Lloyd Bentsen

official photo of Lloyd Bentsen c. 1993, Department of the Treasury

Birth Name: Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr.

Date of Birth: February 11, 1921

Place of Birth: Mission, Texas, U.S.

Date of Death: May 23, 2006

Place of Death: Houston, Texas, U.S.

Ethnicity:
*father – Danish
*mother – English, Scottish

Lloyd Bentsen was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas, from December 4, 1948 to January 3, 1955, a U.S. Senator from Texas, from January 3, 1971 to January 20, 1993, and the 69th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, from January 20, 1993 to December 22, 1994.

He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1988. He was also a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1976. While he was the Vice Presidential nominee, he received an electoral vote for President from a faithless elector in the 1988 presidential election.

Lloyd was the son of Edna Ruth (Colbath) and Lloyd Millard Bentsen. His father was born in South Dakota, to Danish parents. His mother was born in Texas, and had English and Scottish ancestry. He was married to Beryl Longino, with whom he had three children.

Lloyd’s paternal grandfather was named Niels Peter Bentsen.

Lloyd’s paternal grandmother was Tena Peterson (the daughter of Mads Anton Petersen and Hanne/Hannah Mortensdatter).

Lloyd’s maternal grandfather was Edward Jefferson Colbath (the son of Winthrop Sinclair Colbath and Alceda Katherine/Catharine Neel). Edward was born in Texas. Winthrop was the son of Shepherd Joseph Colbath and Elizabeth McDonald. Alceda was the daughter of Thomas Neel and Laomi “Oma” McDonald.

Lloyd’s maternal grandmother was Achsah Rebecca Pue (the daughter of Samuel Brown Pue and Lucy Amos Dollahite). Achsah was born in Maryland or Texas. Samuel was the son of Arthur Pue, Jr. and Sally Dorsey.

Two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have served as Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey, from January 20, 1965 to January 20, 1969, and Walter Mondale, from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. Both were members of the Democratic Party.

Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were also the two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry who were nominated for President of the United States by a major party, Humphrey in 1968 and Mondale in 1984, both by the Democratic Party.

Mondale was also the Democratic Party’s nominee for re-election as Vice President in 1980. Aside of Humphrey, Mondale, and Bentsen, two other people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have been nominated for Vice President of the United States by a major party. The two were/are:
*Earl Warren (1948; Republican; Warren was of Norwegian and Swedish descent)
*Tim Walz (2024, Democratic; Walz’s paternal grandmother was of Swedish descent)

Lloyd was one of several people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry to run a plausible or semi-plausible campaign for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States. Of these candidates, several won a major party’s caucus and/or primary. They were:
*Earl Warren (who sought the 1936, 1944, 1948, and 1952 Republican nominations; each time, won 1 state, California)
*Charles A. Christopherson (who sought the 1944 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Christopherson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Hubert Humphrey (Democratic; in 1952, he won 1 state, Minnesota; in 1960, he won 2 states; in 1972, he won 5 states)
*Joe Foss (who sought the 1956 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Foss’s father was of Norwegian descent)
*Henry M. Jackson (Democratic; ran in 1972 and 1976: in 1976, he won 4 contests; Jackson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Walter Mondale (1984, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 20 contests)

Other people of heavily Scandinavian heritage who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*George T. Mickelson (who sought the 1952 Republican nomination; Mickelson’s father was Norwegian)
*Pat Paulsen (who sought the 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996 nominations, usually Democratic; Paulsen’s father was Norwegian)
*Frank Carlson (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination; Carlson’s parents were Swedish)
*John B. Anderson (who sought the 1980 Republican nomination, and was later an independent 1980 candidate; Anderson’s father was Swedish and Anderson’s mother was of Swedish descent)
*Bob Smith (who sought the 2000 Republican nomination; Smith’s paternal grandfather was of Danish descent)
*Gary Johnson (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination, and was the Libertarian Party’s 2012 and 2016 nominee for President of the United States; Johnson’s father was adopted by Danish and Norwegian parents, and was possibly himself of Scandinavian descent)
*Michele Bachmann (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Bachmann is of Norwegian descent)
*Jon Huntsman, Jr. (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Huntsman is of one eighth Swedish, one eighth Norwegian, and one sixteenth Danish, descent)
*Eric Swalwell (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Swalwell’s mother is of Swedish and Danish descent)
*Perry Johnson (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Johnson’s father was of Swedish and Norwegian descent)

Sources: Genealogy of Lloyd Bentsen – https://www.geni.com

Lloyd Bentsen on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Lloyd’s mother – http://www.genealogy.com