OVERVIEW
Minnesota Historical Society
Searle, Rod.
Rodney N. Searle papers.
1943-2005.
Correspondence, legislative files, Republican Party and
campaign files, book research files, speeches, photographs, and biographical
materials of an Independent-Republican state legislator from Waseca County in
southeastern Minnesota who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives
(District 30B) from 1956 to 1980.
27 cubic feet (27 boxes).
See [Detailed Description](a9) section for
shelf locations.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROD SEARLE
Rodney N. Searle was born in Camden, New Jersey on July 17, 1920. His father, William
A. Searle, was a newspaper editor and his mother, Ruby Marie Barrus Searle, was a
nurse. Searle married Jane E. Christie on May 17, 1941 and moved to Minnesota in May
1947 to farm with his wife's brother.
Searle was elected by Waseca County in 1956 to the 16th district House seat vacated
by Omar Dahle. During his first term Searle was appointed to the committees on
Appropriations, Education, Game and Fish, Reapportionment, and State and County
Fairs. Throughout the course of his 24-year tenure Searle served 16 years on the
Education Committee (1957-1972), eight years on the Higher Education Committee
(1969-1976), 20 years on the Appropriations Committee (1957-1960 and 1963-1978), and
chaired the education division of the Appropriations Committee for ten years.
Searle also served as assistant minority leader from 1975 until 1979 when
representation in the House was evenly divided between the two major political
parties. Lengthy negotiations between the two parties resulted in the adoption of
temporary rules for the first session of the 71st legislature. Searle served as
Speaker of the House under those rules while Irv Anderson chaired the Committee on
Rules and Legislative Administration. After the DFL won a majority of House seats in
1980, Searle then led the Independent-Republican Caucus.
Searle retired from the Legislature following the close of the 1980 legislative
session and was replaced by Jerry Schoenfeld who had campaigned against Searle in
the 1978 election. Following his retirement Searle served as president of the
Minnesota State University Board until 1991 when he was named chairman of the
Minnesota College Merger Board.
Biographical information was taken from the collection.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The files contain background information on legislative subject areas; correspondence
between Searle and other legislators, interest groups, state agency officers, local
officials, and private citizens concerning proposed legislation; reports; printed
material; speeches; and news clippings. There is a strong focus on the University of
Minnesota, and higher education in general, in earlier (1956-1972) files.
The papers also contain background information for Searle's book on the 1979
legislature, which was split 67-67 between Republicans and Democrats. Searle shared
the role of speaker of the house with Irv Anderson, a Democrat.
Also included are files (1963-1980) of Arv Johnson, a government and politics
correspondent for WCCO radio. The files contain his correspondence, notes, and radio
scripts.
ARRANGEMENT
These documents are organized into the following sections:
- Correspondence, 1949-1981
- Legislative Files, 1959-1991 (bulk 1961-1980)
- Arv Johnson Files, 1963-1980
- Republican Party and Campaign Files, 1957-1980
- Book Research Files, 1979-1989
- Biographical Materials, undated, 2005
- Speeches, undated, 1958-1992
- Photographs, 1957-2005
RELATED MATERIALS
Searle's book Minnesota Standoff : The Politics of Deadlock is available in the
Minnesota Historical Society book collection.
An interview with Searle is included in the House Divided Oral History Project
available in the Minnesota Historical Society oral history collection.
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the
catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using
these headings.
Topics:
Legislative bodies -- Presiding officers.
Education -- Finance -- Law and legislation --
Minnesota.
Higher education and state -- Minnesota.
Persons:
Johnson, Arv (Verner Arvid),
1916-1980.
Organizations:
Independent-Republicans of
Minnesota.
Minnesota. Legislature. House of
Representatives.
Republican Party (Minn.).
University of Minnesota.
Places:
Minnesota -- Politics and government -- 1945-1980.
Waseca County (Minn.) -- Politics and government --
1945-1980.
Document Types:
Bills (legislative records).
Photographs.
Radio scripts.
Speeches.
Video recordings.
Occupations:
Legislators -- Minnesota.
