Richard M. Erdall was the fortieth Mayor of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

. He served a one-day term on December 31, 1973. Prior to this, he served as alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 for the City's 13th Ward and the President of the Minneapolis City Council, but was defeated in November 1973 when seeking re-election as alderman. The opportunity to serve as mayor arose because the incumbent mayor, Charles Stenvig

Charles Stenvig

Charles A. Stenvig served as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota for three two-year terms from 1969–1973 and 1976–1978 . Stenvig was a police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department before and after his service as mayor...

, a former police detective who had also been defeated when seeking re-election, resigned on his final day in office to become acting Chief of Police.

Erdall was a member of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, and the last Republican to serve as Mayor of Minneapolis. In 1976, Erdall received the Republican nomination in the race to represent Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Minnesota's 5th congressional district is a geographically small urban and suburban congressional district in Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. It was created in 1883 and was named the "Bloody...

, which was then represented by seven-term incumbent Donald M. Fraser

Donald M. Fraser

Donald MacKay Fraser is an American politician from Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early life:Donald Fraser played a critical role in making human rights an important part of U.S. policy. Fraser was born on 20 February 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Everett and Lois Fraser. His parents were émigrés...

. Erdall received less than 26 percent of the vote, and Fraser was re-elected.