Luedtke, former lieutenant governor, Lincoln mayor dies at 81

Posted: Sunday, July 24, 2005

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Former Nebraska Lt. Gov. Roland Luedtke, who also served as a state senator and Lincoln's mayor, died Friday of pneumonia after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 81.

A longtime Republican, Luedtke jumped into politics soon after returning from World War II, where he survived a German mortar that earned him a Purple Heart.

He was appointed deputy secretary of state in 1953, and was first elected to the Legislature in 1966. He served three terms, representing Lincoln from 1967 to 1978, and sitting as Speaker of the Legislature his last two years.

During his tenure as a state lawmaker, Luedtke backed the financing of the Bob Devaney Sports Center and the State Office Building, both in Lincoln.

Luedtke was elected to a four-year stint as lieutenant governor during an era when the governor and lieutenant governor ran for office separately. Luedtke served under Gov. Charles Thone, a fellow Republican, from 1979 to 1983.

Conflict between Luedtke and Thone erupted in 1981, when Luedtke broke a tie by voting for a banking bill Thone opposed. Later, when serving as governor while Thone was out of town, Luedtke signed the bill into law, angering Thone.

Luedtke's action was eventually overturned by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Luedtke won election as the capital city's mayor in 1983, after losing a re-election bid for lieutenant governor.

He served one term as mayor after being defeated in a 1987 re-election bid.

A dozen years later, Luedtke and his wife, Helen, survived a car crash in 1999 that left Luedtke with serious head and chest injuries. He spent a week in the hospital before being released.

A funeral service will be Tuesday at First Lutheran Church in Lincoln.