Titles:
Minnesota standoff.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Rodney
N. Searle Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession numbers: 12,782; 14,060; 15,353; 16,376
Processing Information:
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project
grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC).
Processed by: Bonnie Beatson Palmquist, December 1989; Monica Manny Ralston, June
2005; Jennifer Huebscher, May 2011.
Catalog ID number: 001714853
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Correspondence Files,
1949-1981
152.B.19.4F
1
Correspondence,
1943-1964.
152.B.19.5B
2
Correspondence,
1965-1972.
152.B.19.6F
3
Correspondence,
1973-August
1975.
152.B.19.7B
4
Correspondence,
August 1975-May
1979.
152.B.19.8F
5
Correspondence,
June
1979-1981.
Legislative Files,
1959-1991 (bulk
1961-1980)
152.B.19.8F
5
62nd legislative session,
1961-1962:
Mental health.
State college: Master's degree bill.
University of Minnesota.
63rd legislative session,
1963-1964:
Education Subcommittee on Appropriations (interim
subcommittee).
Higher education.
University of Minnesota:
Appropriations summary.
Enrollment and miscellaneous.
Legislative request.
152.B.19.9B
6
64th legislative session,
1965-1966:
Education Subcommittee of Appropriations.
2 folders.
Engineering education.
Future of higher education (Minnesota Liaison and Facilities
Commission).
Higher education.
Higher education enrollments.
Junior College Board: Appropriation summary.
Nurses scholarship.
School bus bill.
State aid bill.
State College Board: Appropriation summary.
State college retirement.
State colleges.
University of Minnesota:
Appropriation summary.
Lankamer, Richard A.
Includes correspondence and news clippings regarding faculty
suspected of belonging to the Communist Party.
Legislative request.
Miscellaneous.
Regents.
Upper Midwest research and development.
Vocational schools.
65th legislative session,
1967-1968:
Bemidji State College.
Department of Education reviews and
recommendations.
Education:
Correspondence.
News clippings.
Education Commission of the States.
Elementary, secondary and area vocational-technical
education.
Higher education.
Junior College Board: Appropriation summary.
Junior colleges.
Medical education.
Miscellaneous.
52.B.19.10F
7
National Conference of State Legislative Leaders.
State College Board: Appropriation summary.
University of Minnesota:
Appropriation summary.
Hospitals legislative request.
Legislative request.
66th legislative session,
1969-1970:
Abortion bill.
Agriculture.
Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
2 folders.
Area vocational schools.
2 folders.
Bills authored.
Board of Regents.
Claims.
Conservation.
Constituent problems.
Corporate farming.
Education.
2 folders.
Education Commission of the States.
Elementary and secondary education.
Enrollment.
Financial institutions.
Freeborn County.
Higher education.
Higher Education Coordinating Committee.
2 folders.
Highways.
Insurance.
Interim legislative work (Appropriations).
Junior colleges.
152.B.19.11B
8
Legislative Building Commission.
Legislative election,
1970.
Medical subcommittee.
Minnesota Intercollegiate Faculty Conferences.
Minnesota School Boards Association.
Miscellaneous.
National Conference of State Legislative Leaders.
1 volume.
Newsletters.
Questionnaire.
Reorganization (Government).
Republican Party.
Split liquor.
Southern School and Experiment Station (Waseca,
Minn.).
Southern School of Agriculture.
State colleges.
3 folders.
State College Board: Appropriation summary.
State college system: Biennial budget request.
152.B.19.12F
9
Teachers Retirement Association.
Township affairs.
University.
University of Minnesota:
Appropriations summary.
Legislative request.
Veterans affairs.
Waseca County.
Weekly legislative reports.
News clippings.
67th legislative session,
1971-1972:
Abortions.
Area vocational schools.
Banking.
Bills authored.
2 folders.
Board of Regents.
Commitments (Speaking engagements and
appointments).
Computer Subcommittee.
Congratulations.
Conservation.
Constituent problems.
2 folders.
Corporate farming.
Data processing.
Education Commission of the States.
1 folder and 1 notebook.
152.B.19.13B
10
Education Division. Appropriations.
3 folders and 1 notebook.
Elementary and secondary education.
Enrollment.
Financial institutions.
