Bill Christiansen

Bill Christiansen
25th Lieutenant Governor of Montana
In office January 1, 1973 – January 3, 1977
Governor	Thomas Lee Judge
Preceded by	Thomas Lee Judge
Succeeded by	Ted Schwinden
Minority leader of the Montana House of Representatives
In office 1971 – January 1, 1973
Member of the Montana House of Representatives
In office 1965–1973
Personal details
Born	Edward William Christiansen Jr. (1914-02-24)February 24, 1914 Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Died	March 28, 2000(2000-03-28) (aged 86) Helena, Montana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Hattie James
Parents	Edward William Christiansen (father) Mabel C. Cork (mother)
Education	North Dakota State University

Edward William Christiansen Jr. (February 24, 1914 – March 28, 2000) was an American politician who served as a state representative and lieutenant governor in Montana.

Life

On February 24, 1914, Edward William Christiansen Jr. was born to Edward William Christiansen and Mabel C. Cork in Fargo, North Dakota.[1] After graduating from North Dakota State University he married Hattie James on December 27, 1947, and moved to Hardin, Montana.[2]

In 1964, he was elected to the Montana House of Representatives after defeating Republican Sam Denny and also served as one of Montana's presidential delegates to the 1964 Democratic National Convention.[3][4] In 1971, the Democratic caucus in the House elected him as the House Minority Leader.[5]

Although he was initially interested in running for governor in the 1972 election, he later chose to run for lieutenant governor after incumbent Lieutenant Governor Thomas Lee Judge announced that he would run for the governorship.[6] Christiansen won the lieutenant gubernatorial election, but announced in 1976 that he wouldn't seek reelection and rejected a draft movement that attempted to have him primary Governor Thomas Lee Judge.[7][8] During the 1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries he endorsed Senator Ted Kennedy.[9]

On March 28, 2000, Christiansen died in Helena, Montana.[10]

Electoral history

Bill Christiansen electoral history

1964 Montana House of Representatives election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bill Christiansen	2,552	62.37%
	Republican	Sam Denny	1,540	37.63%
Total votes			'4,092'	'100.00%'

1972 Montana Lieutenant Governor election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bill Christiansen	174,656	57.07%	+2.97%
	Republican	Harold Hanson	131,403	42.93%	−2.97%
Total votes			'306,059'	'100.00%'

References

1. "Mrs. Christiansen". The Billings Gazette. January 29, 1973. p. 6. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Bill Christiansen". The Independent-Record. March 29, 2000. p. 20. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Big Horn County Joins Democrat Sweep". The Billings Gazette. November 4, 1964. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Democrats Elect In Big Horn County". The Billings Gazette. June 27, 1964. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "House Leadership". The Billings Gazette. January 5, 1971. p. 13. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bill Christiansen Two". The Independent-Record. October 30, 1972. p. 4. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Christiansen dumps write-in drive". The Billings Gazette. April 19, 1976. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gov. Judge Announces His Bid for Re-Election". The Missoulian. April 15, 1976. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Kennedy steering committee formed". Great Falls Tribune. December 8, 1979. p. 13. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Former lieutenant governor, Hardin car dealer Christiansen, 86, dies". The Billings Gazette. March 30, 2000. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.