Secretary of State Documents - Document Sets

Aeronautics Orders (1940s-1980s, 259 cards)

Orders cover the approval, disapproval, and closing of airports. For example the card for the village of Slayton notes the order for land acquisition for an airport in 1966. The index cards are arranged by the name of city, by name of airport, occasionally by name of individual requesting a private airstrip.

Appointments (1919-1991, 12,484 cards)

This extensive card set records appointments and reappointments by government bodies of individuals to various government offices. They serve as a rich biographical resource and source of information on government agencies, task forces, and commissions. For example, O.J. Anderson was appointed in 1931 as a member of the Uniform Conveyancing Blanks Commission. Another card leads to Governor Wendell Anderson’s letter of resignation in December of 1976.

Deputy Clerks of Court (1986-1991, 95 cards)

The cards list individuals who held the office of Deputy Clerks of Court in each court. The index cards are arranged by county.

Executive Orders (1943-1991, 36 cards)

The cards comprise a list, with short description of order and number, of executive orders from 1943 to 1991. The index cards are arranged chronologically by governor.

Extraditions (1941-1991, 2501 cards)

The cards list requests to the governors of other states to return wanted persons or fugitives. Examples: In 1960 the governor of California was requested to return Charles Harlan Cleveland of Hennepin County for the abandonment of minor children. In 1946 the governor of Wisconsin was requested to return a man with several aliases – Marcus Luverne Sherburne, alias James Boatman, alias Pat C. Gordon, for forgery and escaping from county jail. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by the name of the person being pursued.

Foreign Consul Registrations (1906-1990, 201 cards)

The cards list appointments, notices of appointments, letters, and exequaturs from persons named as foreign consuls, both general and honorary. For example, there are seven detailed cards listing appointments and actions regarding the Consul of Norway between 1906 and 1990. The index cards are primarily arranged alphabetically by the name of the country; some are alphabetically by the name of the individual.

Miscellaneous Official Documents (1905-1991, 2721 cards)

The set includes wide-ranging official orders, documents, determinations, and resolutions by government organizations. The cards point to a trove of information on individuals and government. Examples include the resignation of Ancher Nelson as lieutenant governor in 1953, and a report of the Senate Investigating Committee on state prisons in 1891. One cryptic card from 1923 is titled Monuments, described as “facts filed by Great Northern power Company re change in, marking boundary line between Minn. And Wisconsin, near Fond du Lac, Minn." They are arranged alphabetically by organization or individual, or by topic

Miscellaneous Bonds (1925-1987, 237 cards)

The cards from government agencies note surety bonds issued for officers and official actions. For example, a bond for the Leach & Gamble Company from Wahpeton, ND, was issued in 1947. The index cards are arranged by agency and occasionally by the last name of an individual.

Money Order Bonds (1955-1991, 79 cards)

The cards list filings of surety bonds by persons or companies that issue Money Orders in this state. The index cards are alphabetical by company name.

Oaths of Office (1915-1991, 12,653 cards)

This is an index to the actual signed oaths of various government officials of Minnesota in the 20th century. (However, oaths of office for legislators are not included.) The cards contain valuable information for biographical research. For example, Paul Dansingburg was appointed as State Librarian seven times between 1933 and 1945. The appointments give details on the structure of government offices and special commissions over time. For example, Walter Keim was appointed to the State Board of Examiners in Watchmaking in 1952. Joseph Begich was a member of a Blue Ribbon Commission on Mining in 1990. Some cards with multiple oaths noted show the range of an individual’s appointments. For example, former Secretary of State Arlen Erdahl was also appointed to the Minnesota Public Service Commission and the Minnesota Bipartisan Committee on Voters Registration.

With the oaths card set, the file cards themselves provide the pertinent information about the person, date, and office. The official documents themselves do not provide additional information. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by the last name of person taking the oath.

Obsolete Rules (1945-1977, 131 cards)

The index cards are arranged alphabetically by the name of the department.

Official Documents of Cities, Towns, and Villages (1905-1991, 1027 cards)

The cards often have long lists of documents regarding incorporations, dissolutions, annexations, charter adoptions. charter amendments, notices of extending corporate limits, and other documents. The cards include information on cities and towns that are dissolved. For example, a card on Marine on St. Croix includes a change of name order, certification of a local option liquor election, and a notice of change of village election date. The card for Clearwater notes 15 documents between 1918 and 1980. One card lists 15 villages under "Village dissolutions to August 1961." The index cards are arranged alphabetically by the name of the jurisdiction.

Out-of-State Tobacco Distributors (1947-1988, 99 cards)

The cards list appointments of the Secretary of State to Minnesota businesses to act as agent for non-Minnesota tobacco distributors. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by company name.

Plumbers' Bonds (1979-1991, 1384 cards)

The records of bonds field by plumbers and steamfitters could be useful for researching local business history. For example, L & S Plumbing of Hibbing took out bonds between 1987 and 1989. The index cards are alphabetical by the name of company and occasionally by an individual name.

Powers of Attorney (1917-1990, 216 cards)

The cards primarily record powers of attorney given to individuals by companies; for example, Louis A. Laramee was appointed as an agent for service of process on Simmons Hardware Company of Minneapolis. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual or company naming the agent or giving power of attorney.

Proclamations (1900-1991, 6237 cards)

These are mostly ‘honorary’ proclamations ("Apple Week") but there are a few declaring writs of special elections, or calling special sessions, that are substantive in nature. This card set will be important in verifying the Legislative Reference Library’s list of special elections. (Example: Governor’s writ and proclamation for a special election in the fifteenth senatorial district on April 21, 1936, to fill the Claude McKenzie vacancy.

Some cards lead to documents with interesting stories. One card leads to the Governors proclamation regarding the death of Senator Knute Nelson in 1923. A "reward" governor’s proclamation sought the arrest of Thomas F. Armstrong for murdering his wife in Rochester, April 25, 1918.

Rules (1977-1991, 176 cards)

These files correspond to MCAR, the Minnesota Code of Agency Rules, the compilation that preceded Minnesota Rules. There are some cards which note rules filed before MCAR. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by department.

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, 645 State Office Building, Saint Paul, MN 55155