Minnesota Governor and Philanthropist Elmer L. Andersen Dies

Elmer L. Andersen, a legendary leader in private and corporate philanthropy and public service in Minnesota, died on November 15, 2004, at age 95.

Andersen's involvement in public and nonprofit service and business leadership spanned nearly 70 years. He served as Minnesota's governor from 1961 to 1963, and spent 10 years in the state Legislature prior to that. Andersen's corporate leadership in the state included serving as president and then CEO of H.B. Fuller for nearly 35 years. After leaving H.B. Fuller, Andersen formed ECM, a private corporation that owned and operated community newspapers in the suburbs and small cities north of the Twin Cities.

Andersen was a longtime philanthropist who demonstrated a strong commitment to giving back to the community. In 1957, Andersen and his wife, Eleanor, founded the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation, a family foundation based in St. Paul, where served on the board until his death. He was a passionate book collector, and along with Eleanor donated a vast personal library to the University of Minnesota. Andersen brought his philanthropic commitment to his leadership at H.B. Fuller, where he laid the groundwork for making the company a national model for strong corporate citizenship.

In an interview that he taped in 2003 for the annual conference of the Minnesota Council on Foundations and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Andersen expressed his disappointment at the current "state of Minnesota." But he also had optimism that Minnesota could get "back on track."

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