Does this man look familiar? If you’re a scholar of the League, you may recognize his face—or if you’re a Minnesota city official, you may recognize his name. Pictured above is one Clarence C. Ludwig, otherwise known as C.C. Ludwig.
Having served as executive director of the League from 1935 to 1958, Ludwig was described in a Minnesota Municipalities article as having had “rock-ribbed integrity, firmness and persistence in what he believed to be right, qualities of leadership, and a kind and generous spirit.” Shortly after his death, an award was created by the League to honor him.
Established in 1962, the C.C. Ludwig Award is given annually in celebration of outstanding service by city officials in Minnesota. Recipients are chosen for their vision, statesmanship, and unwavering commitment to the public good—factors exemplified in Ludwig’s own life.
The first-ever C.C. Ludwig Award recipient was Leonard Thompson, a manager with the St. Paul Water Department, who had 50 years of continuous municipal service. According to his nomination form, Thompson “supervised development of one of the most adequate and efficient water systems in the nation,” had served as past president of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and himself has an award named after him at the AWWA.
Today, the C.C. Ludwig Award is given to elected officials only (while the James F. Miller Leadership Award is given to appointed officials). You can read about past Ludwig and Leadership award winners here.
Back when the award was initially established, the Executive Committee “believe[d] that the C.C. Ludwig award will soon become a great honor.”
That founding committee would be pleased to know that both the force of Ludwig’s personality and appreciation of his contributions live on today. One recent recipient said that the award “is widely acknowledged as the gold standard for elected municipal officials in Minnesota.”
Do you know someone of "rock-ribbed integrity" that you'd like to nominate for a Ludwig or Leadership award? Find award nomination info on LMC's website.
