Cal Larson

Calvin R. Larson (August 10, 1930 – April 1, 2024) was an American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1967 to 1974 and Minnesota Senate from 1987 to 2006.^[1]

Cal Larson
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 10th district
In office January 6, 1987 – January 2, 2007
Preceded by	Collin Peterson
Succeeded by	Dan Skogen
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office January 3, 1967 – January 7, 1975
Preceded by	Roy Emery Dunn
Succeeded by	Gene R. Wenstrom
Constituency	55th district (1967–1973) 11A district (1973–1975)
Personal details
Born	(1930-08-10)August 10, 1930 Glyndon, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	April 1, 2024(2024-04-01) (aged 93) Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Other political affiliations	Independent (1986–1996)
Education	Concordia College (BA)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Battles/wars	Korean War

Early life and education

Born in Glyndon, Minnesota, Larson graduated from Badger High School in 1948 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College. Larson then served in the United States Navy during the Korean War.

Career

Larson was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1967, with a Nonpartisan Election–Conservative Caucus party affiliation. He served district 55 for three terms, ending in 1972. He continued in the House from 1973 to 1974 representing district 11A.

Following an absence from the state legislature from 1975 to 1986, Larson was elected as State Senator for district 10 in 1986, as an Independent Republican. He continued to fill this seat in the Senate until 2006, but by the 1996 election had changed his party affiliation to Republican.^[2]

Personal life

Larson resided in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, with his wife, Loretta. They have two children. Larson was a Lutheran.

Larson died on April 1, 2024, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, at the age of 93.^[3]

Electoral history

2006 Minnesota State Senate District 10

• Cal Larson (R), 14191 votes, 44.71%
• Dan Skogen (DFL), 17530 votes, 55.23%
• Write-In, 18 votes, 0.06%

2002 Minnesota State Senate District 10

• Cal Larson (R), 19357 votes, 59.57%
• Karl L. Hanson (DFL), 13111 votes, 40.35%
• Write-In, 24 votes, 0.07%