Andrew
Volstead,
the son of Norwegian immigrants, was
born in Kenyon, Minnesota, on 31st October, 1860. Educated at the
Decorah Institute, Iowa, he was admitted to the bar in 1883 and opened
an office in Grantsburg, Wisconsin.
In 1886 Volstead moved to Granite Falls, Minnesota, where he served
as city attorney and mayor (1886-1902). A member of the Republican
Party, Volstead was elected to Congress in 1903.
Volstead was a strong supporter of the civil rights movement and in
Congress was one of the few politicians willing to argue for federal
legislation against lynching. He was
also concerned about the growing consumption of alcohol and in 1919
his National Prohibition Act (also known
as the Volstead Act) that was passed by Congress. The law prohibited
the manufacture, transportation and sale of beverages containing more
than 0.5 per cent alcohol. The act was condemned by a large number
of the American population who considered it a violation of their
constitutional rights.
Volstead was defeated in the 1922 election and returned to Minnesota
where he worked as a lawyer. Andrew Volstead died in Granite Falls,
Minnesota, on 20th January, 1947.
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