William E. Lass

Professor Emeritus William E. Lass taught history to Minnesota State University students
for 42 years. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of
South Dakota at Vermillion and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr.
Lass is a prolific researcher and writer, as is evidenced by his list of publications including
dozens of articles and seven books. He is best known for his two books on Minnesota
history. Dr. Lass wrote his first state history book, Minnesota: A Bicentennial History (1977)
when he was chosen in a national competition as part of a bicentennial project to publish
the history of each state and the District of Columbia. The second edition, Minnesota:
a History, was published in 1998 and is used in schools throughout the state. His most
recent book, published in 2011, is The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. Dr. Lass established a
research and writing fund to encourage and support students’ intellectual curiosity.