Richard H. Magnuson

Inducted: 2000

For more than four decades Richard Magnuson has been a tireless crusader for cooperatives and their member-owners. He is an exceptional mentor and leader, and has played a major role in shaping legislations, tax policies, and regulations for our nation’s cooperatives. He served as general counsel for Farmers Union Central Exchange (now Cenex), Land O’ Lakes, Inc., and Group Health Plan. He then joined Doherty, Rumble & Butler, where he started a producer-oreinted, value-added cooperative practice. Over the years he led many efforts to improve cooperative law, including revising co-op statutes in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In the arena of politics and legislation, Richard is widely known and respected as a great cooperative advocate. His accomplishments are far-reaching. Notably, as chair of NCFC’s Legal Tax and Accounting Committee, he helped lead the defense to save the Capper-Volstead Act. In addition, he mentored many attorneys and leaders in cooperatives today. He often volunteered his time to support co-op education, and convinced others to do the same.

Even now in his ‘semi-retirement’, he continues to work tirelessly to further his people-oriented ideals, volunteering his expertise to promote cooperative development in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.