Val Imm

Val Imm
Imm, circa 1963
Member of the Minnesota Senate
In office
1935–1966
Preceded byGustav Widell
Succeeded byKelly Gage
Constituency8th district (1935-1962)
11th district (1963-1966)
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 8th district
In office
1933–1934
Serving with Lester Ulrich
Personal details
Born(1893-08-28)August 28, 1893
Granton, Wisconsin
DiedJune 10, 1981(1981-06-10) (aged 87)
Dallas, Texas
PartyNonpartisan (Minnesota Legislature)
Republican (other races)
Children6

Val Imm (August 28, 1893 – June 10, 1981) was an American politician and newspaper editor. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1933 to 1934, and in the Minnesota Senate from 1935 to 1966.

Early life

Imm was born on August 28, 1893 in Granton, Wisconsin. He then moved to Amherst, Nebraska, and then to Minnesota in 1915, first to Rockford, then Jordan, then Mankato in 1926, where he lived at the time he was elected.

Career

Prior to his time in the Minnesota Legislature, Imm served one term on the Mankato city council. Outside of politics, he was the owner and editor of local newspaper The Mankato News from 1925 until it ceased publication in 1960.

He was first elected to the Legislature in 1932 as one of two members of the House of Representatives from the 8th district, alongside Farmer-Labor politician Lester Ulrich. In March 1934, he filed to run for the Minnesota Senate, following the retirement of incumbent Gustav Widell, and defeated challenger Josiah A. Baker in the general election that November. He was a member of the Senate Finance Committee throughout his entire tenure, becoming the head of the committee in 1955.

In 1940, Imm filed to run as a Republican candidate for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. He was defeated by eventual winner Joseph P. O'Hara in the primary elections. Imm ran again for the 2nd congressional district in 1948, and was narrowly defeated again in the primaries by O'Hara.

In 1966, Imm lost re-election to Kelly Gage, ending his thirty year tenure in the Senate.

Personal life

Imm married Gertrude A. Fehlandt in 1927. The couple had 6 children together. Four of them - Ruth, Valerie, Patricia, and Robert - worked as pages in the Minnesota Senate. His brother Martin H. Imm and son Robert were killed in a plane crash on November 22, 1953.

Death

Imm died on June 10, 1981 in Dallas, Texas. He was 87.

Notes

  1. ↑ From 1913 to 1973, elections in Minnesota were non-partisan. In the Minnesota Legislature, Imm caucused with the Conservatives. For other elections, such as those for the United States Congress, Imm registered as a Republican candidate.

References

  1. ↑ "Party Control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1951-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Val Imm - Legislator Record". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Val Imm In Race For Congress 8th District". The Courier-Sentinel. August 12, 1948. p. 4. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Mankato's Sen. Imm Called 'Mr. Finance'". Worthington Globe. February 15, 1963. p. 8. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Conservatives Losing House". The Daily Minneapolis Tribune. November 12, 1932. p. 8. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Val Imm Files For State Senate". The Minneapolis Journal. March 4, 1934. p. 20. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Legislature Is Conservative". The Minneapolis Journal. November 7, 1934. p. 12. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Val Imm Enters Congress Race". The Wells Mirror. June 20, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Primary Election Returns of Election Held September 10, 1940" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. September 10, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Primary Election Returns on Election Held September 14, 1948" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. September 14, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Conservatives To Control Legislature". Brainerd Dispatch. November 9, 1966. p. 10. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "One of 2 Imms in Senate Is 4th Imm to Work as Page". The Minneapolis Star. April 22, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Clipping from the Minneapolis Star". Minneapolis Star. January 7, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "One of 2 Imms in Senate Is 4th Imm to Work as Page". Star Tribune. January 5, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Sen. Imm's Son, Brother Killed in Plane Crash". Worthington Globe. November 23, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved October 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Former lawmaker dies". The Forum of Fargo–Moorhead. June 13, 1981. p. 15. Retrieved October 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.