Kenneth Dahlberg, WWII flying ace, dies

The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota businessman Kenneth Dahlberg, a World War II ace and an inadvertent figure in the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon's presidency, has died at age 94, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Dahlberg died Tuesday at his Deephaven home of natural causes, Dahlberg attorney and family friend Warren Mack told The Associated Press.

Dahlberg had broken his hip about a year ago and had pneumonia, but his hip had healed and his health had been "great," Mack said.

Even though Dahlberg did not commit any wrongdoing, he was swept into the Watergate scandal as Midwest finance chairman of Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.

The Star Tribune reported that Dahlberg became linked to the scandal after a check he delivered to the Nixon campaign turned up in a Watergate burglar's bank account. The contribution was legal, and a grand jury cleared Dahlberg.

"He never did anything wrong, and he knew that. So he never minded talking about it (Watergate)," said Mack, who wrote Dahlberg's biography, "One Step Forward: The Life of Ken Dahlberg."

Dahlberg also was a World War II flying ace who was shot down three times behind enemy lines, escaped twice and was a prisoner of war in Munich for the last few months of the war.

He founded Miracle Ear Hearing Aid Co. and spearheaded other business ventures, including Minneapolis-based restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., which he helped fund.

Dahlberg grew up on a 120-acre farm near Wilson, Wis.

Dahlberg was drafted, and on June 2, 1944 -- four days before D-Day -- he arrived in England to join the 354th Fighter Group flying P-51 Mustangs to support the invasion.