Follow-up.
Freeborn County.
Gas tax.
Gifted and exceptional children.
Higher education.
Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
2 folders.
Highways.
Inaugural address of Governor Wendell Anderson.
Judges salaries.
Junior colleges.
League of Women Voters.
Legislative election,
1972.
2 folders.
Legislative research.
Lobbyists.
Mankato State College.
Medical education.
Mental health.
Minnesota Metropolitan State College.
Minnesota School Boards Association.
Miscellaneous.
2 folders.
Moorhead State College.
MPIRG (Minnesota Public Interest Research Group).
Newsletters.
No fault insurance.
Nursing.
Parimutuel betting bill.
Party designation.
Personal (Rod Searle).
152.B.19.14F
11
Political bills (Roll call vote).
Pollution (Solid waste).
Private College Council.
Private colleges.
Profit sharing.
Reapportionment.
Regional government.
Reorganization (Government).
Republican Party.
Retirements.
School district assessed vales.
Senate Journal (DFL attempt).
Social sciences and humanities.
Soil conservation.
Southwest State College.
State college system biennial budget request.
State college students.
States colleges.
Taxes.
Taxes: Nonprofit organizations.
Teacher certification.
Teacher "Meet and Confer."
Teachers Retirement Association.
Tours.
Township affairs.
University.
4 folders.
152.B.19.15B
12
University of Minnesota:
Crookston Technical College.
Duluth.
Health sciences.
Legislative requests.
1 folder and 1 notebook.
Long range development plan.
1 volume.
Medical services.
Morris.
Pension plans.
1 notebook.
Reports.
2 folders.
Responses for information requested by legislators.
1 notebook.
Staffing and salaries.
2 notebooks.
Waseca Technical College.
3 folders.
152.B.19.16F
13
University Study Commission.
2 folders.
Utilities (R.E.A.).
Veterans affairs.
Vietnam war resolution.
Vocational education.
Voyageurs National Park.
Waseca County.
Welfare.
Zoo.
Weekly releases and radio.
News clippings.
1 folder and 1 scrapbook.
68th legislative session,
1973-1974:
Appropriations Committee.
Appropriations: Agriculture.
Bargaining bill.
Bills.
Searle bills.
Correspondence regarding bills.
Board of Regents.
Conference Committee.
Council of State Governments.
2 folders.
154.J.18.1B
14
Education:
Administration.
Appropriations Committee: Higher Education Division.
3 folders.
Area vocational technical education.
Curriculum Subcommittee.
Elementary-Secondary.
Enrollment.
Gifted.
2 folders.
Higher education:
General.
Agricultural education.
Committee.
Coordinating Commission.
2 folders and 2 volumes.
State College.
University of Minnesota.
Nurse education.
Southwest State College.
University of Minnesota:
Law School.
Legislative requests.
Vice president for agriculture.
Waseca County Vocational Center.
Waseca Technical College.
Environmental Resource Committee.
Health care.
Highway 14 Corp.
Homestead tax.
154.J.18.2F
15
Lateral 2 (Steele County).
Legislative Audit Commission.
3 folders.
Legislative Building Commission.
Legislative election,
1974.
2 folders.
Lobbyists.
Miscellaneous.
2 folders.
Minnesota Horizons.
Minority research.
3 folders.
No fault insurance.
Partisan politics.
Private College Council.
Questionnaire.
Recycling.
Rules Committee.
School aid bill.
State office building remodeling.
Steering Committee.
Student constituents.
Tax bill.
Turtle Creek water problem.
Unicameral.
Watershed bill.
154.J.18.3B
16
Weekly news reports.
2 folders.
News clippings.
2 folders.
69th legislative session,
1975-1976:
Anatomical gifts (H.F. 837, S.F. 156).
Appropriations Committee.
Appropriations Committee: Education Division.
Audit Commission.
Auto inspection.
A.V.T.I. (Area Vocational Technical Institutes).
Ban-the-Can.
Banking.
Bicentennial Commission.
Bills authored.
Board of Regents.
Bridges.
Budget.
Catastrophic health insurance.
Caucus.
Caucus personnel.
Caucus public relations.
