Vance Grannis Jr., an Eagan attorney who was the first mayor of Inver Grove Heights, where he helped preserve more than 100 acres of his land through a conservation easement, died Tuesday at age 83.
A $3.9 million deal finalized between Dakota County and the Grannis family in 2017 put 109 acres of their land into the county’s Farmland and Natural Areas Program, meaning it is off-limits to developers and will be restored to native species of plants and wildlife.
The property, which is south of Minnesota 55 and stretches from South Robert Trail on the west to Barnes Avenue on the east, includes the largest lake within the Marcott chain of lakes and high-quality woodlands, wetlands, grasslands and agricultural land.
Nearly eight years in the making, the easement agreement allows county residents to use the property through programs and classes offered by Darvan Acres Outdoor Skills and Environmental Center, a nonprofit Grannis established in 2011. The nature center will continue under his family’s guidance, said son Vaughn Grannis.
“Vance was a very strong conservationist and wanted to protect his land and leave a legacy, and he worked hard at that,” said George Tourville, the city’s mayor. “And when it came to be, I was very happy for him because he worked hard to get that done.”
Grannis grew up in South St. Paul and spent his summers on the family’s land, which his grandfather owned.
“His grandfather had a dairy farm out here, and my dad just fell in love with nature and this place,” said daughter, Debbie Grannis. “When he got married, he wanted to build a house out here, so he did.”
This past June, Vance and his wife, Darlene, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on the land surrounded by friends and family. “It was a great day,” his daughter said.
After graduating from South St. Paul High School, Grannis followed the footsteps of his grandfather and father and became an attorney. He earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota and in 1960 began working at the family’s South St. Paul law firm, Grannis & Grannis, which was founded in 1908 and located along Concord Street.
In the early ’60s, as a young lawyer, Grannis worked with Sen. Paul Thuet Jr. and Rep. Walter Klaus to help defeat a plan in the state Legislature to combine Inver Grove Heights, Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Lakeville and Rosemount into one large village in Dakota County.
In February 1965, state lawmakers passed companion bills merging Inver Grove Village and Inver Grove Township.
At the urging of Grannis, one bill required residents from both communities to agree to the plan through a vote. They did just that in March 1965, and soon “Heights” was added to “Inver Grove.” Grannis became the new city’s first mayor, serving through 1968.
The firm Grannis & Grannis later merged with Hauge, Eide, Anderson & Keller and subsequently became Grannis & Hauge, based in Eagan.
Over his six-decade-long law career, Grannis was a general practice attorney but also a city attorney for Burnsville and a few other Dakota County cities, his son said. He was practicing law part time up until his death.
Grannis also worked part time as a municipal law judge and volunteered for over 25 years as a police reserve officer in Inver Grove Heights.
Grannis was diagnosed with a blood infection in July and likely of died of sepsis, his daughter said. He died at home with his family and dog, Bergen, by his side.
A Celebration of Life will be held sometime in 2021, his son said.
In addition to his daughter and son, survivors include wife, Darlene; son Chip Granger; three grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren.