Norman's Demesne 
In Memory of Norma Tostenson 1921-2012
My beloved mother-in-law has gone to her eternal rest. Her life, her death, and her faith are worthy of self-study and reflection for me. The following hymn verse is #530 (#2) in The Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary [In Christi Wunden schlaf ich ein]. With peace and joy I now depart; God's child I am with all my heart. I thank thee, death, thou leadest me To that true life where I would be. So cleansed by Christ, I fear not death. Lord Jesus, strengthen Thou my faith. Blessed be the memory of Norma Tostenson.
One of my acquaintances asked me the other day about the Hopkins City Council Election. She said that she had read my blog and wanted to know what was happening. Well, I have really let Norman's Demesne fall into neglect. The election was on November 8th and I did not win. I won only 10% of the votes. There will be no 'Boss Teigen' in Hopkins MN. I am pleased that some people managed to notice that I participated. Mayor Gene Maxwell called me to ask if I would serve on the Hopkins Park Board. I was sworn in at a regularly scheduled Hopkins City Council meeting and attended my first Park Board meeting last week. So, for now, I need to learn about the Hopkins City Parks and follow up on my responsibilities. My volunteer activities are: King of Grace Lutheran School; Richfield MN Historical Society; Mill City Museum; Hopkins Park Board.
Hopkins City Council Election - 2011
The election day of November 8, 2011 is drawing closer. Click on the link to view my website. http://web.me.com/norman61/Site/Welcome.html I ask for your vote. Please let me know your questions and concerns. I am here to serve you. Sincerely, Norman Teigen
Hopkins City Council - November 8, 2011
The activities for the campaign are beginning. The voters of the city are starting to take notice. I am running for Hopkins City Council because I have a passion for the City of Hopkins. I love this place. My wife and I have lived here for the past 12 years. I am running for City Council because I am able to process information and make sound decisions. City Council members vote and make legal decisions. City Council members must be able to make wise decisions about the issues. There is a need for council members to judge issues on their own merits. Pre-conceived notions of what should be, or what should not be, need to be set aside. Each issue must be considered carefully so that the best interests of all of the citizens of Hopkins prevail. I listen to people. People trust me to follow up on their concerns. Please check out my website at http://web.me.com/norman61/Site/Welcome.html I ask for your vote. (I am a Vietnam veteran. I served in the Army with the First Aviation Brigade. This photo was recently snapped at the Veterans' Museum in Madison WI.)
Late Night Jokes
"Republicans are having trouble luring Gov. Chris Christie into the presidential race. They should try pie." –David Letterman "The two American hikers have been released from Iran and they're trying to reintroduce them to American culture. Right now, they're in a screening room outside of Washington, going through Jennifer Aniston comedies." –David Letterman "There was no communication for the two years they were captive. There were a couple of emails from Anthony Weiner, but that's it." –David Letterma
More Late Night Jokes
"President Obama is criticizing Rick Perry for denying global warming. Can understand why Rick Perry doesn't take global warming seriously. As governor of Texas, he's probably fried more people than global warming all put together." –Jay Leno"President Obama claims his new jobs bill will be better than his old jobs bill, which only created one job that went to a guy named Bill." –Jay Leno"Herman Cain won the Republican straw poll in Florida. Cain has had more wins in Florida this year than the Miami Dolphins." –Jay Leno"President Obama's visit to Los Angeles has really messed up traffic. It took me two hours to get to work. Of course, I ride a little girl's bike to work." –Conan O'Brien"Obama was heckled by someone who said, 'Don't forget about medical marijuana.' The Secret Service has narrowed the suspects down to everyone in L.A." –Conan O'Brien"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a tax break for 'Jersey Shore.' The veto made Snooki so angry that she turned orange-red." –Conan O'Brien"Hallmark has launched a line of recession-themed cards that say, 'Sorry you lost your job.' The good news is, the cards come pre-addressed to your congressman." –Conan O'Brien"Joe Biden was a guest on 'The View' today. It was a little weird, When Whoopi said it was time for 'Hot Topics,' Biden was like, 'The sun! Coffee! Toasters! Did I win?'" –Jimmy Fallon
Hopkins City Council Election
The election will be held on November 8, 2011. I am one of the candidates. The League of Women Voters will sponsor a forum on October 6th and this will be broadcast on local public access television. My preparations for the campaign are still being made. Hopkins is a city of some 17,000 persons with an area of some four square miles. Hopkins is a second tier suburb with Minneapolis being but a short distance away. Hopkins is surrounded by Minnetonka, Edina, St. Louis Park, and Eden Prairie.