Community colleges.
Conservation.
Constituent's problems.
Copper-nickel regional environmental impact statement work
plan.
Corrections.
Courts.
DFL questionable dealings.
Dinner, 1973-1974 graduates.
Domed stadium.
Drainage.
2 folders.
Drinking age (age of adulthood).
Drugs.
Education.
Education (elementary and secondary).
Ellendale.
Energy.
Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Environmental Quality Council.
ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).
Ethics.
Ethics Commission.
Faculty salaries.
Family Farm Security Act.
Foreign student day.
Freeborn County.
Gas tax.
Gay rights.
Governor's State of the State.
Gun control.
154.J.18.4F
17
Health care facilities.
Helmet law.
Higher education
Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
Highways.
Individual sewage disposal systems.
Inheritance tax.
Insurance.
Jessen, Vicki Marie (New Richmond).
Jobs (Minnesota Association of Commerce and
Industry).
Joint Commission on Space Needs.
Labor.
Laetrile.
Lake Itasca Seminar.
1 notebook.
Lake Restoration:
Albert Lea.
Waseca County.
Land use planning grant bill (H.F. 1026, S.F.
804).
Legislative election,
1976.
3 folders.
Libraries.
Liquor.
Liquor control.
McIntire, Nancy (intern).
Mankato State College and Wilson Campus.
Marijuana.
MECC (Minnesota Educational Computer Council).
Minnesota Education Council.
Minnesota Resources Commission.
Minnesota State Horticultural Society.
Miscellaneous.
Natural Resources Department.
2 folders.
Newton, Anthony, M.P.
Normandale Junior College.
Nuclear power plant insurance.
Nursing home rates evaluation.
Nursing.
154.J.18.5B
18
Optometry.
Parks.
Personal (Rod Searle).
Planned Parenthood.
Pollution control.
Power line.
Power line siting.
Private colleges.
Private school aid.
Rack-pricing bill.
Raccoon bill (H.F. 570, S.F. 458).
Regents.
2 folders.
Retired teachers.
Retirement.
Schools: Legislative districts.
Senior citizens.
Staff and space.
Snowmobile (Waseca County).
Southern Minnesota Rivers Basin Commission.
Southwest State College.
2 folders.
State colleges.
State University Board.
Steele County.
Super board.
Taxes.
Transportation.
Tuition freeze.
Unemployment compensation.
University of Minnesota:
General.
2 folders.
Backstrom, Charles (film).
Financial Aid Review Committee.
Waseca Technical College.
Upper Great Lakes Regional Council.
Usury.
Veterans.
Vocational education.
Vocational rehabilitation.
Waseca (City and county).
Waseca County.
Waseca County Republicans.
Welfare Department.
Wilson campus.
Wine bill.
Youngren, Rod.
2 folders.
Zoo.
154.J.18.6F
19
Weekly news reports.
2 folders.
News clippings, news releases, and weekly legislative
reports.
4 folders.
70th legislative session,
1977-1978:
Ag Interpretive Center (Waseca).
Allocations: Education Conference Committee.
Appropriations Committee: Education Division.
4 folders.
Audit Commission.
A.V.T.I. (Area Vocational Technical Institute).
Ban-the-Can.
Banking.
Bills authored.
Bridges.
Budget.
1 folder and 1 volume.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Capitol building annex.
Capital improvements (1978 legislative request).
Caucus personnel.
Column materials.
Community education.
Conservation.
Continental Telephone Company.
Determinate sentencing.
Domed stadium.
Drainage.
Dreissen, Vincent (House Page, 1977 session).
154.J.18.7B
20
Education.
Election judges bill.
Energy.
Energy emergency (Fuel).
Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Farm Bureau newsletters.
Foundation school aids.
Fuzz busters.
Gas lines.
Gay rights.
Gifted.
Grain Alcohol Fuel Board (H.F. 2117).
Gun control.
Higher education.
Higher education scholarships and grants-in-aid.
House scholarship fund.
Independent-Republican Party.
Institute of Technology Advisory Council.
Insurances.
Janesville.
Lake restoration: Waseca County.
Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources.
Legislative election,
1978.
Libraries.
