A rare honor for a revered Minnesotan. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has ordered all United States and Minnesota flags to fly at half-staff at all state buildings in the State of Minnesota from sunrise on Friday, September 8, to sunset on Saturday, September 9, in honor of former Minnesota Governor Al Quie.
Quie died at the age of 99 in August.
"He was a gentle giant, he was a minister and he was someone who devoted his time to good causes," explained University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs.
Jacobs recalled a story about Quie, who after leaving office found himself giving advice as a pastor to an unlikely person.
"He ended up giving counsel as a minister to one of the infamous Watergate personalities, Chuck Colson who was in jail," Jacobs says. "And Quie, very quietly with I don't think most people knowing, gave him ministry for a long period of time. And that just captures the generosity of spirit that Al Quie brought to so much that he did."
The life-long Republican Quie, who was a third-generation dairy farmer never lost an election, served twenty years as District 1 US Representative from southern Minnesota. He was governor for one term after upsetting incumbent Democrat Rudy Perpich in 1978.
Former Governor Quie will lie in state from 12:00-3:00 p.m. at the State Capitol on Friday.