20 Facts About Coya Knutson

Cornelia Genevive Gjesdal "Coya" Knutson was an American politician from the state of Minnesota.

Coya Knutson served two terms there, in the 84th and 85th Congresses, from January 3,1955, to January 3,1959.

Coya Knutson grew up on the farm where she was born, and inherited her politics from her father, a Populist who belonged to a socialist organization called the Non-Partisan League.

When she realized she would not make it in opera, she returned to Minnesota, where she married Andy Coya Knutson and moved to his farm near Oklee.

Andy Coya Knutson was an alcoholic and he would often beat his wife when drunk.

Coya Knutson wanted to run against the district's Republican incumbent, Harold Hagen, but party leaders endorsed another candidate, Curtis Olsson.

Coya Knutson had a thick accent and often sang and played her accordion at campaign events.

Coya Knutson financed her run by selling some land she had inherited from her father, and then barnstormed across the district, driving into farmers' fields to talk to them personally.

Coya Knutson was an effective candidate and overwhelmingly won a five-way primary in an upset, then repeated the feat that fall in the general election as Democrats nationwide returned to majority status in the United States Congress.

Coya Knutson was more enthusiastic about Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, whose farm policies and proposals were more popular in her district.

Coya Knutson endorsed him, chaired his campaign in Minnesota, and campaigned vigorously for him.

Coya Knutson had moved Terry to Washington, DC, to get away from Andy and his drunkenness and battering, and spent much of her time there.

Coya Knutson, I want you to tell the people of the 9th District this Sunday that you are through in politics.

Coya Knutson had considered addressing her dysfunctional marriage in public two years earlier, but had been dissuaded by her aides.

Still, Coya Knutson only lost by a little over a thousand votes, the only Democratic incumbent to fail to win re-election to the House that year.

Coya Knutson overwhelmingly carried Oklee and much of the northern part of the district, where people knew the truth about her marriage.

Coya Knutson divorced Andy in 1962 shortly after failing to win re-election, and he died in 1969 of acute alcohol poisoning.

Coya Knutson tried to win her seat back in 1960, but lost.

Coya Knutson went back to Washington and took a job as liaison officer in the United States Department of Defense's Office of Civil Defense, where she stayed until 1970.

Coya Knutson made one last attempt to regain office in 1977, but lost the 7th District's special election primary.