Allen C Kolstad

Former Lt. Gov. Allen C. Kolstad, 76, a Liberty County farmer, rancher, businessman, Montana representative and senator. Born Dec. 24, 1931, in Chester to Henry and Mabel (Webb) Kolstad. He grew up in Chester and graduated from C.H.S. in 1949, then attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., for two years. He married Iva Matteson on Sept. 2, 1951. They moved to a farm south of Chester and began raising their family. In addition to farming and ranching, Allen loved politics. He was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 1968, then to the Montana Senate in 1975, serving on numerous committees during his 20 years in the state Legislature. He was an active Republican in many local, state and national issues, and supported the campaigns of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George Bush. From 1988 to 1991, Allen served as Montana's lieutenant governor during Stan Stephens' administration. In 1990, he ran a hard-fought campaign for the U.S. Senate against the eventual winner, Max Baucus. In 1991, Allen was appointed by President Bush as the U.S. Commissioner to the International Boundary Commission, a position he held until 1993.