Martin Teigen's bio
"Martin Teigen (Fifty-fifth District) was born in the Township of Meadow, Blue Earth county, 1874. In 1879 the family moved to Jackson county. He received most of his education in the schools of the state. In 1900 he emigrated to Bottineau county, N.D., where he filed on a homestead where he resided for 29 years. Besides farming he was connected with various co-operative organizations. In 1926, he bought a farm in Mille Lacs county." Author's note: Meadow Township is actually Medo Township. Martin attended Luther College in Decorah Iowa and the University of Minnesota. He was a graduate of Luther Seminary in Robbinsdale MN. He was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1900 in Willmar MN. He served as a Lutheran pastor in North Dakota until 1915. My late father, Bjarne Teigen, told me that Martin left the Lutheran ministry because of stomach problems. Martin managed grain elevators in Kramer ND and one other location which I am temporarily unable to remember. Source: The Legislative Manual of the State Minnesota Compiled for The Legislature of 1933 by Mike Holm Secretary of State.
1932 Election Tally - Greenbush Twp. Mille Lacs County
Voters in the United States and in Minnesota voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt for President in 1932. Floyd B. Olson of the Farmer Labor party was elected governor. Martin Teigen was elected to the Minnesota Legislature. The voters in Greenbush Township, Martin Teigen's home, voted 312 for FDR and 90 for Herbert Hoover. Governor Olson received 323 votes to Earle Browne's 76. The FL Lieutenant-Governor K.K. Solberg easily outdistanced his nearest rival Republican T.O. Streissguth, 272 to 72. FL Candidate John Lyons took 241 votes in the Secretary of State Race to Republican Mike Holm's 132 (Holm won the overall election). Knud Wefald FL was elected Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner over Oscar A. Sweson and took 273 votes in Greenbush Township to Swenson's 74. In Greenbush, FL Candidate Harry Peterson received 271 votes to Republican Henry Benson's total of 74. Greenbush Township was receptive to Farmer Labor politics. Where did Martin Teigen fit into this picture? Martin Teigen was not a Farmer Labor Party guy. As we will see later in this series, he unfavorably compared some of the Farmer Labor programs in Minnesota with Non-Partisan League programs which he had experienced in North Dakota in earlier days. I think of Martin Teigen as somewhat of a progressive, albeit a conservative progressive. I will write more later about the Non-partisan League of North Dakota and Martin's involvement in a competitive political program, the Independent Voters League. Martin lived in North Dakota from 1900 to 1928.
