Tilsen, Kenneth E., 1927-

Kenneth Earl Tilsen was born on November 4, 1927, in New Leipzig, North Dakota, one of five children. Tilsen's family lived briefly in Michigan, then moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where Tilsen attended first-grade classes.

Tilsen's awareness of social inequities and the disenfranchised began early in life. Tilsen's father founded Tilsen Homes, the Twin Cities' first builder of integrated housing. Tilsen spent his formative years in St. Paul's Selby-Dale neighborhood, the Twin Cities' most integrated at the time, and later attended integrated Marshall High School. After serving briefly in the navy, Tilsen went on to the University of Minnesota where he completed law school, graduating at the top of his class in 1950.

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