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Knute Nelson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| In office March 4, 1895 – April 28, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | William D. Washburn |
| Succeeded by | Magnus Johnson |
| 12th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 4, 1893 – January 31, 1895 | |
| Lieutenant | David Marston Clough |
| Preceded by | William Rush Merriam |
| Succeeded by | David Marston Clough |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1889 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Solomon Comstock |
| Member of the Minnesota Senate | |
| In office 1874–1878 | |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office 1868–1869 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Knud Evanger February 2, 1843 Voss, Sweden–Norway |
| Died | April 28, 1923 (aged 80) Timonium, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before c. 1865) |
| Spouse | Nicolinæ Jacobson |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Albion Academy, Albion, Wisconsin |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States (Union) |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861-1865 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | Black Hawk Rifles of Racine 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Knute Nelson (born Knud Evanger; February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923) was a Norwegian-born American attorney and politician active in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A Republican, he served in state and national positions: he was elected to the Wisconsin and Minnesota legislatures and to the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate from Minnesota, and served as the 12th governor of Minnesota from 1893 to 1895. Having served in the Senate for 28 years, 55 days, he is the longest-serving Senator in Minnesota's history.
Nelson is known for promoting the Nelson Act of 1889 to consolidate Minnesota's Ojibwe/Chippewa on a reservation in western Minnesota and break up their communal land by allotting it to individual households, with sales of the remainder to anyone, including non-natives. This was similar to the Dawes Act of 1887, which applied to Native American lands in the Indian Territory.