MASA (Minnesota Association of School
Administrators).
Mental health and special education.
Minnesota Educational Computer Consortium.
Miscellaneous.
4 folders.
National Conference of State Legislators.
Natural Resources Department.
Natural Resources Department: Commissioner Nye, February
meeting.
Normandale Junior College.
Nurse education.
Nursing homes.
Personal (Rod Searle).
2 folders.
Penny, Senator Tim.
Power line siting.
3 folders.
Precinct caucuses.
154.J.18.8F
21
Press Council.
Public waters inventory.
Questionnaire.
2 folders.
Railroad abandonment (Albert Lea to St. Clair).
Regents.
Regional government.
Reserve Mining: Milepost 7.
Retirement.
Rules.
School consolidation (Senator Jerry Anderson).
School reorganization bill.
Schools: Legislative districts.
Shoreline zoning ordinance.
Southern Minnesota River Basin Committee.
Speeches.
1 notebook.
State colleges.
Student aids.
Successor bill.
Sweden trip.
Taxes.
Township government.
Transportation.
Unemployment compensation.
University of Minnesota:
General.
Alm, Dr. Kent G.
Duluth.
Financial Aid Review Committee.
Legislative request.
1 volume.
Technology (Herbert Johnson).
Waseca.
Usury.
Veterans.
Vocational education.
Waseca County and City.
Waseca County.
Waseca County claim.
Waseca County mental health services program.
Water resources.
Watkins Lake Dam.
Welfare Department.
Weekly news reports.
4 folders.
News clippings.
5 folders.
154.J.18.9B
22
71st legislative session,
1979-1980:
Ag Interpretive Center (Waseca).
Appointments.
2 folders.
Appointments and speaking engagements.
2 folders.
Bills authored.
Blitzes (freshmen).
2 folders.
Blooming Prairie.
Canadian ambassador.
Clarks Grove (State aid formula).
Community colleges.
2 folders.
Constituent letter.
Constituents:
Beyer, Pamela J. (social worker).
Bishman, Dale L. (Owatonna).
Blashack, Joe (Waldorf).
Brown, Laurie.
Ferber, Dan.
Fogarty, Marian (Minnesota Family Farm
Project).
Garness, Steve (Blooming Prairie).
Jeddeloh, Terry.
Krucko, Eugene.
Metejcek, Mrs. Ray (Richland Plastics, New
Richland).
Mitau, Charlotte (National Practice
Institute).
Olson, Emil (Albert Lea).
Sjoquist, Dan.
Slama Brothers (Waseca).
Smith, Robert A.
Swearington, Roger (Ellendale).
Wold, Cliff.
Daily schedule.
Ditch (John Kriessel).
Divided legislature.
Drainage.
Duncan, Merlin G. (Tuscaloosa, Alabama).
Education bill (K-3).
Election: District 30B,
1980.
154.J.18.10F
23
Energy.
Energy negotiations.
Energy special session.
Expenses and per diem.
Fellowship of Christian Legislators.
Freeborn County.
Fundraising.
2 folders.
Goose Lake matter (Waseca County).
Governor: Appointments.
Governor's Task Force on Executive and Judicial
Compensation.
Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Historical Society.
House employee salaries.
House finance office.
House Independent-Republican Caucus.
8 folders.
House organization and reorganization.
4 folders.
International trade seminar.
Irish delegation.
Juvenile court services (Waseca County).
Lake Okoboji (Iowa conference, June 27-29, 1979).
Lake Shore Inn Nursing Home.
Legislative Commission on Minnesota resources.
Meetings with governor.
Meetings with Irv Anderson.
Memorial Stadium.
Metropolitan State University.
154.J.19.1B
24
Minnesota Daily.
Minnesota Magazine
article.
Minnesota State Tree Farm Committee.
Miscellaneous.
Official directory of the Minnesota
Legislature,
1979.
Parachuting.
Parliamentary procedures (Edward A. Burdick, Chief
Clerk).
Pavlak, Bob.
Personal (Rod Searle).
Policy Board.
Questionnaire.
Railroad problem (Waseca).
Retirement announced.
Rotary Club: Gambling.
RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program).
