gladys Hope Dowd.   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial   Jesse Ventura (b. 1951) — also known as James George Janos; James G. Janos; "The Body"; "Governor Body" — of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County, Minn. Born in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn., July 15, 1951. Served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War; mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minn., 1991-94; Governor of Minnesota, 1999-2003; Green candidate for President of the United States, 2020. Atheist. Professional wrestler; actor, notably in film Predator. Still living as of 2020.   See also National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile — OurCampaigns candidate detail — Encyclopedia of American Loons   Books by Jesse Ventura: Do I Stand Alone? : Going to the Mat Against Political Pawns and Media Jackals — Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!, with Dick Russell (2008) — Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government, with Heron Marquez (2002, for young readers)   Books about Jesse Ventura: Tom Hauser, Inside the Ropes with Jesse Ventura

"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard." Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872

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