Commissioner Chase was renominated in his campaign for a second term but died on September 18, 1948. Former Commissioner Rollin Johnson (1943-1945) was appointed to his seat by Governor Luther Youngdahl on October 5, 1948 and subsequently nominated by the GOP. Johnson was an attorney from Forest Lake, former state Representative (HD 43, 1925-1931, 1935-1943), and GOP candidate for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner in 1942 and 1946.
Herwig was a resident of Minneapolis, public relations agent for the publication Minnesota State Employee, and candidate for Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner in 1950.