[1] Dirlam originally sought the House speakership in 1963, but lost the contest by one vote to Lloyd Duxbury, accepting the majority leader position in compensation.

He had occasion to preside over the longest special session in state history (159 calendar days) that same year after Governor Wendell Anderson called the Legislature back to Saint Paul.

After a series of meetings with the governor and Senate Majority Leader Stanley Holmquist, they were able to craft the "Minnesota Miracle," which set a new pattern in the state's financing of education.

[1] Born in Panora, Iowa, Dirlam moved with his family to the Redwood Falls, Minnesota area in 1919, where they farmed.

[1] In 1981, Governor Al Quie appointed Dirlam to serve on the Minnesota Board of Residential Utility Consumers, a position he held until 1985.