- Joanne Benson
Infobox_Lt_Governor
name= Joanne E. Benson
caption= Joanne E. Benson
order= 44th
state=Minnesota
office=Lt. Governor
term_start=January 3 ,1995
term_end=January 4 ,1999
governor=Arne Carlson
predecessor=Joanell Dyrstad
successor=Mae Schunk
birth_date= birth date and age|1943|01|4
birth_place=Le Sueur, Minnesota
death_date=
death_place=
party= Independent Republican
profession= politician
spouse= Robert R. Benson
footnotes=Joanne E. Benson (b.
January 4 ,1943 ) was the 44thLieutenant Governor ofMinnesota fromJanuary 3 ,1995 toJanuary 4 ,1999 . An Independent Republican, she was elected on the gubernatorial ticket with GovernorArne Carlson . She is a former Minnesota state senator noted for her somewhat more conservative tendencies than the moderate Carlson.She ran in the 1998 Republican primary for governor, starting off as the initial front-runner in the GOP primary. However, despite attempting to garner enough support within the GOP establishment to ward-off any primary challengers, a late entrant to the race, St. Paul Mayor
Norm Coleman , garnered enough delegates to win the Republican endorsement at the GOP state convention in summer 1998. Benson, who placed third in the race for delegates (behind Coleman andAllen Quist ), agreed not to challenge Coleman in that fall's primary, but as the Republican nominee, Coleman eventually placed second in the race to Reform candidateJesse Ventura .Upon leaving office in 1999, she became the first chief education officer of the
Minnesota Business Academy . In that capacity, Benson worked with civic and state leaders in raising money in benefit of the school's success.She was born in
Le Sueur, Minnesota , became an educator and married Robert R. Benson. Benson has two children and six grandchildren.External links
References
* [http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/lt_gov/ltgov_35.htm Minnesota Historical Society]
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