Rules.
Scholarships: School District 30B.
Special session.
Speeches.
3 folders.
State convention (Duluth),
May 29-31,
1980.
State University Board.
Symposium: Rockstore 80 Conference (Stockholm, Sweden).
2 folders.
Teamster letter.
Underground Space Advisory Committee.
2 folders.
University of Minnesota: Waseca.
Voting rights for certain persons under guardianship (H.F.
250).
Waseca County.
2 folders.
Waseca housing proposal.
Waseca public schools.
Waseca WATS calls.
3 folders.
Waldorf-Pemberton railroad line.
Washington trip: Inflation meeting,
December 13,
1978.
WCCO: "Nobody Ever Asked Me."
154.J.19.2F
25
Weekly news reports.
News releases.
2 folders.
News clippings.
12 folders.
Photographs,
[1979?].
Arv Johnson Files,
1963-1980
154.J.19.2F
25
Arv Johnson files,
1963-1980.
11 folders.
Includes correspondence, notes, radio broadcast scripts, and
miscellaneous material created by Arv Johnson, government and political
reporter for WCCO radio. Three folders contain materials collected by
Searle regarding Johnson's retirement and memorial service. These
include a sound recording of the May 3, 1979 House session that was
declared Arv Johnson Day.
Republican Party and Campaign Files,
1957-1980
154.J.19.2F
25
Young Men of Minnesota,
1957-1960.
Legislative information,
1959-1963.
Republican Party,
1959-1968.
152.F.13.14F
26
Campaign manual,
1960.
Politics and campaigns (Elmer L. Anderson),
1960.
Legislative campaigns,
1962,
1964.
Project Update,
1965.
Legislative races,
1965-1967.
2 folders.
LeVander campaign,
1966.
Republican Party (polls, editorials, etc.),
1966.
1968 campaign: Jessen,
1968.
Legislative campaign,
1968.
Republican platform,
1968.
Appreciation dinner,
1969.
Senate campaign,
1970.
Campaign manual,
1972.
Legislative campaign,
1972.
Legislative campaign fundraiser dinner,
1972.
Legislative record: Representative Rod Searle,
1973-1974.
Republican politics,
1974.
Legislative campaign,
1976.
Budget,
1978.
Legislative campaign,
1978.
2 folders.
New clippings,
1978.
Radio ads,
1978.
Signs,
1978.
Platform Committee, Republican Convention,
1980.
Book Research Files,
1979-1989
152.F.14.1B
27
Background materials for book.
4 folders.
Irv Anderson,
1982-1983.
John Helland interview with Rod Searle,
1980.
1 folder and 1 sound cassette.
House negotiations,
1978.
Legislature,
1979.
Minnesota Historical Society oral history project,
1980.
Recollections of other legislators and background material,
1979-1986.
Graphics.
Reviewer's comments,
1989.
Drafts.
4 folders.
Original manuscript copy.
3 folders.
154.J.19.2F
25
A. I. Johnson scholarship program,
1987.
1 videorecording.
Features Searle speaking about his experiences in the Minnesota
legislature and about former speaker of the House Alfred I. Johnson at a
forum held at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs moderated by
Walter F. Mondale.
An Insider's View: Minnesota Political
History,
April 10, 1991.
1 videorecording.
Features Searle speaking at Mankato State University about the 1979
legislature.
Biographical materials,
undated, 2005.
152.F.14.1B
27
Printed materials.
Includes packet by Jon Bjornson and materials from the Legislative
Reference Library.
Video oral history,
October 12, 2005.
1 video disc (DVD).
Presumably done by the Minnesota State University System, the oral
history features Searle, in his Waseca County home, discussing his early
life, how he got established in farming, politics, and the legislature's
role in combining various higher education systems into the Minnesota
State University System.
Speeches,
undated, 1958-1992.
5 folders.
152.F.14.1B
27
Undated.
1958-1968.
1969-1972.
1973-1987.
1988-1992.
Photographs,
undated, 1957-2005.
3 folders.
Assorted campaign, committee, and formal and candid photographs. Most are
identified.
152.F.14.1B
27
Undated.
1957-1974.
1975-2005.