Before entering politics, Christianson had pursued dual careers in western Minnesota, where he practiced law and was editor and publisher of the
Dawson Sentinel for fifteen years. During his time with the
Dawson Sentinel, Christianson published
anti-German and anti-
Bolshevik editorials, particularly targeting Albert Pfaender, son of
William Pfaender, of
New Ulm. He served as a member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives for five terms. "More Ted, Less Taxes" was the Christians's campaign slogan when he ran for governor in 1924. During his administration, he limited taxes and cut expenditures at every level of state government. While running for his first term in
1924, Christianson received endorsements from incumbent governor
J.A.O. Preus and Representative
Thomas D. Schall. Christianson's campaign was focused on "No compromise with Socialism in any of its disguises." Christianson believed that the
Farmer-Labor Party policies of state-owned railroads and utilities would bring the country into debt. Instead, Christianson proposed that the state's finances should be redirected to funding education. Christianson would be the first gubernatorial candidate to campaign towards women, speaking at local women Republican gatherings. During his tenure as governor, Christianson established a three-member Commission of Administration and Finance. This so-called "Big Three" unleashed the veto power of the chief executive, who slashed budget appropriations he considered extravagant. In 1925, the
Minnesota Senate and
House of Representatives passed a bill for eugenics-based sterilization. Governor Christianson signed the bill into law, and on January 8, 1926, six women living in a
mental asylum in
Fairbault were sterilized. Christianson was a candidate for the
1930 United States Senate election in Minnesota, placing second in the Republican primary after incumbent Senator
Thomas Schall. During a three-year hiatus from politics, Christianson wrote five-volume history text called
The Land of Sky-Tinted Waters: A History of the State and its People. He was elected to the
United States House of Representatives in 1932 and served until 1937. In 1936, he did not run for re-election to the House, opting to launch another bid for the Senate in the
1936 election. Receiving the Republican nomination, he ran against former congressman
Ernest Lundeen of the
Farmer Labor Party and was defeated, receiving 37% of the vote. After leaving politics, Christianson moved to
Chicago and served as secretary-manager of the National Association of Retail Grocers from 1937 to 1939. He was public relations counsel for the National Association of Retail Druggists from 1938 to 1945, and editor of
The Journal of the National Association of Retail Druggists: Official Organ of the N.A.R.D. from 1945 to 1948. ==Personal life==