Jokes of the Day - August 19, 2011
"President Obama is on a bus tour to talk about jobs, and it turns out the bus was made in Canada. If he were a real American that bus would have been made in China.USA! USA!" –Conan O'Brien "Obama said the housing market may not pick up again for another year or longer. On the bright side, President Obama now has nine people interested in his house." –Conan O'Brien "Michele Bachmann said that when she is president, gas prices will come down to less than $2 a gallon. When asked how she’ll make that happen, she said she'll hunt down the CEO of Exxon and stare at him." –Conan O'Brien "A new survey has Rick Perry ahead of Mitt Romney by 11 points, and Michele Bachmann is five points behind him. I think it’s going to come down to who wears the most flag pins." –Jimmy Kimmel "Perry is an attractive candidate for many conservatives, because he wants smaller government, to cut national spending, and he knows how to fire a grenade launcher. He’s like the Sarah Palin of politics." –Jimmy Kimmel "Rick Perry was once a Democrat. Just once, in college. He was experimenting." –Jimmy Kimmel "Donald Trump may be running for president, and why not? He’s got that everyman quality that we can all relate to." –Jimmy Kimmel "Rick Perry is now the front runner. Of course they’re letting him run in front. Because he’s the one with the gun." –Stephen Colbert "Texas governor Rick Perry has been in the race only three days, and he's already blowing away the competition like it is a trespassing coyote." -- Stephen Colbert [source: Dan Kurtzman]
1930 Census re Martin Teigen
Pete Teigen (a cousin of mine, a grandson of Martin, a son of Rolf) has made this information available. Martin Teigen in 1930 lived in Greenbush Township, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota. Martin Teigen was 58 at the time of the census . He was married to Mathilda when he was 34. Mathilda was 52 in 1930 and she was 27 when married. Martin and Mathilda were both children of Norwegian immigrants. Martin was not a veteran. Martin and Mathilda were farmers. All of the Teigen children were born in North Dakota. Erling T. was 23; Bjarne W. 20; Torald N. 18; Gudrun I. 17; Ingolf O. 14; Rolf A. 13.
Norman Teigen for Hopkins City Council - 2011
Two seats on the Hopkins MN City Council have become open and I am running for one of them. The election is November 8th. I expect that the election will revolve around financial issues. I have lived in Hopkins since 2000. I am retired and spend my time as a volunteer. The campaign, as I see it now, doesn't really start until October 6th when the League of Women Voters sponsors a televised forum at City Hall. My intention is to prepare for that event by gathering as much information as I can about the issues of the election. I spent five bucks to have my name put on the ballot, and, at this point, that is all of the money that I intend to spend on the campaign. I will see the city director of finance on the 13th to learn what I can learn about city finances.
Martin Teigen Wins Seat in Legislature - 1932
Martin Teigen was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in the 1932 election as a representative from the 55th District in the 1933 session. The 55th was located in Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne Counties. Teigen was a farmer from Greenbush Township in Mille Lacs County. Two representatives served the 55th District. The elections results for 1932 were as follows: Fay Cravens 6,340 Martin Teigen 5,872 John E. Odegard 5,561 Carl Engstrom 5,296 Since the focus here is on Martin Teigen, I note that he received 1,661 votes in Kanabec County, 2,553 in Mille Lacs County, and 1,658 votes in Sherburne County. The Princeton Union reported on November 10, 1932 that Cravens and Engstrom were affiliated with the Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL). The Union reported with some regret that if Teigen and Odegard had joined forces they both might have won. The Union noted with regret that Odegard was a favorite representative of the paper. "Sincere regret is felt in Princton village for the defeat of John Odegard who has most creditably represented this district in the house for five terms. He had a reputation for being a hard worker and was given important committee assignments. Mr. Odegard has served his district well and it is to be hoped that his retirement from the legislature is only temporaryl" In Greenbush Township Teigen received 303 votes while Odegard only received 113 votes. So, the Princeton Union favored Teigen and Odegard but Greenbush voters thought more of Teigen than Odegard. [My cousin Pete Teigen is the source of information for the Princeton Union. Thanks, Pete. I wouldn't even have started this project without you.]
I am back again
Some of my family and friends have said that they miss the jokes on my blog. So, I have decided to get back into the blog again. Dan Kurtz continues to send me political jokes on Friday so I will start the jokes again on Friday. Another reason to start blogging again is because I am running for Hopkins City Council. The election will be on November 8th. I will write about my activities as I pursue this seat on the council. I am also reading about my grandfather Martin Teigen who served in the Minnesota legislature in the nineteen thirties. To my knowledge, I am the only member of my family to seek public office since my grandfather. So, weekend jokes, Norman's campaign for City Council, and Martin Teigen in the Minnesota legislature.
This blog is now closed
I have discovered Facebook and will now discontinue my blogging.