Attorney General, 1938 Election
General
| Date: | November 8, 1938 |
| Cycle: | 1938 |
| Office: | Attorney General |
| State: | Minnesota |
| District: | Statewide |
| Candidate | Gender | Party | Votes | Percent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Alfred Arner (J.A.A.) Burnquist | Man | Republican | 530,971 | 49.90 | +14.34 |
| William Ervin Incumbent | Man | Farmer-Labor | 378,385 | 35.56 | |
| John Sullivan | Man | Democrat | 154,799 | 14.55 |
Minnesotans elected an attorney general with a plurality of the vote for the fourth consecutive cycle.
Burnquist was a former two-term state Representative (1909-1913), twice-elected lieutenant governor (1913-1915), and three-term governor (1915-1921).
Ervin was appointed attorney general by Governor Hjalmar Petersen in December 1936 to replace Harry Peterson who was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Sullivan was a resident of St. Paul.
Sources
- The Legislative Manual of the State of Minnesota, 1939 (Abstract of Votes Polled for State Officers By Counties).