Mary Anderson (Mayor, Kinney, MN)
Encyclopedia
Mary "Polly" Anderson (June 8, 1915 – October 24, 2007) was an American political figure on the Iron Range
. Described as “feisty” and someone who “personified the spirit of the Iron Range,” she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of her neighbors as an active DFLer
and the mayor of Kinney, Minnesota
.
on June 8, 1915, to tavern owners Bude and Mildred (Vukadinovich) Pavlovich. Anderson graduated from Buhl High School and the nursing program of what has become Virginia Regional Medical Center. After traveling to Alaska and California as a young person, she settled back in Kinney to work at her father's tavern in 1944, which she renamed "Mary's Bar" when he died in 1958. Over the years, Mary’s Bar played host to numerous campaigns and fund raisers for Minnesota Democrats, including such luminaries as Jim Oberstar
, Hubert Humphrey
, Paul Wellstone
and Rudy Perpich
.
She is most well known for her tenure as mayor of Kinney, Minnesota
from 1973 to 2002, and her (unofficial) proposal to have Kinney secede
from the United States as the Republic of Kinney to protest a lack of government services, which she sent as a town resolution to Secretary of State
Cyrus Vance
. The proposal yielded a great deal of publicity for the small town of 250 residents, and ultimately earned the town a new water system.
She died on October 24, 2007, in Chisholm, Minnesota
.
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
. Described as “feisty” and someone who “personified the spirit of the Iron Range,” she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of her neighbors as an active DFLer
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
and the mayor of Kinney, Minnesota
Kinney, Minnesota
Kinney is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 169 at the 2010 census.U.S. Highway 169 is nearby.-Geography:...
.
Life
She was born in Chisholm, MinnesotaChisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
on June 8, 1915, to tavern owners Bude and Mildred (Vukadinovich) Pavlovich. Anderson graduated from Buhl High School and the nursing program of what has become Virginia Regional Medical Center. After traveling to Alaska and California as a young person, she settled back in Kinney to work at her father's tavern in 1944, which she renamed "Mary's Bar" when he died in 1958. Over the years, Mary’s Bar played host to numerous campaigns and fund raisers for Minnesota Democrats, including such luminaries as Jim Oberstar
Jim Oberstar
James Louis "Jim" Oberstar is a former U.S. Representative who served in the U.S. Congress from 1975 until 2011 as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. He represented northeastern , which included the cities of Duluth, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, International Falls, and Hibbing...
, Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
, Paul Wellstone
Paul Wellstone
Paul David Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College...
and Rudy Perpich
Rudy Perpich
Rudolph George "Rudy" Perpich, Sr. was an American politician and the longest-serving governor of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as the 34th and 36th Governor of Minnesota from December 29, 1976 to January 4, 1979, and from January 3, 1983, to January 7, 1991...
.
She is most well known for her tenure as mayor of Kinney, Minnesota
Kinney, Minnesota
Kinney is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 169 at the 2010 census.U.S. Highway 169 is nearby.-Geography:...
from 1973 to 2002, and her (unofficial) proposal to have Kinney secede
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the United States as the Republic of Kinney to protest a lack of government services, which she sent as a town resolution to Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Cyrus Vance
Cyrus Vance
Cyrus Roberts Vance was an American lawyer and United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980...
. The proposal yielded a great deal of publicity for the small town of 250 residents, and ultimately earned the town a new water system.
She died on October 24, 2007, in Chisholm, Minnesota
Chisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
.
Other sources
(First Edition).- Bloomquist, Lee. "Mary Anderson, mayor of 'Republic of Kinney,' dies," Duluth News Tribune, 24 October 2007.
- "Mary P. Anderson," Hibbing Daily Tribune, 27 October 2007.
- Hanna, Bill. "Mary Anderson's life is feted in her work, city history," Mesabi Daily News, 28 October 2007.
- Tyssen, Linda. "Appropriate Farewell: Mary Anderson's Life Celebrated in Serbian Style," Mesabi Daily News, 29 October 2007.
- Bloomquist, Lee. "Politicians, constituents, friends gather for funeral of Iron Range institution," Duluth News Tribune, 30 October 2007.