Stassen , the third of five children , was born in West St. Paul , Minnesota , to Elsie Emma ( née Mueller ) and William Andrew Stassen , a farmer and several-times mayor of West St. Paul . His mother was German and his father was born in Minnesota , to German and Czech parents . He graduated from high school at age 14 . At the University of Minnesota , Stassen was an intercollegiate debater and orator , and captain of the champion university rifle team in 1927 . He received his B.A. degree in 1927 , and his LL.B . degree in 1929 . That year , he married his wife , the former Esther Glewwe , whose sister , Martha , was married to Harold 's younger brother , William . After opening a law office with Elmer J. Ryan in South St. Paul that year , he was elected District Attorney of Dakota County in 1930 and 1934 , then elected Governor of Minnesota in 1938 . Stassen was seen as an " up and comer " after delivering the keynote address at the 1940 Republican National Convention . There he worked to help Wendell Willkie win the Republican Party ( GOP ) nomination for the presidency
1940 Republican National Convention
1940 Republican National Convention
Harold Stassen