Wendell R. Anderson is born in St. Paul. A member of the silver-medal-winning 1956 US Olympic ice hockey team, a lawyer, and a former legislator (in both House and Senate), he served as governor from 1971 to 1976. After helping to establish a firmer control on state finances through the "Minnesota Miracle" fiscal reforms of 1971, Anderson ended his career as an elected official by appointing himself to fill the US Senate seat of Walter Mondale following Mondale's election as vice president of the United States in November 1976.