Overview

This was the home of notable Minnesota politician John Lind. 

• Location: 1775 Colfax Avenue South 
• Neighborhood: Lowry Hill 

Historic profile

This was the home of notable Minnesota politician John Lind. John Lind was a Swedish-born immigrant. He was elected as Minnesota's 14th governor in 1899.

Prominent architect William Channing Whitney designed the house. It is a classic example of the Georgian Revival style. It has brick walls, dormers, and chimneys on the side elevations. The windows are double-hung and have stone keystones above and sills below. The main entrance is framed by a Doric portico. The house was built at the same time as the Turnblad House, another historic landmark. John Lind and Swan Turnblad were friends. Their houses used some of the same interior materials and Swedish craftsmen.

Early on, Lind was a schoolteacher, superintendent of Brown County schools, and a lawyer in New Ulm. He was the first Swedish-born American to be elected to the U.S. Congress in 1886. He served one term as Minnesota governor before serving again as a U.S. Congressman. Lind was a Progressive politician who championed the interests of the working classes. He supported organized labor, fair taxes, indigenous civil rights, conservation, and regulation for trusts and the railroad.

He later served as President of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson appointed Lind as Presidential Emissary to Mexico. Lind was also a founding member of the Board of Trustees for the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. In 1918, he was appointed to the Advisory Council to the Secretary of Labor.

The Linds hosted many civic events and guests here. John died in 1930. His wife Alice lived here until the 1940s.