Al Quie, a moderate Republican who served as governor and congressman of Minnesota and was renowned for working across the aisle, has passed away. He was 99.
Joel Quie, Quie’s son, said on Saturday that his father passed away peacefully on Friday night at his Wayzata home. He still liked meeting people, despite his recent deterioration in health. He read loudly to his great-grandchildren using their favorite book at a family reunion two weeks ago, according to his son.
Joel Quie remarked that “His stature, his energy, and his enthusiasm for life were there right to the end.”
From 1958 through 1979, Al Quie served as the 1st District representative for southern Minnesota. In the 1978 governor’s race, he came home and defeated Democrat Rudy Perpich. However, early in the 1980s, a financial deficit made his one-term precarious, and he decided against running for reelection.
However, Quie, a devout Lutheran, continued to be active after leaving office, leading the global Christian organization Prison Fellowship. After some Republicans attempted to insert politics into judicial elections in 2006, he served as the chair of a group that made recommendations on how to maintain the state’s judiciary’s impartiality.
Funeral plans were still being finalized on Saturday.