Editing Wendell R. Anderson (section)

==Political career==
Anderson served in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] from 1959 to 1963 and in the [[Minnesota State Senate]] from 1963 to 1971.<ref name=MLRL>{{cite web| url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=10020| title=Anderson, Wendell Richard "Wendy"| website=Minnesota Legislative Reference Library| access-date=July 8, 2020}}</ref> He was elected governor of Minnesota in [[1970 Minnesota gubernatorial election|1970]]. His signature accomplishment as governor was helping to create the "Minnesota Miracle of 1971", an innovative reform in financing of Minnesota public schools and local governments that created a fairer distribution in taxation and education. For his efforts, Anderson was featured on a 1973 cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19730813,00.html| title=Magazine Cover: Governor Wendell Anderson| date=August 13, 1973| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref>

After U.S. Senator [[Walter Mondale]] was elected vice president in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]], the governor had to appoint Mondale's successor. Anderson agreed with his lieutenant governor, [[Rudy Perpich]], that Anderson would resign as governor, and Perpich, as the new governor, would appoint Anderson to the Senate.

In what became known as the "Minnesota Massacre", nearly the entire [[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party|DFL Party]] ticket was defeated in 1978, including Perpich and the candidates for both [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seats, Anderson and [[Bob Short]]. Anderson's arrangement to have himself appointed to the Senate—and Perpich's role in that appointment—were deemed central factors in the defeats; Anderson said the move to appoint himself senator was his big mistake.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGrath |first1=Dennis J. |title=DFL's mishandling of 1976 Senate appointment led to party's 'Minnesota Massacre' |url=http://www.startribune.com/dfl-s-mishandling-of-1976-senate-appointment-led-to-party-s-minnesota-massacre/462396333/ |newspaper=[[Star Tribune]] |location=Minneapolis |access-date=January 28, 2019 |date=December 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Curtis |title=Thirty years ago it was the Republicans' year |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2008/05/29/massacre |work=[[Minnesota Public Radio]] News |access-date=January 28, 2019 |date=May 30, 2008}}</ref>

From 1989 to 2002, Anderson served as [[Consulate General of Sweden, Minneapolis|honorary consul general of Sweden in Minneapolis]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/59835/gupea_2077_59835_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |editor-last=Spiegelberg |editor-first=Christina |title=Sveriges statskalender 2002 |year=2002 |publisher=Fritzes |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=9138319519 |id={{SELIBR|8428312}} |page=173}}</ref> From 1995 to 2001, he served as a director for and head of the legal committee of Turbodyne Technologies Inc. (TRBD) in [[Carpinteria, California]]. In his later years, he was regularly called upon to act as a [[Political commentator|commentator]] on Minnesota politics for local stations such as [[KSTP-TV]].<ref name=MLRL/>